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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Did you know that many of your FAVORITE movies were filmed on California's North Coast?
2. Did you know you'll find the tallest living things on earth along California's North Coast?
3. Where is the Drive Thru Tree?
4. Where is the tallest tree in the world?
5. How much water do the redwood trees need each day?
6. How many houses can be built with the wood from one redwood tree?
7. What is a banana slug?


1. Did you know that many of your FAVORITE movies were filmed on California's North Coast?

Because of the giant trees and the alien flora, George Lucas decided to filn the Endor scenes for the Star Wars movie Return of the Jedi in Tall Trees Redwood Grove in the northern part of Humboldt County. Scenes for the movie The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed at the nearby Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and at Patrick's Point State Park. Castle Rock Entertainment's The Majestic starring Jim Carey was filmed in the Victorian Village of Ferndale. Castle Rock constructed 1951 period facades for several Main Street locations, and decorated Ferndale shop windows in '50s vintage style.

 
2. Did you know you'll find the tallest living things on earth along California's North Coast?
Redwoods can grow to more than 360 feet tall. With their massive trunks and shallow root systems, they only grow naturally in the moist and mild climate of the North Coast of California and Southern Oregon.
 
3. Where is the Drive Thru Tree?
There are four Drive Thru Trees in California. The closest one to Humboldt Redwoods is in the small town of Myers Flat, sixty-four miles south of the Visitor Center. It is privately owned and there is a fee to drive through it. Another tree that you may drive through is located in the town of Klamath, a two hour drive north of Humboldt Redwoods. A third Drive Thru Tree is located in Leggett, a one hour drive south of the park. The fourth tree is a giant sequoia and is located near Sequoia National Park.
 
4. Where is the tallest tree in the world?
The tallest measured tree in the world is located in Redwood National Park, north of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The tallest tree was measured at 367.8 feet. There have been reports of taller trees, but the measurements have yet to be confirmed.
 
5. How much water do the redwood trees need each day?
A redwood tree can use as much as 500 gallons per day. The trees lose some water by transpiration, a process where water is evaporated from the leaves. The trees also store some water in the trunk. Much of the water comes from the heavy rainfall, but some comes from fog which condenses on the leaves and drips to the ground, where it is taken up by the tree's roots.
 
6. How many houses can be built with the wood from one redwood tree?
The number of houses that can be built from one tree depends a lot on the size of the tree. For example, the Dyerville Giant was 370 feet tall and probably weighed a million pounds. The wood from this tree alone could build approximately 30 two-story houses.
 
7. What is a banana slug?
A banana slug is a large yellow slug that inhabits redwood forests. They can grow to be quite large, often over 6 inches long. Coloration can vary, with some slugs having dark spots and others being completely brown. Most banana slugs are solid yellow. They feed on vegetation and are commonly seen after a rain.
 
Must See Image
Hike the Wild and Wooly Lost Coast Trail

California’s Lost Coast , 80 miles of unspoiled shoreline that begins about 50 miles north of Mendocino, is as raw and rugged as it gets. The reason is simple. In the 1920s, when road crews were building Highway 1 along the coast, the steep mountains here simply forced them to give up. They swung the road over the hills and merged it with U.S. 101, leaving behind a blessedly forgotten stretch of coast.

The area is accessible from 101 at Garberville (230 miles north of San Francisco and 60 miles south of Eureka) and, farther north, from the town of Ferndale, though these roads to the coast remain fairly rough. The 35-mile Lost Coast Trail follows the wild Pacific’s edge from the Mattole Trailhead to Black Sands beach.

Mattole Campground is a good place to start; there are 14 campsites right on a windswept beach. From here, the Lost Coast Trail laces in and out of redwood and fir forests, climbs up and down coastal canyons draining to the sea, and emerges onto lonely beaches and into meadows filled with California poppies, blue brush lupines, foxglove, and wild purple lilies. The seascape is second to none: white-capped ocean, exploding surf, sheer cliffs, and sea stacks. Make sure you get a local tide chart; some sections of the trail are impassable at high tide. (Allow three days for this hike.)

Inside Tip: In summer, this is a popular weekend hike; midweek you’ll have the trail largely to yourself.

Local Events Image
» Arts! Arcata
March 12, 2010 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Celebrate the richness and diversity of our local arts community on the second Friday of each month. Visit more than 40 locations in the downtown, northtown, South G Street and HSU galleries for demonstrations, musical performances, dance, and fine arts by Humboldt County artisans. Shows change monthly and location maps with featured artist profiles are available at the Arcata MainStreet office in the Jacoby Storehouse, or at the California Welcome Center in Arcata.