Photo: More Than Just Parks
Close your eyes. Seriously. Close your eyes (well maybe keep them open just enough to read this article) and let’s imagine, just for a moment… we’re wandering through a place where the “younger” residents were around before Lincoln, the “shorter” are two to three times taller than our house, and the “smaller” weigh more than an entire herd of elephants.
Photo: More than Just Parks
It’s cool, quiet, blanketed by a lush green canopy, filled with colossal skyscrapers, and showered in brilliant, golden rays of light streaking through dense fog illuminating the very air around you. Now open your eyes, and click play on the video below — you’ll find that such a place does in fact exist. It belongs to you. It’s goes by the name Redwood National & State Parks and my brother and I have spent the past several weeks trying to capture it on film to share with you.
MTJP | Redwood is a short film created by my brother (Jim) and me as a part of our project, More Than Just Parks. Redwood is actually the fourth one of these films we’ve produced following Joshua Tree, Olympic, and Great Smoky Mountains. Through this project, our goal is to effect a greater awareness of the treasures that reside within America’s National Parks. We plan to accomplish this goal through visually stunning short films, engaging online interactions, and breathtaking imagery. Eventually, we plan to create short films covering each of the 59 national parks.
Photo: More than Just Parks
For MTJP | Redwood we spent 18 days camping, hiking, and filming our way through Redwood National Park in an effort to capture as many of its most beautiful features as possible.
Photo: More than Just Parks
Photo: More than Just Parks
Our journey started in the Northernmost section of the park in Jedediah Smith Rewoods State Park near Crescent City, California. From there we hiked, camped, backpacked, and drove down the coast through eight more co-managed (by the Federal and California State Governments) parks making it as far South as Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Weott.
Photo: More than Just Parks
Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California are home to the tallest trees in the world, the mighty Sequoia sempervirens (Redwood), which can reach staggering heights of over 360 feet and weigh more than 500 tons. These parks feature intimate and magical forests, miles of spectacular beaches, stunning overlooks, and the largest herd of Roosevelt elk on the planet.
Photo: More than Just Parks
Our top five favorite parts of filming in Redwood:
1. Looking Up
2. Sunsets on the Beach (we recommend Sister Rocks)
3. Lady Bird Johnson Grove
4. Roosevelt Elk
5. The Fog
Photo: More than Just Parks
For more from More Than Just Parks, be sure to check out their website and keep up with them on Vimeo. And don’t forget to Like them on Facebook as well as follow them on Instagram, Twitter, andTumblr.
