The Golden State Series, Episode One: Discover NW California, 2011

Redwood National and State Parks

Redwood trees are always described in superlatives: the tallest, the biggest, the oldest, the most massive. But the best way to describe them is simply magnificent. California is one of the only places in the world where you can see these mighty conifers and a trip to the Golden State isn’t complete without visiting these iconic trees. You can easily visit a redwood grove just 12 miles north of San Francisco, but if you have the time to make a longer trip, it’s worth traveling to experience the best of the California redwoods.

The trees in California that people call “redwoods” are actually two distinct but related species. Coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) are the tallest living things on our planet, growing up to 380 feet tall (116 meters) and 16 to 18 feet (5.5 meters) across. You can find them in redwood forests near the California coast from the Oregon border down to Big Sur.

Giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grow only in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains near the state’s eastern border. The most massive living things on Earth, the largest of them rise a little more than 300 feet tall and spread almost 30 feet across. The oldest ones have been around for more than 3,000 years.