img_20170212_111344 — Walking Trees of Mystery on my own two feet (along with Bigfoot!)

Location: Klamath, California- right on Highway 101 in the heart of the Redwood forest

Length: According to the official Trees of Mystery information, the trail itself is 8/10ths of a mile. This does not include the side trail options, so all together it was probably well over a mile of walking over hilly terrain.

img_20160731_185020 — 49’2″ Paul Bunyan and his sidekick Babe the Blue Ox

Foot Traffic

This past weekend was my first time walking through the Trees of Mystery. But I did take a pit stop at its parking lot last summer to see the famous Paul Bunyan statue. It was definitely more populated in the summer! Fortunately, the Trees of Mystery gains enough foot traffic to justify being open year-round.

This trip was actually an overdue Christmas gift to my entire family, so my parents and sister were along for the walk. We passed by several other groups also walking the trail, but much of the time we got to enjoy the solitude around some interesting natural features.

Foot Feelings

I appreciate walking attractions. With such a famous walking attraction just a couple hours from my home, my only wish with this experience is that I made it here sooner. I think the admission fee to the trail is what has hindered me for so long.

Before we entered, we enjoyed the features located right in the parking lot. There’s a fun little area in front of the two giant statues depicting the mythical logger Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.

After we passed the ticket booth, we were immediately in the Kingdom of Trees. There were a lot of unique trees, both redwood and otherwise, that you can’t see anywhere else. We crawled through one of the trees and took photos with most of them. I especially liked the Cathedral Tree, which was a cluster of trees that grew together and created a backdrop perfect for a small wedding ceremony or Easter service.

The Forest Experience Trail is the most educational part of the walk. Scattered throughout this portion are signs that inform visitors the unique facts about the area’s trees.

Next up was a trail that didn’t require walking- the SkyTrail! The gondola car on this ride comfortably seated all four of us with room to spare. Out the windows, we could see the giant trees of the area pass below us. After several minutes of enjoyment, we got to the top. There is a lookout deck where we looked at the surrounding area, even all the way out to the ocean! We could have taken the strenuous Wilderness Trail back down, but we decided to double the fun by riding the SkyTrail back.

After photographing a few more unique trees, we entered the Trail of Tall Tales. This part of the forest was filled with woodcarvings about Paul Bunyan and other like characters. It was an unique, artsy way to end the walk on an upbeat note.

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Trail Tips

-Take time to enjoy the stroll. It should take about two hours if you stop to enjoy everything.

-While this is a slightly tiresome walk, the Trees of Mystery staff is willing to give rides to those who cannot physically walk the trail. This way, they can at least enjoy the SkyTrail.

-Many people forget to stop at the last exhibit of the trail. The End of the Trail Museum just past the exit is filled with lots of native artifacts from the area. Because it’s located inside the gift shop building, it’s free for anyone to visit, even if you didn’t walk the trail.

-Picnic tables are scattered throughout the trail, especially near the SkyTrail. Because we didn’t want to carry our lunch with us, we ate after we walked. There is a picnic area open to all next to the parking lot.

-If you drive five miles south into Klamath, you’ll start seeing signs for the Tour Thru Tree. This is one of three redwood trees that you can drive through. Because I drove my car through the other two trees while road tripping this summer, I wanted to take advantage of the proximity to drive through this one as well. For $5, it’s a great photo opp!