The Drive-Through Redwoods of Northern California: A Roadside Stunt Worth Taking Seriously

In 1937, with commercial logging declining and automobile tourism rising along the Redwood Highway, woodsmen carved a tunnel through the base of a living coast redwood in Leggett, California. The opening was 6 feet wide, 6 feet 9 inches tall, and 11.5 feet deep, cutting through the heartwood of a tree that had been growing since before the Norman Conquest. The goal was paying customers. The tree survived. It still stands 276 feet tall, and the tunnel is still in business.

This is the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree, named for the enormous limbs that jut from its trunk beginning 100 feet up, each between 4 and 7 feet in diameter and positioned in a pattern that resembles an upside-down chandelier. It is one of three remaining drive-through redwoods in Northern California. All three were privately cut in the late 1930s on land outside the state parks, specifically to attract tourists. The park service never approved it, and conservationists at the time were appalled. Seventy-odd years later, the trees are still alive and the crowds still come.

The Three Drive-Through Trees

Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree in Leggett, Mendocino County, is the southernmost and most accessible from San Francisco, about 200 miles north on US-101 and Highway 1. Admission is $15 per car, $10 for motorcycles and walk-ins. Hours are 9am to 5:30pm daily. The surrounding Drive-Thru Tree Park has picnic areas, a gift shop, and short walking trails through secondary redwoods. The Chandelier Tree can receive up to 500 visitors on peak summer days, so arrive early or come mid-week to get a clear shot with no queue.

Shrine Drive-Thru Tree in Myers Flat is about 45 miles north, on the Avenue of the Giants. It sits four miles south of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center and is closed in winter. The fee is minimal and the site is quieter than Leggett. If you are driving the Avenue of the Giants anyway, stopping here takes ten minutes and adds context to what it meant for a tree to be commercially exploited even as logging ended.

Klamath Tour-Thru Tree is another 150 miles north in Klamath, near the Oregon border. It sees the fewest visitors and is arguably in the most dramatic setting, tucked among old-growth trees in Del Norte County.

What Else Is Worth Stopping For

The drive-through trees are a novelty, and an honest one, but the surrounding landscape is the actual draw. The Avenue of the Giants is a 31-mile two-lane road that runs parallel to US-101 through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The trees lining it are not the tallest redwoods in the park; those are hidden on steeper terrain farther in. But the avenue provides sustained, unhurried contact with old-growth forest in a way that the freeway does not, and it costs nothing.

Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is worth the effort if you can reach it. The canyon walls are 50 feet high and entirely covered in sword and five-finger ferns. It was used as a filming location in Jurassic Park 2 and several other films, which some guides mention and some do not. Access requires driving a seasonal dirt road; check conditions in advance, especially before May or after October.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the northernmost of the major parks, has the Stout Memorial Grove, named for a lumberman’s wife who donated the land in the 1920s. The grove is widely considered the finest single concentration of old-growth coast redwood accessible by a short walk. It is less photographed than other sites because the trees are more spaced and harder to frame dramatically. That is a good reason to go.

One fact worth knowing before you set expectations: Hyperion, the world’s tallest known living tree at 381 feet, is in Redwood National Park, but its exact location is a guarded secret, and the National Park Service closed all access to the surrounding area in 2022. Visiting risks a $5,000 fine and six months in jail. The NPS closed it because foot traffic had already destroyed the fern understory around the base. Do not try to find it.

Getting There

San Francisco to Leggett is approximately 200 miles, around three and a half to four hours depending on the route. Most visitors take US-101 north. The scenic alternative is Highway 1 along the coast as far as Fort Bragg, then cutting inland to Leggett on Highway 1/101. This adds an hour but passes through dramatic coastal terrain. From Leggett, the Avenue of the Giants begins about 50 miles north at Garberville.

Eureka and Arcata are the main towns with airport access: the Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV) has connections to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Driving from Eureka south to the Avenue of the Giants takes about an hour. Flying in and renting a car is practical if you are coming from outside California.

Where to Eat Along the Route

The Peg House in Leggett, near the drive-through tree, is a roadside stop with garden salads, salmon burgers, and BBQ oysters that was once listed in Sunset Magazine for its burgers. It is not fine dining, but it is exactly the kind of stop that fits the tempo of driving through redwood country.

On the Avenue of the Giants, Redwood Palace in Miranda at the southern end of the avenue serves local beers, Humboldt Bay oysters, and a ribeye that locals order specifically. Covered outdoor seating makes it comfortable year-round.

In Arcata, the Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe serves house-brewed beers alongside food that skews toward local and seasonal. Arcata’s Plaza area has several other casual options within walking distance.

Where to Stay

Scotia Lodge at the northern entrance to the Avenue of the Giants is a 22-room historic hotel inside what used to be a company town built by Pacific Lumber. The town of Scotia was entirely owned and operated by the timber company until 2005. Staying at the lodge puts you inside a piece of logging history that the park interpretive signs only partially explain.

Redcrest Resort, at 26459 Avenue of the Giants, offers housekeeping cottages with full kitchens and a fire ring, which is useful if you want to cook your own meals and stay on the avenue rather than commuting from Eureka. Prices run around $100-150 per night for a cottage.

For more amenities, Eureka has standard chain hotels from about $100-180 per night, plus the Carter House Inns, a collection of Victorian-era properties that run $200-350 and include one of the better restaurants in Humboldt County.

Timing and Practical Notes

Summer (June through August) is the peak season, with crowds peaking on weekends. The Chandelier Tree can have a 20-minute wait at midday on busy Saturdays. Arriving before 10am or after 3pm makes a noticeable difference. Fog is common on the coast through July, which locals call Fogust. It burns off by noon on most days but can persist all day in some years. It also makes the forest feel properly ancient, which is arguably the point.

Fall is the best overall window: September and October bring clearer skies, fewer visitors, and lower accommodation prices. The Avenue of the Giants is driveable year-round, but Highway 1 north of Fort Bragg sometimes closes in winter after storms.

Cell coverage disappears for long stretches on the Avenue. Download offline maps before you go, and note that fuel options thin out significantly north of Garberville.