Yesterday I hiked Tall Trees Grove for the first time with Stephen and Eric. First we had to get a Free Day Pass from the Forest Headquarters in Orick and the password to the gate code, since only a limited number of people hike Tall Trees in a given day. Heading towards the grove, we passed a scenic overlook which is the photograph above. Then once we passed the gate, a thin dirt road winds its way to the entrance where the hike begins with a steady decline down a cliff, Giants shooting up from below. At the ground level is a beautiful loop through a grove of Big-leafed Maples among a thick carpet of sword ferns and of course Giants around every turn. The path is lined with a nearby river where camping is allowed. The hike back to the top was a pretty steep elevation change but it was well worth it. The hike leaves you with a feeling of victory.
There are many felled trees along the path that have been sawed across for the hiker's sake. It's always a trip to walk past these split open trunks and lazily run your fingers across the thousands of rings.
A beautiful turquoise river runs beside Tall Trees Grove and it's a wonderful spot for camping or taking a refreshing dip before the hike back up.
We met a couple girls from southern Germany who were driving from San Fran to Vancouver, seeing the sights along the way, and they decided to hike Tall Trees Grove. We spotted for them the infamous banana slug, the 2nd largest mollusk in the world, several times over and they were amazed they hadn't seen it on their own.
The Big Leaf Maple trees caused the light coming through the canopy to scatter along the trail in majestic rays.
Eric and I in Tall Trees Grove



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