The Grove of Titans is a redwood grove in
Del Norte County
), in California
, seat_type = County seat
, seat = Crescent City
, parts_type = Largest city
, parts = Crescent City
, unit_pref = US
, area_total_sq_mi = 1230
, area_land_sq_mi = 1006
, area_water_sq_mi = 223
, elevation_max_footnote ...
,
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
, with several massive
coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') trees, some of the largest known redwoods in terms of wood volume. The largest coastal redwood tree in the
grove by volume is the single-stem
Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least in diameter at breast height (DBH, measured above soil grade), and tall. Measured by ...
. The
Lost Monarch
Lost Monarch is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Northern California that is in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and in height. It is the world's fifth largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume ( ...
is comparably large, but a large sprout from the ground at its base is not part of the main trunk structure.
History
The unofficially named Grove of Titans was discovered May 11, 1998, by
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
Stephen Sillett
Stephen C. Sillett (born March 19, 1968) is an American botanist specializing in old growth forest canopies. As the first scientist to enter the redwood forest canopy, he pioneered new methods for climbing, exploring, and studying tall trees. Sil ...
, and
naturalist Michael Taylor in
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The discovery implies that Sillett and Taylor are the first to realize and declare the significance of the grove, not that they were the first ones ever to see it.
In approximately 2011, a person from Oregon learned of and posted the grove's geolocation online and a surge of visitors followed. The increased boot traffic triggered problems like damage to native plants, soil compaction, difficulty for scientists, and strain on limited park resources. Between 2012 and 2016, approximately 8000 sq.ft. of ferns, sorrel and other plants were destroyed by visitors. The native plant damage was most evident around a redwood called Screaming Titans. In July 2016 the parks posted a sign which states up to 3300 sq. meters impacted.
Starting on Nov. 6, 2019, construction began on a 1,300-foot-long elevated walkway through the Grove of Titans. The trail segment and boardwalk opened with limited access in September 2021. The remaining 2 miles of the Mill Creek Trail renovation will be completed by early summer 2022. The project cost is $3.5 million and being paid for by a partnership including Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks, the National Park Service, and Redwood Parks Conservancy.
Flora
Names of the named largest redwoods in this grove include
Lost Monarch
Lost Monarch is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Northern California that is in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and in height. It is the world's fifth largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume ( ...
, El Viejo del Norte, Screaming Titans, Eärendil and Elwing, Beregond, Aragorn, Sacajawea, Aldebaran, Stalagmight and
Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least in diameter at breast height (DBH, measured above soil grade), and tall. Measured by ...
.
Several abundant
understory plants are
California sword fern – ''Polystichum munitum'' and
Redwood sorrel – ''Oxalis oregana''.
Location
The Grove of Titans is in
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park of Northern California, off Howland Hill Road south of Highway 199. The closest town is
Crescent City, California
Crescent City (Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California; it is also the county seat. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, ...
. The location was described by author
Richard Preston in his 2007 book ''
The Wild Trees
''The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring'' is a non-fiction book by Richard Preston about California's coastal redwoods (''Sequoia sempervirens'') and the recreational climbers who climbed them. It is a narrative-style collection of stor ...
'' as "the bottom of a hidden notch-like valley near a
glade." The exact location was not revealed in this book for fear of excessive traffic.
See also
*
Redwood National and State Parks
The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...
References
External links
Grove of Titans InformationExtensive Information, History and Narrative about Grove of Titans.
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston: excerpt in Orion, "Day of Discovery" How the grove was discovered.
NPR program Day to Day with the author, Richard Preston - published 04-23-2007
{{Coord, 41, 46, 41, N, 124, 5, 59, W, type:landmark_region:US-CA, display=title
Redwood National and State Parks
Protected areas of Del Norte County, California
Individual coast redwood trees