Trees of Mystery Puts Nature on California Map

Landmark Attraction Offers Interpretive Trail Through the Redwoods

Mar 23, 2009 Cheryl Probst

Trees of Mystery, in California's Redwoods, may look like a hokey tourist trap, but it offers travelers a chance to refresh their senses with a walk through nature.

Visitors to Trees of Mystery are greeted first by statues of that larger-than-life logger, Paul Bunyan and Babe, his Blue Ox. Two giants in a land of giant trees! Paul, who stands 49 feet 2 inches tall, and Babe, who is 35 feet tall, have been welcoming tourists since the late 1940s. Paul and Babe have a combined weight of more than 860,000 pounds, according to the attraction’s website.

Once past these statues, however, Trees of Mystery takes on a different tone. The main attraction is an interpretive walk through northern California’s Redwood trees. The interpretive walk is an opportunity to get up close and personal with nature. For many visitors, it is a time of reflection, as they walk through an area filled with nature’s giants, the Redwoods, the tallest tree on earth.

Sense of Peace Dominates Trees of Mystery

One section, the Trail of Tall Tales, is devoted to Paul and Babe, but the rest is more peaceful, at times taking on almost a religious tone. There’s a small glade with a pond and statue of St. Francis of Assisi that oozes serenity. There’s a chapel created by nine giant Redwoods which started from one tree. Likewise, the candelabra tree has trees shooting up like candles from the trunk of another fallen tree.

Topping it off is a tramway to a point over looking the Redwood forests and the Pacific Ocean. Called the Sky Trail, the nine-minute tram ride takes visitors over the tree tops for stunning views. The tram ride is included in the admission price.

End of the Trail Museum Honors Native Americans

Visitors can start or end their Trees of Mystery experience with the Native American museum, which attraction owners describe as one of the largest privately-owned museums in the United States. The End of the Trail museum opened in 1968, and new items are being added all the time, the attraction’s website notes.

The six-room museum, located inside the gift shop, starts with a collection of baby carriers. The other five rooms are devoted to Native Americans by geographic area, not by tribe. One room features artifacts and displays for tribes from the local area. Other rooms cover Native Americans from the Southwest, Great Plains, Northwest, and California and the Great Basin. There is no admission charge to tour the museum.

Trees of Mystery Located on Highway 101

Trees of Mystery is located at Klamath, California, on U.S. Highway 101, 36 miles south of the Oregon border and 16 miles south of Crescent City. It’s open year ‘round, except for Christmas Day. Hours vary with the season, but summer hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the gift shop. The trail opens at 8 a.m., but closes earlier. The museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is an admission charge for the trail and tram ride.

Trees of Mystery is pet-friendly, and allows dogs on leashes on the trail and tram. Visitors may want to wear a sweater or light jacket on the trail as the foliage blocks the sun from the trail in many parts.

The copyright of the article Trees of Mystery Puts Nature on California Map in SW U.S./Hawaii Travel is owned by Cheryl Probst. Permission to republish Trees of Mystery Puts Nature on California Map in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Paul and Babe greet visitors to Trees of Mystery	Trees of Mystery offers serenity	Sky tram glides over tops of Redwoods
Pacific Ocean from the Sky Trail lookout