409 



ROUTE H. SAN FRANCISCO, THROUGH THE REDWOOD 

 EMPIRE TO THE NORTHWEST COAST. 378 MILES 



Red^l>ood Empire along Fog-Ridden 

 Northwest Coast 



The Redwood Empire is a unique part of California. It is 

 delimited by climatic and soil conditions which make the Red- 

 wood forests possible. The Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) 

 has survived the vicissitudes of geologic ages. Redwood forests 

 were once widespread over many parts of North America, parts 

 of Asia, and across Europe and the Arctic Islands. The tree is 

 now confined to a limited area, a belt 15 to 35 miles in width, 

 a little inland from the coast, along the fog-ridden northwest 

 coast of California and southwestern Oregon. 



The southern limit of what is designated as the Redwood 

 Empire is San Francisco Bay, though there are two important 

 groves south of the bay, in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. 

 The Empire proper begins with Lane's Redwood Flat, 192 miles 

 north of San Francisco, a few miles south of the north line of 

 Mendocino County, and extends north to the Oregon State line 

 and beyond to Grant's Pass. 



Redwoods and Big Trees Two Distinct 

 Species 



The Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens} should be clearly dis- 

 tinguished from its near relative, Sequoia gigantea, or Big Tree. 

 It is the Redwood that is confined to the fog-ridden coast. 

 Sequoia gigantea, the Big Tree, thrives under quite different 

 physical conditions. The great groves of Sequoia gigantea are 

 on the western slope of the Sierra Newada Range, in the heavily 

 forested belt ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 feet altitude. The 

 Big Trees are bigger; the Redwoods are the taller. The two 

 cousins are the noblest trees of earth. It is fortunate that the 

 State of California and the United States government have 

 preserved fine groves of both species for the enjoyment of the 

 people for all time. The State of California, included among 



