Beautiful New Trail System Coming to the Grove of Titans in Jedediah Smith Redwoods

The Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, located in the northwest corner of California near Crescent City, is one of the most underrated outdoor destinations on the west coast. But as adventurers have used the internet to discover the magnificent old growth forest, park officials and conservation groups have been looking for new ways to enable visitation to the area without damaging the precious redwoods.
So it came as no surprise that officials announced a brand new $3.5 million project to build a trail system in the area that will enable the forest to be enjoyed without any further damage. Here is the announcement from the Save the Redwoods League:
California State Parks, Save the Redwoods League, National ParkService and Redwood Parks Conservancy today unveiled a plan to safeguard the Grove of Titans and adjacent forest in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park unit of Redwood National and State Parks in Del Norte County, California. The Grove of Titans is a magnificent stand of ancient redwoods that contains some of the world’s largest trees. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is the wettest place in California and home to the forest with the world-record breaking amount of carbon storage above ground (2,600 Mg carbon per hectare)—a vital component in combating climate change. The location of the grove, which has no official trail access, has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years, leading to increasing off-trail visitation, which has wreaked considerable damage to the grove and its environs.
The Plan

By joining forces, the partners will protect this sensitive habitat while creating a memorable experience for visitors. The project, which is projected to be completed by July 2021, will establish official, safe access to the grove, ecosystem protections for the trees and all necessary visitor services and amenities. Specifically, it includes:
- Conducting a visitor usage study that will inform enhancement of the visitor experience
- Installing a 1,300-foot elevated walkway that connects to the existing Mill Creek Trail
- Removing unofficial social trails and restoring impacted areas in and around the grove
- Installing services and amenities, including ADA accessible parking and restrooms
- Developing interpretive programming and materials that provide information about the grove’s history and redwood ecosystem, while encouraging visitors to stay on designated trails
The cost of the project is estimated at $3.5 million. A generous dollar-for-dollar challenge grant from Josie Merck, a passionate and caring friend of Save the Redwoods League, to match all contributions made by December 31, 2018 up to $500,000 is in place to support the campaign’s first phase. Ms. Merck, an artist who studied painting at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Yale University School of Art, read about the plight of the Grove of Titans in the San Francisco Chronicle last year and was inspired to offer this challenge to get the project up and running. Ms. Merck’s father, George W. Merck, was a Councilor of Save the Redwoods League from 1953 until his death in 1984. Legendary forester Carl Alwin Schenck was a family relative and a further inspiration for Ms. Merck’s gift. Contributions towards the challenge can be made directly to the Save the Redwoods League at SaveTheRedwoods.org/Titans.
Project Timeline
Phase 1 of the project – planning, assessment and compliance – is currently underway and scheduled to be completed by fall 2019. The partners will undertake an adaptive public access study of Howland Hill Road, the main automobile access to the grove. The planned rerouting of the Mill Creek Trail and construction of a raised pedestrian trail system will undergo compliance review by district resource staff.Â
Phase 2Â includes remediation, construction and improvements and is anticipated to begin in September 2019. This phase will include construction of the elevated walkway, removal of social trails and restoration, installation of visitor services and amenities, and development and installation of interpretive signage and materials. During the construction phase, the Mill Creek Trail will be closed from Howland Hill Road to the Smith River. The new trail system is projected to open in July 2021.

