Quintessential Redwood Forest Gondola Ride and Tour !
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Trees of Mystery
Klamath, California
by Mario Vaden - 2009
Continued from: Coast Redwoods & Photos
The Trees of Mystery is located in Klamath, California, between Orick and Crescent City.
Several more photos will be added to the redwood albums, but sparingly so as not to spoil the surprises that you will find.
Trees of Mystery is a unique attraction that began in 1931 as an Interpretive Trail. It was also featured on Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
Its almost impossible to miss along Highway 101, because 49 foot tall Paul Bunyan stands between the giftshop and parking. And beside him, 35 foot tall Babe the blue ox. Trees of Mystery is 320 miles north of San Francisco and 36 miles south of Oregon. It has entertained travelers of all ages for decades.
The Trees of Mystery is just down the highway from the Klamath River. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a short drive to the north, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is even closer to the south.
This place was better than expected on my first visit. The wood carvings along the trail were worth half the admission. And the native American artifact museum was free of charge.
There a many unusually shaped trees. One is called the World's Largest Family Trees. Some folks have written that its a redwood, although I think its really a huge spruce.
There are trunks of all shapes and sizes. And there are huckleberry bushes with some of the biggest trunks you may ever see.
The interpretive trail leads to a Gondola cable car ride. Its final destination is the top of the hill. There is a view of mountains to the east, and a clear view of the Pacific ocean to the west.
Brotherhood Station is the home of that Sky Trail with eight gondola cars that rise 571 feet in elevation. Its an eight to ten minute ride to the top with brief stops to view the surrounding forest while passing trunks on both sides.
At the top of the hill is an observation deck with a view of the surrounding area.
The End of the Trail Museum is connected to the gift shop and is one of the largest privately owned world class museums for Indian artifacts. It was painstakingly assembled over a period of about 40 years by Marylee Thompson.
This fine museum is continually improved, and repeat visits can be a new experience.
The Trees of Mystery museum is organized into six rooms. On display are many of the animals used by the tribes for food and raw materials for crafts, clothing and shelter. There are baby carriers, weapons, tools, pipes, pottery, jewelry, instruments, dolls, photos and much more. Again, there is not just one room but several.
There is also a Forest Cafe for enjoyable dining, and the Motel Trees for lodging. These are both directly across Highway 101 from the gift shop and interpretive trail area.
The entire place was exceptionally well maintained: from the gift shop to the trails, fences, decks and buildings.
For more information and updates, see their site TreesOfMystery
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