Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve

Redwood admirers know Montgomery Woods as a little gem with very big trees: a secluded basin where 300-foot giants rise from a series of impressive memorial groves. Part of the allure here is simply how far out of the way it is. This is the most geographically isolated of California’s redwood reserves, and getting there is half the story.

Curvy two-lane roads wind through Mendocino County’s oak-dotted hills, past the funky Orr Hot Springs resort, and finally up into chaparral country before the landscape suddenly cools into an oasis of redwood shade. You’ll be struck by the contrast: parched slopes outside the reserve, lush cathedral forest within.

Unlike coastal redwood parks that rely on fog drifting in off the Pacific, Montgomery Woods survives on its own. A year-round spring keeps Montgomery Creek flowing, feeding the roots of these massive trees even in the driest of summers. The grove is proof that redwoods can thrive without coastal fog-if they’re lucky enough to have a dependable water source.

Thanks to the Save the Redwoods League, what began as a humble nine-acre donation in 1945 has grown into a 2,743-acre preserve. For a time in the 1990s, Montgomery enjoyed brief fame as home to the world’s tallest tree. Taller rivals have since been measured elsewhere, but Montgomery Flat still carries a certain buzz among redwood aficionados who make pilgrimages here.

The forest has also weathered its share of natural and human-influenced challenges. A 2008 fire burned through the grove, and a 2017 flood scoured away much of the understory. Yet the trees endured, and State Parks has carefully rebuilt trails, boardwalks, and bridges. Montgomery Woods is one of eight state parks included in the Redwood Climate Change Initiative, a long-term study tracking how these ancient trees adapt to a warming world.

It’s a quiet place, especially on weekdays. The loop trail links five groves, each with towering monarchs more than 14 feet in diameter. Ferns carpet the flats, sunlight filters down in golden shafts, and Montgomery Creek threads the entire grove. On a spring morning or in the cool glow of late afternoon, it can feel like your own private cathedral. Just remember the mosquitoes-fast and hungry. A few bites are inevitable souvenirs if you pause too long before breaking out the bug repellent.