Trees of Mystery Klamath CA

We had seen so many signs for Trees of Mystery in Klamath CA, that we knew we had to allow an entire day for our visit!

My fascination with these astounding giants probably stems from my childhood. From the time I was born we spent our summers at my grandparents summer home in Ventnor NJ. I have mentioned this place before. My Zeyda dubbed the house “The Cambridge Villa” because it was at 2 N. Cambridge Avenue. If my parents and grandparents went out at night, I was left with a babysitter who lived at the end of our block. Her name was Mrs.Cora Wiley. Because television wasn’t really a thing yet, she would entertain me with poems. There was one, in particular, that struck a cord with me even though I was only about 4 or 5 years old. So she wrote it our for me to keep. “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer, is still my favorite poem!

Trees by Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Trees of Mystery Klamath CA

We began our day of exploring nature’s beauty by following the trail that was clearly marked as an easy hike. The trail took us passed all sorts of wonders, natural and not.

The Native Americans called this “a place of the spirits”. Being amongst these giant trees that are the oldest living things on the planet, gave us the same awe inspiring wonder that civilizations must have felt centuries ago.

There are trees we passed named for their appearance like the Elephant Tree, Octopus Tree, Towering Inferno Tree, Candelabra Tree and Cathedral Tree.

Cathedral Tree

The Cathedral Tree is a group of Redwoods that grew together to form a perfect chapel for weddings. In fact, several weddings take place there each year. There is even a Baby Cathedral Tree that will take another 600 years to mature enough for people to be able to make reservations for their ceremonies.

Towering Inferno

The Towering Inferno stands as a reminder of the strength and resilience of the Redwood trees.

In 1995 a giant winter storm appeared to have no end to it. It had rained for 2 solid weeks and there was a power outage that lasted 3 days. Candlelight, usually very romantic, was getting quite annoying. At the tail end of the storm there was night of thunder and lightening. On December 22 at around 11PM there was a call that the Trees of Mystery was on fire!

When they searched the property they discovered a large redwood tree that was glowing cherry red from top to bottom. It must have been quite a sight, a Towering Inferno, as the tree was nearly 220-feet tall and 14-feet in diameter. The entire inside of the tree was ablaze and acting like a chimney, smoldering and raging inside.

By morning the center of the tree had burned all the way down to the rock and dirt it stood on. And it’s still standing today, singed spires are all that are left. Because the surrounding foliage was so saturated from so much rain, nothing else caught on fire.

Sky Trail

And, though I am afraid of heights, I was very brave and rode the Sky Trail gondola to the summit and back. When we reached the top I realized just how tense I was and suddenly breathed a great big sigh of relief. It was worth it for the spectacular vistas from high above the trees. As we glided silently upward, in the continent’s only six passenger forest gondola, we had a bird’s eye view through the forests canopy.

From the summit observation deck we could see the forest, mountains and even the ocean majestically spread before us. There was even a stunning, deep blue jaybird resting on a redwood bough but he flew away before we could get a good photo.

Trail of Tall Tales

Once back at sea level, we continued to the Trail of Tall Tales which tells the story of Paul Bunyan and his friends through sculptures caved from redwood with a loggers chain saw. It was so creative, artistic and whimsical all at the same time.

End of the Trail Museum

Our last stop was the End of the Trail Museum which took us on a journey into the lives of the first Americans through one of the largest privately owned collections of Native American artifacts. We looked in wonder at this collection that showed the resourcefulness of tribes across North America. It was so awesome to see first hand the actual clothing, pottery, baskets, weapons and tools that made those remarkable cultures to thrive.

Klamath Beach

Before we headed back to Crescent City we headed to the beach in Klamath. It was so peaceful there. The beach was dotted with driftwood and the ocean was calm with swirling white foam where the sea kissed the sand.

What an absolutely amazing place this is!!! From the moment we got there until we drove away, we were held spellbound by these trees of mystery and the beauty of northern California’s coast.