Montgomery Woods State Reserve - California

Montgomery Woods State Reserve, one of California's 31 redwood parks, is home to both Sierra and Coast Redwoods, the massive and majestic trees protected by the Save the Redwoods League, when the park was acquired in the 1940s. The Park spans 1,145 acres and boasts unique boardwalk trails through beautiful groves of redwoods, a rare example of an upland riparian meadow habitat. The forest floor, protected from the footsteps of visitors by the boardwalk, is covered in a carpet of sorrel with large ferns that keep the forest floor moist. In addition, bubbling creeks and plenty of wildlife make this park a true feast for nature lovers. Since no camping is available, be sure to start the day bright and early to leave plenty of time for all of the beauty at Montgomery Woods.

Montgomery Woods is one of the more remote of California's 31 redwood parks. It is a perfect place for a picnic, and tables are provided for that purpose. A trail follows Montgomery Creek upstream to five separate redwood groves that have never been logged. The trail is about three miles long, laid out in a shallow loop that takes about an hour to travel. The redwoods you will see here, while walking the trail, are among the two main species of redwoods in the Western United States. The Sierra Redwood (Sequoia giganteum) also called Big Tree, is both older and more massive but rarely attains the heights of its coastal relative. The Sierra redwood grows at higher elevations, which is why it can be found in the Sierra mountain ranges. The taller Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) grows along the California coast into Southern Oregon in an area about 500 miles long by 20 or 30 miles wide. The Coastal redwood favors moderate temperature with lots of moisture. They fare especially well in areas of heavy fog, where the soil rarely dries completely. The coastal redwood is the tallest tree on earth, measuring up to 370 feet in height. The Coast Redwood grows best on river flats and stream junctions, where they receive a rich supply of alluvial soil, or silt, deposited there by flood waters. The reserve started with a nine-acre donation by Robert Orr in 1945, and has been enlarged to 1,142 acres by purchases and donations from the Save-The-Redwoods League.