Hiking the Redwoods in Northern California

Coast Redwood is the first contemporary illustrated book to focus exclusively on the natural and cultural history of the world's tallest tree.

Hidden away in foggy, uncharted rain forest valleys in Northern California are the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained–the coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens. Ninety-six percent of the ancient redwood forests have been destroyed by logging, but the untouched fragments that remain are among the great wonders of nature. The biggest redwoods have trunks up to thirty feet wide and can rise more than thirty-five stories above the ground, forming cathedral-like structures in the air. Until recently, redwoods were thought to be virtually impossible to ascend, and the canopy at the tops of these majestic trees was undiscovered. In The Wild Trees, Richard Preston unfolds the spellbinding story of Steve Sillett, Marie Antoine, and the tiny group of daring botanists and amateur naturalists that found a lost world above California, a world that is dangerous, hauntingly beautiful, and unexplored.

A comprehensive, user-friendly and informative field guide that delves into the amazingly diverse wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest. - Covers Oregon, Washington, northern California, and British Columbia Describes and illustrates 1220 commonly encountered species. -Includes perennials, annuals, and shrubs, both native and nonnative. - 1,248 superb color photographs and 1,220 range maps. - User-friendly organization by flower color and shape.

A guide to short hikes and the history of the area. Longer hikes are described as possible add-ons.