Redwood Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 138

wind-sculpted sand dunes that run inland as much as half a mile. In August the first wave
of migrating Arctic birds arrives, and by October this 5,000-acre reserve of pastures, lakes,
and marshland is host to huge, honking parliaments of canvasbacks, mergansers, tundra
swans, and the world's population of the Aleutian Canada goose, a rare variety numbering
just 6,000 or so.
16. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Named for a mountain man and fur trapper who was the first white to travel overland from
the Mississippi to California, 10,000-acre “Jed Smith,” as it is known locally, is one of the
state's oldest and most beautiful parks. Temperatures run a bit higher here than to the west,
nurturing a harmonious blend of interior and coastal plant life, including fragrant cedars,
ponderosa pines, and the ever-familiar redwoods, which flourish in the ferny lowlands of
the Smith River basin. For an especially scenic detour, take Howland Hil Road, which fol-
lows Mill Creek's winding course and provides easy access to the Mill Creek Trail and
many of the park's stately groves of tall trees. Northernmost of the great redwood parks,
Jedediah Smith is also one of the least visited, making it a perfect spot to enjoy the warm
sunshine that comes as a welcome contrast to the chilly coastal fogs just 10 miles away.
17. Smith River National Scenic Byway
Stretching from Crescent City to the Oregon border, this 33-mile scenic drive along Rte.
199 offers spectacular mountain scenery. The highway follows the nationally designated
Wild and Scenic Smith River through the Siskiyou Mountains and Six Rivers National
Forest. Along the way you can behold a sublime, uninterrupted wilderness of deep gorges,
broad canyons, and lofty peaks.