Redwood Memorial Groves. National Tribute Grove

by Mario Vaden

If you are affiliated with the Save the Redwoods League, odds are you know about the at least 1000 memorial groves in the redwood parks: beginning 1921 with the Raynal C. Bolling Grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Many are named after people, but not all, like the Rotary International memorial grove (1952) at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

So what more can we talk about here?

How about the National Tribute Grove

In 2011, a hiker posted online, that the trail to Boy Scout redwood in Jedediah Smith redwoods, had no signs for groves of redwoods unlike other trails in Prairie Creek redwoods to the south of Klamath. His comment aroused my curiousity and soon after I recalled that much of Howland Hill Rd. in Jedediah Smith redwoods is mostly void of grove signs too. One of the few I remembered was the Metcalf Grove toward the west, along the old centerpiece road.

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Then I I remembered some sign along Howland Hill Rd. for a grove related to war veterens, then learned that this grove, the National Tribute Grove, was dedicated 1945 for veterens, men & women of WW II. That one redwood memorial grove is 5000 acres, half the size of the entire 10,000 acre Jedediah Smith redwoods park which was established in 1929.

Another surprise, was that the end of Boy Scout redwood trail reaches into Metcalf Memorial Grove. Because that grove is marked at Howland Hill Rd. and reaches past fern falls to the north. There is also a Boy Scouts of America Memorial Grove by this same trail, but closer to the old historic road. That redwood memorial grove was dedicated 1989.

The lesson here is that we have an enormous memorial grove dedicated to our veterens. And we can remember their service at least momentarily when we pass through the heart of that Jedediah Smith redwood park. The grove is close to the Howland Hill Giant redwood shown below.