Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree in Leggett
Right at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 101, in the town of Leggett, sits one of the three drive-thru trees in Northern California. Even the road that this tree resides on is called Drive Thru Tree Road. I drove through all three of the trees on my road trip, and you can read about the other ones here if you are interested. This one is by far the best actual tree to drive through, as the tree itself is hundreds of feet tall, so it makes for a pretty crazy picture, here is all the info.
Details
- $10 to enter (as of 2019)
- Open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Pretty small to drive-thru at only 6′ x 6′
As you pull off the freeway, you will be directed with many signs to this attraction as it is the main thing to do in the area. When you pull in, the attendant will take your money and point you onward to the line of cars waiting to take their picture. Yes, there is a line of vehicles here. I have friends that had to wait 45 minutes for their turn, where at the other two drive-thru trees, I didn’t wait at all.
After about 15 minutes of waiting, it was my turn to drive through the tree and snap some pictures. The tree is narrow, but I saw full trucks squeak through. One of the reasons why the wait is so long is that people often go run in front of the cars to take a picture of their car in the tree.
After driving through, there is a small gift shop and a few other attractions like a hollowed-out tree that you can climb in.
As far as attractions go Shine Drive-Thru Tree has the most options, but as far as the tree you drive through, this is the best one.
All in all, driving through a tree is a rite of passage if you are in Redwood country. Heck, I drove through three myself and enjoyed every single one. I recommend it at least once as it is $10 well spent for the photo (side note: how do I get myself one of these trees so I can charge $10 a car for a 10 second drive?). Make sure to leave a comment below and let me know which one you liked the best as well.
