Redwoods Fun Facts

Have you ever driven through a tree? There are three coastal redwood drive-through trees along Highway 101 in northern California. All are located on private property and charge admission.

Redwood trees are conifers and a redwood cone is the size of an olive (pretty small for the largest trees in the world). Each cone contains anywhere from 60 to 120 seeds. A redwood tree may produce 10 million seeds in its lifetime but only a few will reach maturity. If a seed settles in just the right place, at just the right time, it may grow into a redwood tree that will live more than 2,000 years.

Redwood National and State Parks was established to protect and preserve 37 miles of rugged California coastline. Off-shore seastacks provide nesting for about 40 percent of California's seabirds.

Fog accounts for up to one quarter of the precipitation needed by the massive coast redwood trees.

Redwoods Forest Wildlife

The shy black bear lives in the redwood forest, so please be sure to store all your food in the bear proof food containers. They may be shy, but they love a snack wherever they can find it!

The robin-sized marbled murrelet is one speedy seabird. It nests on the branches of old-growth conifer trees and flies to and from the ocean at 60 miles per hour (that's "freeway fast"!) The marbled murrelet feeds on ocean fish. This bird is listed as endangered by the State of California and is on the U.S. Federal Government's threatened list of species.

Steller's jays & ravens are common in the redwood forest, where they scavenge food scraps found in campgrounds Once they find an easy source, they continually fly over that area in search of food. Unfortunately, they may come across a marbled murrelet nest and eat the egg or chick! Please keep your campsite clean and store all food items properly!

Four species of frogs and one toad utilize aquatic habitats within the redwood region. The northern red-legged frog is quite abundant and is well-camouflaged on the moist forest floor.

Northern California Fun Facts

Northern California Wildlife

Prairie Creek Redwood State Park became an elk refuge in 1923. Once endangered, elk are now common in the park.

Gray whales migrate just offshore along the northern California coastline as they travel from Alaska to Baja, California (a round trip journey of 10,000 miles!) The best times to view these 45-foot marine mammals are December/January and March/April. Watch for their heart-shaped spouts along the Pacific Ocean coast.

Northern California Sights

The Columbia Lily, also known as the Tiger Lily, has yellow-orange blossoms and a stem that is two to three feet high, making it easy to see alongside the roads on the forest edges from May through August.

Travel by car to Gold Bluffs Beach to hike along a meandering stream through a hidden canyon with 30-foot walls covered by several species of ferns. Follow steps up to James Irvine Trail to a prairie that was once a small mining town above Fern Canyon.

The Bald Hills Road serves as a scenic byway to a high prairie landscape dotted with magnificent 300-year-old Oregon white oak trees. This region of the parks offers fields of colorful springtime wildflowers and trail access to several historic ranches.

Alpha What Travel Game

It's a good idea to know some fun travel games to pass the time during your trip to Redwoods RV Resort. Here's one I really like.

The driver picks a category, like animals or people you know or clothing or places you go. Then go through the alphabet naming things in your category in alphabetical order:

"Ant, bear, cat, dog, eagle" and so on.

...Or, something a little harder...

One thing at a time, riders name as many things with that letter that they can:

"Ant, ape, aardvark," and so on until the next person can't think of anything. That person then starts the list on the next letter:

"Bat, baboon, bull," and so on.

National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids has videos, activities, games and stories that make learning about animals, science and geography fun!

National Geographic Little Kids

National Geographic Little Kids is the place for 3- to 6-year-olds and their parents to have fun and play games while learning about animals, crafts, recipes, and science experiments!

U.S. Government Kids Page

The U.S. Government Kids page provides links to Federal kids-oriented Websites along with some of the best kids Websites from other organizations, all grouped by subject. Explore, learn, and have fun!

California Kids Korner

The California Kids Korner includes stuff for little kids, big kids, plus stuff on energy, information for parents, and the boardgame Monopoly®.

Caltrans Kids Page

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Kids Page has lots of games, videos and other cool stuff - all about transportation in the state of California!