“There’s no private organization with more experience in Redwood Country,” said Redwood Coast Parks chief Richard Stenger, a former national park ranger spearheading the group. “We work with naturalists, arborists, equestrian experts, representing generations of people who have lived and worked around Redwood National Park.”

1. Iluvatar

This monster, one of the most massive trees in the world, with more than 200 trunks and stems, graced the cover and eight-page centerfold of National Geographic in its feature on the supertrees of Redwood National and State Parks. It resides in the Atlas Grove in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

2. Nugget

Once the tallest known tree, this ex-champ in Redwood National Park could retake the crown someday. It’s the second-fastest-growing redwood on record. The tree has plenty of elevated company in Tall Trees Grove along Redwood Creek near Orick. Several neighbors are among the world’s ten tallest trees.

3. Corkscrew Tree

This photogenic oddity, featuring four trunks knitted together, poses a botanical mystery. Some think it a cathedral tree with a fairy ring gone wild. Others suspect that several coast redwoods grew around a tree of a different species that later died and decayed. In either case, explorers of all ages find its twisting nooks irresistible.

4. Klamath Tour Thru Tree

Only three living drive-thru trees remain, all along Highway 101 on Northern California’s Redwood Coast. The newest and least visited one offers the most pristine natural setting. It stands atop a small private hill surrounded by Redwood National Park. Craftsmen who carved the tree’s cavity avoided essential living wood, safeguarding its health.

5. Stout Tree

The largest redwood in Stout Grove, a forest at the confluence of two wild and scenic rivers in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park south of Crescent City, features distinctive rippled bark and a wooden viewing platform to protect its roots and provide wheelchair access.

6. Big Tree

This old-growth giant lives up to its name, having a circumference of 68 feet. Estimated at 1,500 years in age, the tree is just off the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway near the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor Center.

7. Sir Isaac Newton Tree

A former American Forests national points champion and one of the largest recorded redwoods, it’s located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. An unmistakable burl makes it stand out from the Prairie Creek Trail.

8. Horse Goose Pen

An Orick horse outfitter that leads rides in Redwood National Park stops at this unusual tree with a large natural cave, a so-called goose pen, for an unforgettable selfie.

9. Eternal Spring Tree

This redwood has a hole in the cambium from which water constantly flows. It’s in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, a popular mountainside forest in Redwood National Park.

10. Hyperion

The tallest of three trillion trees on the planet lords over Redwood National Park from a hidden hillside near Redwood Creek. Park rangers keep its location secret to discourage foot traffic. Fortunately, the few trekkers who find the 380-footer tend to respect low-impact hiking protocols.

Redwood National Park is located on the north coast of California, about 300 miles north San Francisco and 50 miles south of the Oregon border. Whether you fly in or hop in the family car for a trip once in the park, you can appreciate the best of the redwoods in just a few minutes or over an entire week.