Avenue of the Giants | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by Caltrans | ||||
Length | 31.595 mi [1] (50.847 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | US 101 near Phillipsville | |||
North end | US 101 near Stafford | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | California | |||
Counties | Humboldt | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The Avenue of the Giants is a scenic highway in northern California, United States, running through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is named after the coastal redwoods that tower over the route. The road is a former alignment of U.S. Route 101, and continues to be maintained as a state highway as State Route 254 (SR 254).
The Avenue's southern terminus is at US 101 near Phillipsville, north of Garberville. Its northern terminus is at US 101 near Stafford, 15 miles (24 km) south of Fortuna. The Avenue is notable for the coast redwoods that overshadow the road and surround the area. It is from these towering trees that the Avenue of the Giants takes its name. The road winds alongside the scenic Eel River, and connects several small towns such as Phillipsville, Miranda, Myers Flat, Burlington, Weott, Englewood, Redcrest and Pepperwood. The two-lane road has a number of parking areas, picnic sites, and attractions for visitors. The nearby river provides many swimming locations, such as those at the Rockefeller Forest redwood grove.
The route contains the site of the annual "Avenue of the Giants Marathon". [2]
SR 254 is not part of the National Highway System, [3] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. [4] SR 254 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System, [5] but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation. [6]
Though not the oldest redwood in the forest, this large tree is at age millennium, and is currently around 250 ft (76 m) tall, though originally it was much taller. It has survived not only the ravages of time but also the 1964 flood of the area, a 1908 attempt at logging, and a direct lightning strike which removed the top 45 feet (14 m) of the tree (making its original height close to 300 ft). It is from its age and perceived hardiness that the tree derives its name. Markers are visible on the tree, denoting the heights of where the loggers' axes and the floodwaters struck the tree.
Situated in the northern half of the Avenue, The Immortal Tree is easy to find, and has a large gift shop and parking area in front of it.
Near Weott, this grove has an easy 1/2 mile self-guided walk with informational booklets available at the beginning of the trail. The well-travelled trail is a good example of old-growth redwood forest and contains a few very big trees, including the Founder's Tree (346.1. ft. tall) [7] and the Dyerville Giant (c. 370 ft. tall) which fell down in 1991.
Avenue of the Giants features a tree that visitors can drive through. Shrine Drive-Thru Tree is near the town of Myers Flat. The tree is privately owned; the owner charges $15 or more for a car to drive through it.
Not a traditional tree house, this is actually a house that is, albeit partially, built within a giant redwood.
Visible from the road, and with tours available, the front of this house is entered through the hollow trunk of a still-living tree. The front door and windows are clearly visible to passers-by, and the rest of the house adjoins the rear of the tree in a more traditional style.
The Eel River is the third largest river in California. It carves deep canyons down great mountains, through flat valleys, and past ancient redwood forests. The Avenue of the Giants follows the South Fork of the river, but also includes the branching of the South and Main forks to its north.
The Avenue of the Giants was part of U.S. Route 101 until a freeway bypass was completed on August 27, 1960, assuming the 101 designation. [8] The Avenue was then designated as CA Route 254 by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 10.
Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( ). [1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The entire route is in Humboldt County.
Location | Postmile [1] [9] [10] | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | US 101 – Ukiah, Eureka | Southern terminus; interchange; US 101 exit 645 | ||
| 4.84 | Maple Hills Road to US 101 | |||
Myers Flat | 12.33 | US 101 – Ukiah, Eureka | Interchange; US 101 exit 656 | ||
Weott | 18.29 | Newton Road to US 101 | |||
| 20.59 | Dyerville Loop Road to US 101 south – South Fork | Connects to US 101 north exit 663 | ||
| 20.78 | Bull Creek Flats Road – Honeydew | Connects to US 101 south exit 663 | ||
| 20.87 | US 101 north – Eureka | On-ramp from SR 254 to US 101 north only | ||
| 20.87 | US 101 south | Off-ramp from US 101 south to SR 254 only; US 101 south exit 667A | ||
| 24.76 | Sorenson Road to US 101 | |||
| 28.42 | Barkdull Road to US 101 | |||
| 31.52 | US 101 – Ukiah, Eureka | Northern terminus; interchange; US 101 exit 674 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
The Avenue of the Giants was featured by Huell Howser in Road Trip Episode 105. [11]
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. It is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Eureka, California, near Weott in southern Humboldt County, within Northern California, named after the great nineteenth-century scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. The park was established by the Save the Redwoods League in 1921 largely from lands purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company. Beginning with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third-largest park in the California State Park system, now containing 51,651 acres (20,902 ha) through acquisitions and gifts to the state.
State Route 13 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs entirely in Alameda County, connecting Interstate 580 in Oakland to Interstate 80/Interstate 580 in Berkeley.
State Route 38 is a mostly rural and scenic state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting Interstate 10 in Redlands with State Route 18 in the Big Bear Lake area. It is one of the primary routes into the San Bernardino Mountains. Despite the orientation of its alignment, SR 38 is assigned in a west–east direction.
