Big Tree in Prairie Creek Park .. #14

by Mario Vaden

 

Big Tree redwood is the 14th largest (2013) coast redwood, standing in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park near Foothill Trail. It is the most practical coast redwoods for a photo op if you want to show off west coast giants. It's north of Orick a about 1 minute drive down the road north from the visitor center. There is parking with a sign by the roadside for directions. The wood sign got clobbered winter 2014 when a 4 ft. trunk fell across Dury Parkway, but the sign was repaired. About the same time, another wood sign was made for near the redwood, claiming over 300 ft. tall. But it was innacurate, and another replaced it. These were closer measurements at the time:

286 ft. tall .. 23.7 ft. diameter dbh .. 28,619 ft cu. ft. (2014)

This is not the 3rd widest or 3rd largest in case you read that at the redwood parks Facebook page some time ago. There are many coast redwoods wider, especially following the new 2013 - 2017 discoveries

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The first photo from 2008 shows a fence. The next photo shows some deck built over the root system on the east side. I like the woman's stance because Big Tree also looks to have its "hand" on the hip, looking at the side big limb. The limb can also resemble a tea cup handle. The last photo near the bottom was taken at sunset showing the entire deck.

This used to be taller than 300' but we remeasured it 2013 with help from Alan Justice, PhD (visitor center volunteer. We started about 500 feet away down Drury Parkway and worked our way to the trunk with a laser. Our measurement was 286 feet tall. Even near the top there are epiphytes growing on it including evergreen huckleberry. Redwoods like this are like nature's orchards for wildlife.

This Big Tree appears to be curly redwood from a large chunk that fell down. Curly redwood is not rare, but not common. If you walk from the parking area look for what appears as a fallen log about shoulder height. Check out the pattern and grain of exposed wood.

This Sequoia sempervirens is just a little bit larger than the Giant redwood near Avenue of the Giants in the Bull Creek Flats down Mattole Rd.. This Big Tree in Prairie Creek is available all year long whereas the other south is rather inaccessible when Bull Creek rises in winter. Drury Parkway may have gates closed for winter blow-down of debris, but this big redwood is within walking distance of the visitor center. North of this big redwood is one of the tallest Coast Redwoods in the park, although you may not be able to tell. But you may catch a glimpse of an unusual trunk that Dr. Sillett of HSU was shown circling in a Nat Geo Discovery Channel video.