,

Redwoods Reviewed

Bigleaf maple and moss, Prairie Creek State Park, Humboldt County (10/13/13) Adam Nilsson-Weiskott

Bigleaf maple and moss, Prairie Creek State Park, Humboldt County (10/13/13) Adam Nilsson-Weiskott

Nature observer Sandy Steinman (see blog at left)  took a trip north to Redwood National and State Parks this past week and provides a good guide to the parks.  CLICK HERE to read Sandy’s remarks. The national park is closed, due to the shutdown, though most of the parks along the Redwood Coast are state parks and all of them remain open.  Fall color is an added reason to visit the redwoods, though it’s not a prime reason to make the trip.  Spots of color are seen among the redwoods and in non-redwood forests along The Redwood Highway.  Still, this is California’s greatest boulevard and must be driven.  We can think of no finer season than autumn in which to see it.

Color spotter  Adam Nilsson-Weiskotts sends photos of changing bigleaf maple, alder and bay laurel among the redwood forests of the North Coast, reminding us that “time does not stand still in the Redwoods.” He reports, “The contrast of green moss and fog-shrouded bigleaf maple with their brilliant shades of orange, yellow and brown is truly a sight to behold and at peak, right now.  The best colors can be seen along Prairie Creek Trail which is populated with bigleaf maples.

Bigleaf maple, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (10/13/13) Adam Nilsson-Weiskott

Bigleaf maple, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (10/13/13) Adam Nilsson-Weiskott

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (10/13/13) Adam Nilsson-Weiskott

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (10/13/13) Adam Nilsson-Weiskott

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Redwood National and State Parks – Bigleaf maple, alder and bay laurel are in full color along the drainages within the parks.  The state parks remain open, though gated areas of the national parks are closed during the federal shutdown.  No worries, as there are far more state park areas to view.