Friday, April 28, 2017

Mendocino County Hike

No Trail
Smithe Redwoods State Reserve ? 

April 15, 2017

California Counties Hiked in 2017: 3/58

We wanted to hike one last county during our spring break week in the coastal redwoods of northern California, and Mendocino County made the most sense. Looking at the map, it appeared that we would drive right by Smithe Redwoods State Reserve on our way back to Roseville. After looking online, the park seemed like a perfect place for one last hike through a redwood grove.

Not trusting the map alone, I decided to use GPS to guide us to the park. When we arrived according to my GPS, an unsigned side road led into the redwoods. However, it was completely blocked by a temporary orange fence. The road didn't have any signs and the traditional sign announcing the State Reserve was also missing. 

There was a small unmarked parking area not far from what would appear to be the entrance to the Smithe Redwoods and we pulled over to consider our options. Both the map and GPS said we were at the right spot, but the reserve's website didn't say anything about the park being closed for any reason. It was too late to research another plan (Lisa was waiting at home with everything needed to color our Easter Eggs), so we decided to go off trail and hike through the redwood forest in front of us that was calling our names. 

It was the right decision since we didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs because we had the grove all to ourselves. I've written before that hiking through redwoods is one of the best places to push Kellisa because of the total lack of roots, rocks, and undergrowth. It's a pushiking dream! In fact, Laurel pushed Kellisa from start to finish on our hike. 























1 comment:

  1. Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
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    Keep Posting:)

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