Prairie Creek & Jedediah Smith Redwoods
by Mario Vaden - Certified Arborist
Grove of Titans & Atlas Grove Redwood Groves
Included > Using Images Policy - And comment about the Optical Illusion Factor. I don't plan to post GPS coordinates or map , but offer this information about Atlas Grove and Grove of Titans to fill a photo void for these remarkable California redwood trees. See photo links below for large images including Lost Monarch, Del Norte Titan and more. For a California redwood hiking trail guide, my favorite is Redwood Hikes Site for photos and info - it's loaded: trail by trail.
Trivia: California Jedediah Smith Redwoods are 20 miles south of Mt. Emily in Oregon, where Nobuo Fujita bombed the forest with a plane in WW II - launched from a submarine; an attempt to burn down forests in this area. Years later in gesture, Nobuo gave his 400 year old family Samurai sword to the City of Brookings, visiting often, with a charitable will to mend relations between cultures. Having lived 1911 - 1997, his ashes now rest in the forest at the location of the bomb site Ref 1 / Ref 2 / Ref 3 / Ref 4 / Image near bottom
Having explored 2 groves of giant redwood trees - Jedediah Smith Redwoods Grove of Titans and Prairie Creek Redwoods Atlas Grove - it's been a pleasure to explore those forests and take photos. These include Titan California redwoods discovered in 1998: near Crescent City. Atlas Grove redwood trees are south, not far from Orick, California. Both groves are a short travel from the Oregon border, making Marin County Muir Woods redwoods seem like apetizers.
There are photos in my 1st album of California redwood forest: Redwood Album #1
More redwood photos - large vertical panoramas are in my 2nd album: Redwood Album #2
Exploring for these biggest redwoods was a piece of exercise; finally spotting the Grove of Titans 6 hours into bushwhacking during one trek in Jedediah Smith redwoods. Repeat exploring visits located Atlas Grove in Prairie Creek redwoods in Humboldt County.
One tree thought of as the largest redwood in Jedediah Smith Redwoods is Stout Tree in Stout Grove: Howland Hill Road. But Jedediah Smith Redwoods has redwood trees larger than the Stout Tree. The larger include the Lost Monarch in the Grove of Titans and almost 50 other giant California redwoods (Sequioa genus).
Lost Monarch, 42,000 cubic feet of wood, is 134,832,600,000 (trillion) times heavier than it's original seed, based on 123,000 redwood seeds to a pound and 26.1 pounds per cubic foot of redwood.
The largest redwood trees as a grove are in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, but Titans like Iluvatar in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Atlas Grove are equally impressive. Several parks have giant redwood in north California. Redwood parks map: Redwood Parks map. Prairie Creek Redwoods has old growth, huge ferns, 70 miles of trails. As enjoyable as Jedediah Smith Redwoods, or vice-versa. Atlas Tree and lluvatar redwoods in Atlas Grove are concealed in a larger redwood forest than the Lost Monarch in the Grove of Titans at Jed Smith redwoods.
Check Stephen Sillett redwood canopy images at the California Humboldt University site: Dr. Sillett Redwood Gallery. Steve Sillett's research publications about epiphitic ferns, state that redwoods have fern mats up to 1600 lbs. per tree. The Lost Monarch was said to have 453 kilograms (998.6 lbs.) of Polypodium scouleri fern mats. Fangorn held 742 kilograms (1635 lbs). Atlas tree held 677 kilograms (1492 lbs).
Image top right is redwood Del Norte Titan, 3rd largest redwood. Other Titans have names like the Lost Monarch, El Viejo del Norte, Screaming Titans, Earendil & Elwing and Stalagmight. These rival many giant sequoia in California Sequioa National Park. 3rd & 5th photos are Lost Monarch in the Grove of Titans. 2nd & 6th photos are of lluvatar in Atlas Grove at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. 4th & 7th photos are other redwoods in the Grove of Titans. To appreciate the size of the redwood trunk in the 7th image, see my redwood albums or view here.
Don't miss the site for Robert Van Pelt, another very knowledgeable researcher of forest trees - Robert Van Pelt. Check out his drawings, and read his book Forest Giants of the Pacific Northwest.
Three famous redwood groves are unique: Atlas Grove holds some of the oldest redwoods. Helios Grove holds some of the tallest redwoods. Grove of Titans holds a mega-collection of largest California redwoods.
Many people are curious about Oregon redwoods, but Oregon redwoods don't compare with Jedediah Smith California redwoods. To see huge redwoods now, pick Jedediah Smith redwoods like Boy Scout Tree trail or Stout Grove and Stout Tree. And to the south, Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park trails.
The link below jumps to Hy. 199 within Jedediah Smith Redwoods near Simpson Reed Trail. That's the general area where discoverers of the Grove of Titans began their redwood hunt in 1998. Google Earth link:
41.811705, -124.098185 / Google Earth
Have you read the The Wild Trees (The Wild Trees) by Richard Preston? It includes a story about Steve Sillett and Michael Taylor finding Titan coast redwood trees in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park during 1998: the Grove of Titans.
