Visit the Eternal Treehouse in the Avenue of the Giants

photo by Gregg Gardiner

When visiting the Avenue of the Giants, a fascinating stop is the Eternal Tree House. This one-time giant of nature endured over 2,500 years before being reduced to a surviving stump. The still-living stump contains a huge cavern caused by fire centuries ago. It had been used first by Indians and later trappers, hunters, travelers and their livestock for shelter. In the early 1900s, Harry McLeod, an expert wood splitter hewed out the interior with an ax and adze. The 20-foot room was refined in 1950 and a gift shop was established inside the stump. The walls still bear the marks of the work and are mementos of an all but lost art. The tree itself is said to have parented many surrounding trees from its burl. A burl is a hard conglomerate of many dormant buds; the original single bud grew, but failed to develop into a branch. The irregular growth proceeds to divide and redivide until a lump (burl) has formed. Some of the overgrowth is actually a form of scar tissue, resulting from a past injury to the tree. The Eternal Tree House, located at 26510 Avenue of the Giants in Redcrest, offers free admission, a cafe and a gift shop with a large selection of locally crafted redwood products. There is parking for RVs and buses. For more information, call (707) 722-4262.