“The situation at the Grove of Titans demonstrates the delicate balance that sometimes must be struck between public access and protection,†said Paul Ringgold, chief program officer for Save the Redwoods League. “Visitation to our public redwood parks is a benefit for all and is essential to the long-term conservation of redwood ecosystems: People need to experience the beauty and power of these magnificent trees to understand the necessity of conserving them. But when unregulated visitation threatens specific groves, we must identify ways to eliminate the impacts without eliminating visitor enjoyment. The plans we’ve developed for the Grove of Titans do just that.â€
Joanna Di Tommaso, development director for Redwood Parks Conservancy, emphasized the necessity of broad-based coalitions for implementing ambitious initiatives such as the Grove of Titans management plan. “We’re each bringing our particular strengths to this effort,†said Di Tommaso, “and we’re all in agreement that action is needed now. People have asked me if this project is really necessary, because the damage may not be glaringly apparent to a casual hiker. My answer is, yes, there is very real damage, and it will only increase over time, so action absolutely is necessary. We have to remember that only five percent of the ancient redwoods remain. Any threat to any of them must be addressed.â€
Background
The Grove of Titans was identified deep in the old-growth forests of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in 1998. Following unofficial publication of its location, in print and online, visitation increased dramatically over the past 20 years, with peak travel of 13,000 cars per month along Howland Hill Road during the busy summer months, often resulting in gridlock.
With spiraling visitation, the negative impacts anticipated by California State Parks materialized. Over the years, a complex web of “social†trails has formed, and the resulting influx of foot traffic has destroyed understory plants and compacted soil, inhibiting the uptake of water and nutrients by the shallow roots of the redwoods and threatening the long-term survival of the grove itself. Additionally, unplanned trails can cause soil erosion and corresponding run off that can affect coho and steelhead spawning habitat.
“Instead of looking like a prehistoric and pristine forest it’s starting to look like the LA freeway system,†said Brett Silver, acting sector superintendent for California State Parks. “Once construction begins access to the grove will be closed. I know it will be frustrating for people not to have access. We ask all the visitors for their patience and cooperation as we work to preserve and protect this incredible place for future generations to enjoy.â€
For further information and to donate, visit SaveTheRedwoods.org/Titans or GroveofTitans.org. You may also make donations by calling Save the Redwoods League at (415) 820-5800 or Redwood Parks Conservancy at (707) 465-7329.
Awesome blog you have here but I was curious about if you knew of
any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here?
I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get comments from other experienced people that
share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
Thanks!
My brother recommended I might like this website.
He was entirely right. This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this information!
Thanks!
Someone necessarily assist to make critically articles I might state.
This is the very first time I frequented your website page and so far?
I surprised with the research you made to create this actual post incredible.
Magnificent task!
It’s the only Malaysian web site on our list with a cryptocurrency welcome package reward.
Appreciating the commitment you put into
your site and in depth information you present. It’s good to come across a blog every once in a
while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed material. Wonderful read!
I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to
my Google account.
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets
I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was
hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and
I look forward to your new updates.
My relatives every time say that I am wasting my time here at web, except I
know I am getting experience all the time by reading such pleasant articles or reviews.
Hi there! I know this is somewhat off-topic however I had
to ask. Does building a well-established website like yours take a lot of
work? I’m completely new to running a blog however I do write in my journal on a daily basis.
I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my own experience and thoughts online.
Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers.
Appreciate it!
Hey there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after checking through some of the
post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!
Hi! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to check it out.
I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Outstanding blog and brilliant style and design.
I am genuinely grateful to the holder of this web site who has shared
this great paragraph at here.
In the event of thejr losing, thhe croupier pays the punters in order oof rotation until the bank runs out of funds.
In reality, South Korean players have incredibly few legal gambling choices.
Private casin operator Paradise Group also swung to an operating lloss of 86.2 billion won in 2020 from an operating profit
of 51.9 billion won.
It also hass a reside blackjack table and weekly slots tournaments.
The Gambling Act of 2005stated that web betting is legal as
lengthy it is noot a crime or disorder.
The quikest way to get that list is utillizing a web-scraping
Google Chrome extension or application.
Nearly 50% of all individuals who play casino games appreciate playing Slot games.
That is why PayPaal have taken the step to enable players to block gambling transactions from their PayPal account.
Lots of providers use threat assessment tools in order
to filter out borrowers who may not spend back
the loan.
If you are the kind to mix ten+ lines oon a single ticket, this is wwhere
you do it.
Finally, when the SPARQL query is generated, the interrogation of the Linked Data
iss accomplished, and generates the exacht answer of the user query.
I’m not sure why but this blog is loading very slow for me.
Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end?
I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
Great weblog right here! Additionally your site lots up very
fast! What web host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate link to your host?
I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it
to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear
and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside
and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!
LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging
on sites I stumbleupon every day. It’s always
helpful to read articles from other authors and practice something from their
websites.
great post, very informative. I wonder why the other specialists
of this sector do not notice this. You should proceed your
writing. I’m sure, you have a great readers’ base already!
Hi there, I found your site by means of Google whilst looking for
a similar matter, your website got here up, it seems good.
I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, simply became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it is really informative.
I’m going to be careful for brussels. I will be grateful if
you proceed this in future. Many other folks can be benefited from your
writing. Cheers!
Olchawseki added it was “appalling that in 2022 girls
of colour arre missing in leadership positions from some of our
key institutions and organisations”.
Rohini Pane is a professor of public policy and co-director of the Proof for Policy Style Initiative
at Harvard, where Charity Troyer Moore directs the Inndia system.
I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail
on the head. The problem is an issue that too few folks
are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this during my hunt for something regarding this.
Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your website on my
iphone during lunch break. I love the knowledge you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G ..
Anyways, awesome blog!
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all folks you actually realize
what you are speaking about! Bookmarked. Kindly additionally seek
advice from my web site =). We can have a hyperlink trade arrangement between us
Hey! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!
Hello my family member! I want to say that this post is amazing, nice written and come with almost all significant infos.
I’d like to see more posts like this .
Hi! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog article or vice-versa?
My website addresses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I feel we could
greatly benefit from each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
You have made some decent points there. I checked on the web for additional information about the issue and found most individuals will go along
with your views on this website.
Entrepreneurship is a proud American tradition taking it effortless
is not.
I was wondering if you ever considered changing the page layout of your blog?
Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could
a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better.
Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures.
Maybe you could space it out better?
This post offers clear idea in favor of the new visitors of blogging, that actually how to
do running a blog.
hello!,I really like your writing so much!
proportion we keep in touch more approximately your article on AOL?
I need a specialist in this space to solve my problem.
Maybe that’s you! Looking ahead to see you.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this post! It is the little
changes which will make the most important changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing!
What’s up, all is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that’s really good, keep up writing.
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your
blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it
better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures.
Maybe you could space it out better?
Terrific article! This is the kind of information that are meant to be shared around the net.
Shame on the seek engines for not positioning this post upper!
Come on over and consult with my web site . Thanks =)
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment
but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t
appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say wonderful blog!
Good day! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization?
I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results.
If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!