Page 61 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES in Death Valley
National Park, opposite; Garrapata State Park at the
gateway to Big Sur, left; climbing the Mist Trail to Vernal
Fall in Yosemite National Park, below.
Lake Tahoe, North America’s largest alpine
lake. Along the lake’s west shore, D.L. Bliss,
Emerald Bay and Sugar Pine Point state
parks offer camping, hiking and white sand
beaches. Farther north at Lassen Volcanic
National Park, watch California take shape
in the roaring fumaroles, thumping mud
pots and boiling pools.
Giants in the Mist
While the Sierras are home to the heftiest
redwoods, the state’s fog-shrouded coastal
range from Oregon to Big Sur boasts the
loftiest—several are taller than the Statue of
Liberty. These rare trees, once logged to
near extinction, are now protected within
California’s redwood parks.
At Humboldt Redwoods State Park,
home to the largest continuous old growth
redwood forest on earth, drive the 31-mile
Avenue of the Giants and make stops along
the way to stroll among the titans. Founders
Grove with its majestic 346-foot specimen
is always a favorite. Visit in spring to see the
pink redwood lilies and purple calypso
orchids in bloom.
Farther north and closer to the coast, the
Redwood National and State Parks is a col-
lection of four parks with miles of
unspoiled coast and hiking trails. The
tallest recorded Coast Redwood hides here,
its location kept secret to protect it. How-
ever, you can visit the remote Tall Trees
2018 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 59