Backpacker Magazine – March 2009

Wilderness Wonders: Tallest Tree

Head to Northern California's Redwood National Park for a glimpse at these giants.

by: Marcus Woolf, photos by Adam Friedrich- Redwood National and State Parks

Biggest Cave | Scariest Predator | Driest Desert | Hottest Geysers | Largest Glacier | Highest Peak | Tallest Tree | Highest Biodiversity | Largest Primate | Most Active Volcano | Strangest Rock Formation | Biggest Bear | Largest Crater | Farthest Migrator | Tallest Waterfall

What The 300-foot-high behemoths that grow only in northwestern California rule the planet for height, but that's just the start. They're also among the oldest–some have stood for more than 2,000 years–thanks in part to foot-thick bark that protects them from extreme fires and contains insect-resistant tannin. Ample coastal rainfall and seasonal flooding help nurture the trees to their superlative heights.

 

Where Redwood National and State Parks, California. Crane your neck at massive trunks, including the park's champion tree at 379.1 feet, along the 8.2-mile Redwood Creek Trail. Then backpack the 10-mile Little Bald Hills Trail through prairie and under an old-growth forest canopy. nps.gov/redw

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