State Route 2 (SR 2) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It connects the Los Angeles Basin with the San Gabriel Mountains and the Victor Valley in the Mojave Desert. The highway's southwestern end is at the intersection of Centinela Avenue at the Santa Monica-Los Angeles border and its northeastern end is at SR 138 east of Wrightwood. The SR 2 is divided into four segments, and it briefly runs concurrently with U.S. Route 101 (US 101) and Interstate 210 (I-210). The southwestern section of SR 2 runs along a segment of the east–west Santa Monica Boulevard, an old routing of US 66, to US 101 in East Hollywood; the second section runs along segments of both the north–south Alvarado Street and Glendale Boulevard in Echo Park; the third section to I-210 in Glendale is known as the north–south Glendale Freeway; and the northeastern portion from I-210 in La Cañada Flintridge to SR 138 is designated as the Angeles Crest Highway.
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State Route 35, generally known as Skyline Boulevard for most of its length, is a mostly two-lane state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains from the high point of State Route 17 near Lexington Reservoir in Santa Clara County to State Route 1 just south of Daly City in San Mateo County, where it crosses SR 1 and loops around Lake Merced to become Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. SR 35 then continues along Sloat Boulevard until it reaches its terminus when it meets SR 1 again at 19th Avenue.
State Route 84 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that consists of two unconnected segments, one in the San Francisco Bay Area and the other primarily in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta area.
State Route 116 (SR 116) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from SR 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to SR 121 south of Sonoma.
State Route 299 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs across the northern part of the state. At 305.777 miles (492.100 km), it is the third longest California state highway. Route 299 begins at US 101 at the northern edge of Arcata and continues in an easterly direction through to the Nevada state line. Between Arcata and Redding, Route 299 intersects with State Route 96, and is briefly co-signed with State Route 3. In Redding, it intersects with State Route 273, State Route 44, and Interstate 5. East of Redding, it intersects with State Route 89, and a section is co-signed with State Route 139 before reaching Alturas. It is then co-signed with U.S. Route 395 northeast of Alturas, and then runs east toward the border with Nevada. A ghost town, Vya, Nevada, can be reached via this route, which after the border becomes a dirt road, which was formerly Nevada State Route 8A. The segment of SR 299 between Arcata and Redding is the Trinity Scenic Byway, a National Forest Scenic Byway.
State Route 154 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Los Olivos to Santa Barbara, crossing the San Marcos Pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Before U.S. Route 101 was built through the Gaviota Pass, SR 154 was the main throughway to Santa Barbara and the tri city area including use as a stagecoach route in early years. After being replaced by US 101 as the primary route between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara, SR 154 now serves as a scenic bypass.
State Route 25 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California between State Route 198 in Monterey County and U.S. Route 101 in Santa Clara south of Gilroy. For most of its length, SR 25 runs through the center of San Benito County.
U.S. Route 101 Business is a business loop of U.S. Route 101 that runs along Wildwood Avenue in Rio Dell in Humboldt County, California. Its southernmost section between US 101 near Scotia to the north end of the Eel River Bridge is legally defined as an unsigned state highway, State Route 283. The route was defined in 1970 as a transfer from a realigned US 101 after a freeway bypass was built.
State Route 68 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, located entirely in Monterey County. It runs from Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove to U.S. Route 101 in Salinas. The approximately 20-mile (32 km) long highway serves as a major route between the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas.
State Route 89 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in the north–south direction, serving as a major thoroughfare for many mountain communities in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. It starts from U.S. Route 395 near Topaz Lake, winding its way up to the 8,314-foot (2,534 m) Monitor Pass, down to the Carson River, and up again over the 7,740-foot (2,359 m) Luther Pass. From that point on, the route generally loses elevation on its way past Lake Tahoe, through Tahoe and Plumas National Forests until Lake Almanor. For roughly nine miles the route is then a part of State Route 36. The route then ascends to the 5,753-foot (1,754 m) Morgan Summit. After it enters Lassen Volcanic National Park it continues to gain elevation until it reaches its highest point in an unnamed pass in the middle of Lassen Peak and Bumpass Mountain. The road then descends and heads northwest, finally terminating at Interstate 5 at the foot of Mount Shasta at around 3,600 feet (1,100 m).
State Route 36 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that is routed from U.S. Route 101 in Humboldt County to U.S. Route 395 just east of Susanville in Lassen County. The highway passes through Red Bluff, the county seat of Tehama County, on the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley. The portion of SR 36 travelling past Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lake Almanor is part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway. Also, Route 36 between Alton and Susanville is a designated Blue Star Memorial Highway.
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State Route 271 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs along a former routing of U.S. Route 101 in Mendocino and Humboldt counties. It also connects with State Route 1 just before that route's terminus with US 101 in Leggett. After US 101 was realigned, SR 271 was reduced to being a frontage road in discontinuous segments. While US 101 stays mostly in second growth redwoods, SR 271 is used as a scenic alternate through several old growth redwood groves.