Image capured a brisk fall morning at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. A few whispy morning clouds coveing the sky with the sun rising on the left side of the image.

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North Coast & Redwoods

This is not the legendary California of the Beach Boys' song – there are no palm-flanked beaches and very few surfboards. The jagged edge of the continent is wild, scenic and even slightly foreboding, where spectral fog and an outsider spirit have fostered the world’s tallest trees, most potent weed and a string of idiosyncratic two-stoplight towns. Explore hidden coves with a blanket and a bottle of local wine, scan the horizon for migrating whales and retreat at night to fire-warmed Victorians. As you travel further north, find valleys of redwood, wide rivers and mossy, overgrown forests. Expect cooler, damper weather too. Befitting this dramatic clash of land and water are its unlikely mélange of residents: timber barons and tree huggers, pot farmers and radicals of every political persuasion.


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A park ranger stands on the steps of a new trail winding around a giant redwood

Hiking

There’s a new way to explore the Grove of Titans in California’s redwoods

Jun 2, 2022 • 5 min read