Mendocino and Sonoma Counties

Montgomery Woods, Hendy Woods, and Armstrong Redwoods

California

***** Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve

Hidden in a remote, steep-sided valley within this reserve is one of the world's most beautiful redwood groves. The lush, sheltered enclave contrasts strikingly with the surrounding oak savannah and contains a tree that was once considered the world's tallest.

**** Hendy Woods State Park

Situated among the apple orchards and vineyards of the Anderson Valley, this quiet park has a superb and surprisingly large alluvial-flat grove that is midway between the northern and southern redwood parks in both location and appearance.

* Mailliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve

Malliard Redwoods is a patch of old-growth redwood upland. There are no trails in this park and really nothing of interest other than some mid-sized redwoods from the road.

** Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

Armstrong Redwoods has a very attractive grove that lines the access road to the Colonel Armstrong Tree. The rest of the park, including most of the trails, is less attractive, with a dense understory of tanoak and huckleberry and a rather arid appearance. The park is connected to the very scenic Austin Creek Recreation Area and is within the popular Russian River resort area.

* Grove of the Old Trees

Located just west of the appealing little town of Occidental and the scenic Bohemian Highway, this tiny ridgetop grove has about a mile of trails and a few moderately large trees but, as might be expected for an upland grove, most of the redwoods are small.