One of those redwoods, the Lost Monarch, became the largest known coast redwood with over 42,000 cubic feet of wood. Not the tallest tree, but the most massive redwood with a trunk base wider than General Sherman giant Sequioa. Later, Del Norte Titan was found in the same north redwood park.
The location of these California redwoods is unpublished to reduce environmental impact.
By the time I read The Wild Trees, I had hiked and explored in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park often - every few weeks. Reading about these redwood trees in nearby north California presented an interesting component of the forest which I had not seen - incredible size and information about redwood canopy ecosystem.
Our exploring entered Jedediah Smith redwoods where the forest floor debris was so thick that our legs often plunged through. It was like walking over snow on Mt. Hood in winter, where snowshoes would be useful.
While keeping an eye out for those largest trees among Jedediah Smith redwoods hills, we passed one redwood tree with a huge canker, maybe 40' up. The redwood trunk was about 6' diameter and the burl-like growth was about 9' diameter, encircling the trunk; almost hairy looking, like a bunch of bears strapped to a tree trunk.
South - one redwood named Poseidon in Prairie Creek Atlas Grove redwoods, has one of the largest canopy fern mats in the world. Dunklin's photo: Heart of Poseidon hanging fern garden
The Wild Trees book describes the midst of Jed Smith Redwoods as an area where maps or landmarks have limited use. Our exploration validated this. We entered and exited with a compass, not landmarks. Jedediah Smith Redwoods is the first forest I've been in off-trail where landmarks were virtually useless.
Richard Preston's book does not exagerate the severity of bushwhacking that can be encountered in the redwood trees rainforest; unlike improved hiking trails there. Usually, I take the lead to identify poison-oak, especially in winter. In Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, there is one poison-oak vine next to Hiouchi Trail, almost 200feet tall with a 3" trunk diameter.
Extra reading online about redwoods:
Enjoy the free online article Redwood Grove of Titans: Day of Discovery about the redwood exploration that led to finding the Lost Monarch redwood. Afterward, make use of another great article called Climbing the Redwoods.
If The Wild Trees book inspires you to see the redwood forest where the search for the Titan's began, try the GPS link above. Park at Hy. 199 at the north of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Look up the hill south. That is where Sillett and Taylor entered, where the chapter in The Wild Trees describes the day of discovery - near Simpson Reed Discovery Trail.
Nearby, the turquoise Smith River through Jedediah Smith Redwoods park is hard to miss, passing under Highway 199, near the Jedediah Smith redwoods campground. The Smith River gets the blue color from a serpentine mineral rock.
Be sure to view Dan Bain's Virtual Photo Tours of Redwoods. Over 70 panoramic 360 degree views of redwoods, Humboldt Lagoons, Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Patricks Point, Crecent City, Trinidad and much more. See his virtual photography guidebook blog too.
More about redwoods:
(Reminder: for California redwood hiking information, I prefer Redwood Hikes Site for photographs, trail descriptions, maps and information. One of the best redwood websites)
Redwood trees can out-compete many tree species in the redwood's favorable climate, within 10 miles of the Pacific ocean. Fog is important for survival of redwood forests, providing cooling and water. Redwoods are resistent to insects, disease and fire.
Redwoods siphon water to great heights, overcoming gravity and friction within. Coastal redwoods can produce "rain" by condensing fog into drenching showers that provide moisture to the roots. Scientists believe that redwoods take some water directly from air through needles and canopy roots which the trees sprout on their branches.
Lofty "soil mats" formed by accumulation of dust, needles, seeds and other materials, act like sponges to capture water. Fog is thought to provide 30% to 40% of a redwood tree's water supply.
The tallest redwoods are Hyperion, Helios, and Icarus. In 2006, Mr. Atkins and Mr. Taylor discovered Helios and Icarus on July 1, and Hyperion on Aug. 25. Hyperion was 379.1 feet, Helios 376.3 feet and Icarus 371.2 feet.
YouTube: View this redwood video with Jim Spickler, about climbing the tallest Redwood in the world - Hyperion: Redwood Video. It's the tallest tree in the world (known).
On my own album is a video of a few moments by a couple of the Titans: MD Vaden Redwood Video
Those tallest California redwoods are in Redwood National Park. Some of the tallest redwoods have been assigned names: Stratosphere Giant, Pipe Dream, Lone Fern, Crown Jewel, Pig Snout, Scarecrow, Turkey Vulture. These Redwood names are a few from a list of the tallest. Keep in mind that Stratosphere Giant and Mendocino Tree redwoods were the tallest California redwoods before the Hyperion discovery.
Some of the largest and oldest redwoods like Atlas Tree or lluvatar in Atlas Grove, have communities of life high in the canopy including fern gardens, bonsai-like conifers, huckleberry, lichens, etc.. Mentioned above, an Atlas Grove tree Posiedon, has a fern garden mat as large as a truck Poseidon hanging fern garden.
