Early 2018, I was photographing redwoods along Mattole Rd., and a commonly repeated quote came to mind: “If’ you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all“.  I understand each redwood is different, and probably better than 999 out of each 1000 people. But this patch of forest made me realize where a few people may get the impression that many trees are alike. Also,   note that those words  often attributed to President Ronald Reagan are not his words. It’s reported he said “A tree is a tree. How many more do you have to look at?”  in reference to a proposal to form Redwood National Park. Again, it’s reported that he said this. Whether Reagan said it or anyone else, it’s believable some people could feel this way.

Even though every coast redwood is different, it’s plausible that Humboldt Redwoods State Park may shift attention from single trees to the forest. Especially driving along Avenue of the Giants. If people are not looking for small variations, the trunks and height appear more uniform. This is why I tell people to explore Redwood National and State Parks, and compare it with Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Prairie Creek and Jedediah Smith parks up north almost seem opposite. Little seems uniform and the variation between coast redwoods seems hard to miss. The Humboldt redwoods south of Eureka could be described as “stately”. But for north of Eureka, I reserve “Jurassic” to describe the feel of that forest.

If  a person hasn’t explored the coast redwoods before, whichever park they begin at can lead to forming an impression unless they visit several areas.

In Humboldt Redwoods State Park, I feel like the difference between groves often captures my own attention. Up north in Redwood National and State Parks, it’s more the difference between each coast redwood. Groves and trees vary in all the parks regardless, but each park has potential to affect the way we choose to experience it.

Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt

Coast redwoods are simply one of many marvels on Earth. For me, it’s my favorite place to explore. But I can understand why a few people prefer rock canyons, cactus deserts or snowy mountains.