We don’t often find ourselves doing something ridiculously touristy. But damn, this was one of those days!
While road-trippin’ in California, we drove through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the famous “Avenue of the Giants” where you can see some of the oldest trees in the world – up to 3000 years old! The scenery is grand and humbling and, of course, a pleasure to drive by even on a rainy day.
Tree hugging in California
There are 3 drive-thru trees in the area, and this is where the “touristic” factor kicks in. Although Avenue of the Giants can be accessed for free (it’s just a road, after all), the massive trees that you can drive through are privately owned and you have to pay $5 to… how to put it… risk to scratch your car (a rental, in our case!) and end up paying even more in repairs!
The video above shows what a tree drive-thru looks like.
There were several families and groups of friends queuing up to drive through this ancient tree. Some had small(ish) cars but most of them, just like us, were driving massive machines and even vans.
The ticket for the drive-thru (that includes no fries) also gives you access to a couple of ultra cute houses (carved out of single tree trunks) and some basic info on the trees’ age.
Inside a tree house – literally!
Explaining the age of the trees
Independently of these paid attractions, Avenue of the Giants is well worth getting off the main road. It was gloomy and wet when we visited, but I can I bet this is a great spot to trek around and even camp in when the weather gets a little sunnier and you don’t feel all those trees will start moving and doing evil things when the night comes down…
And now, please feel free to scroll down to appreciate how tall these giants really are!
Ashray comparing sizes at Avenue of the Giants
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Such a cute video! Love it! Looked like you were enjoying yourselves. Wish we could have seen more of these on our trip to Cali. Definitely next time!
Yes, we had a great time indeed! ;)
Thanks for stopping by, Brittany!