Historical logging records indicate that coast redwoods were cut down in California which were larger than any Giant Sequioas currently seen in Sequoia National Park. This implies that prior to logging in the 1800s and 1900s, Coastal Redwood forests probably contained the largest trees on earth.
Atlas Grove: you may be aware of Atlas Grove from reading. It's the Prairie Creek redwood grove that was intensively studied and mapped, including computer models.
Conspiracy theory !! One day it crossed my mind that some people may have doubts: suspecting a few researchers with a conspiracy invented to collect Grant money for make-believe redwood giants. Lay doubt to rest - these are real.
The redwoods in Atlas Grove, including lluvatar (Illuvatar) were measured top to bottom. Virtually all the lluvatar trunks - about 220 - were measured. lluvatar is the 2nd largest redwood.
Image left: section of trunk on lluvatar. Maybe you read about Iluvatar's trunk enlarged higher up. There is also a drawing in The Wild Trees. From this portion of the trun,, and upward, are 220 reiterated stems or trunks.
It is written that measuring lluvatar was done by 5 tree climbers (Steve Sillett, Marie Antoine and 3 graduate students), in about 20 days. Many of the trunks are referred to a "reiterations". When new vertical stems arise from tree tops, they can resemble miniature versions of the species. Like a forest on a tree.
lluvatar has several limbs that have grafted or "fused" together, which adds strength - nature's cabling / bracing. The canopy fills over 32,000 cubic yards, and wood volume exceeding 17,000 cubic feet. An impressive redwood tree.
Other redwoods in Atlas grove are interesting. Atlas tree is described as living up to it's name, due to the volume of earth or soil held up in the canopy, providing a growing area for epiphytes.
Optical Illusion and Giant Redwoods
Some people have commented that finding the biggest redwoods should be easy due to the size.
Not !! A person can be within 100 feet of trees like Screaming Titans or Lost Monarch, and not realize the presence of a redwood titan. One reason is forest density, but the other is optical illusions. The surrounding trees ared large enough to make bigger redwood trunks seem smaller than they really are.
Iluvatar is almost a double optical illusion. It's canopy is one of the largest in the redwood forest. But the trunk is so massive that it makes the canopy seem much smaller than it really is. Likewise, the huge canopy of Iluvatar seems to miniaturize it's trunk to the eye.
This is one reason why many people have failed to spot trees like Terex Titan or Hyperion, even though they may have been close. I receive messages from some.
The tallest redwood like Hyperion or previous champion Stratosphere Giant, may be even harder to spot than the largest redwoods. The top of the tallest redwood is virtually out of sight.
An interesting observation about one giant redwood called Big Tree in Prairie Creek redwoods, is that it appears to be what is called Curly Redwood. I noticed that a huge leader which blew down - missing bark - showed a wavy pattern on the wood. Not only is Big Tree unusual as a Titan California redwood, but also rare as a Curly Redwood Titan. In Crescent City, California, the Curly Redwood Lodge was built from one curly redwood log years ago.
Identification: in the natural habitat of redwoods like Jedediah Smith Redwoods in California, identification should be possible by needles. Only one conifer, yew, may resemble it as a small tree. Coast redwood and yew both have needles that are flat, arranged in ranks on either side of the twig, and ends pointed. Redwoods needles often have faded white stripes on the underside that can be rubbed off (redwood uppermost foliage may be short scale-like, flattened against twigs).
Common names: Amerikansk sekvoja, California cedar, Californische redwood, corla, palo colorado, pin rouge d'ambrique, pin rouge d'Amerique, pino rosso d'america, sequoia de California, sequoia toujours vert, sequoie.
Measurements: for a few dimensions of the largest trees and tallest trees (coastal redwood), see the Wikipedia Coast Redwood (Sequoia) Article.
(To close: we hike well-equipped, with many items listed on my emergency kit page: Emergency Kits - food, water filters, space blankets. Even tea, cocoa and Beef Stroganoff. With the micro stove, we have boiling water for a hot meal in the woods. If you are not adept at preparing a pack yet, check out that page for a few tips)
Image at right: Pilot Nobuo (Trivia near page introduction)
Use of Images Policy:
(large files useful for posters available - terms depend on use)
1. 1 image may be borrowed for Websites (ask for exceptions)
2. Copyright must remain or be added on photo
3. A text credit will be near the image
4. Credit hyperlink to this page like Grove of Titans Redwoods
5. Borrower please test hyperlink - Thank you !!
6. Wikimedia Commons: Mario Vaden, owner of this website, grants permission for use of an image of the Lost Monarch redwood, 400 x 175 pixels, submitted to Wikimedia Creative commons: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0, as: "freely use this image as long as copyright credit to the author Mario Vaden is clearly indicated near or on the image":
See Wikipedia Commons image here: Redwood Image 400 x 175