Outside the visitor center is a large shelter covering stumps of petrified redwood trees. One of the signs state that years ago before this area was protected as a monument, the area was littered with petrified wood; for 100 years visitors would take souvenirs and now the stumps are all that remain. Shelters protect some of these stumps from further weathering and destruction.
There are two very large stumps and one stump with three offshoots in the main shelter. Not pictured here, there is also one smaller shelter off to the side with another single large petrified stump. Keep in mind these are here because this valley was once a lake and minerals filled the submerged wood where the top part of the tree decomposed. The one stump that branches off into three new trunks is extra interesting: when redwood trees fall or get burned, the root system still remains and smaller clone trees will form quickly right from the same trunk base.
From the stump shelter there are several trails that branch off. My feet are starting to feel better but I’m still not fully recovered so we are doing a warm-up on the Ponderosa Loop. The trail is wheelchair accessible and only a short 0.4 walk through modern forests of ponderosa pine, aspen, Douglas-fir, and spruce trees.
Abert’s squirrels can be found here too which is something I’ve never seen before. These squirrels feed on the ponderosa pine cones and inner bark, and also uses it for cover. Fossils found here also show animal and plant interdependencies 34 million years ago.
One of the trees along the trail has a large scar caused by lighting strikes. A nearby sign describes how fire plays an integral role in ponderosa pine forests and their health. Ponderosas have thick bark that protects them from wildfires, and fires help clear the under-brush of competing trees so the remaining older trees can thrive.
Further along, another sign describes one of the main attractions of this loop: a ponderosa pine growing out of the stump of a large petrified redwood.
Here is the actual stump remnants and the young ponderosa growing out of it. The illustration on the sign really helps illustrate the size difference.
And that’s the Ponderosa Loop. From here we connect back to the large stump shelter. I still have some time left today so next we will continue on along the Petrified Forest Loop.
