Giant Tree and Flat Iron Tree in Avenue of the Giants

In the middle of Avenue of the Giants, there is a turn off for Bull Creek Flats Road, a road that leads you down to one of the biggest trees in the entire area. I was unsure of what was in store for me but figured I needed to see what the biggest tree looked like, so off we went. It was easily worth the drive to explore this cool grove, and here is all the information.

Details

• Less than a half-mile hike
• 15 minutes off the main road
• The bridge is out during the winter
• I visited in 2015 and 2019

Getting There

After turning down Bull Creek Flats Road, you will want to head to the Big Trees Area (you should be able to put this into Google Maps). The road itself to get there is paved but has a lot of potholes, so watch out. Also, there are no signs until you are practically on top of the location. It is about 4.5 miles from the turnoff, so just watch the odometer.

When you get to the parking lot, you will want to check the map to find where the bridge is. When we were there, the bridge was taken down for the winter. I guess it must be a seasonal bridge. 

A few people were there, but they were turning back as they did not want to do the water crossing. Since I had already come this far and didn’t know when I would be back in the area, I figured I might as well roll up my pants and wade across. 

The water was only 6 inches deep, so it wasn’t that crazy, and within 5 minutes I was on the other side with very cold feet. 

From here, I proceeded up to the trail and lost myself in the mythical forest that is literally across from the parking lot.

Flatiron Tree

First, I went to the Flatiron Tree, which was only 15 yards into the forest and was a massive downed tree. The thing that is so crazy about this tree is how wide it is; it has a typical cross-section of 7.5’ x 17.5’. That is one big tree.

After gawking at it for a while, I headed back out to the water and walked down to the giant tree about a tenth of a mile down the path.

Giant Tree

The giant tree is pretty awe-inspiring. The sign even states that it is “recognized by the American Forest Association as the national champion coast redwood.” I am not sure what that means, but it must mean it is a pretty cool tree. The height is 363 feet, and it is 53 feet in circumference.

It was amazing to be able to just sit at its feet all by myself for a good 10 minutes. 

It’s always hard to tell how tall these are just by looking up, but by walking around its base, it was a majestic tree.

After checking out both of these trees, I took off my shoes and crossed the water again. It was worth the cold feet to see such a fantastic sight, and I highly recommend you make the trek out to it.