New park lodgings enhance Redwoods experience

Five years ago John Russavage was a busy stock broker and
real estate developer living in a desert city where it got
as high as 120 degrees. Now he lives in the California
Redwoods, where the temperatures have cooled off a bit
– but his passion for developing seems to be as hot
as ever.

Next time you go to Redwood National and State Parks
you’ll no doubt hear about John and his enterprises
if you watch local TV, read the local papers or just look
for a place to stay overnight in the park. His company,
Redwood Park Lodge Company, has begun offering park lodging
and tours and a special event center, and now has plans for
a new 80-room hotel on the beach along with an RV park,
botanical garden and a new Redwood Adventures store. Oh
– did we mention the new TV show starring John as his
alter-ego Johnny Redwood?

If truth be told, Russavage seems much more like Grizzly
Adams than Gordon Gekko, the ruthless broker played by
Michael Douglas in “Wall Street.” The affable,
bearded Russavage seems to be in his true element as he
runs errands in the park wearing blue jeans and pulling off
an Eddie Bauer look that seems perfect for a place like the
California Redwoods.

As Russavage recalls, his new enterprise all began as
“a second home that got out of control.”
Russavage and his wife were vacationing at a
bed-and-breakfast inn in the coastal community of Trinidad,
about 22 miles north of Eureka and just another 20 miles
from the entrance to Redwood National and State Parks. They
were so impressed with the scenery that they asked a real
estate broker to keep an eye out for a house on some nice
view property. They found one and bought it, began renting
it out when they weren’t using it, and then
discovered they could get $330 a night because quality
lodging opportunities on this part of the coast were so
rare.

The wheels started turning for Russavage and,
presto-change-o, Russavage left his Palm Springs position
with Merrill Lynch to become chairman and CEO of Redwood
Parks Lodge Company, the umbrella for his many
Redwoods-related enterprises. The company bought an old
sawmill and the workers’ three-bedroom houses that
are located just a short walk from the park’s Elk
Meadow and numerous trails. They kept the redwood shells of
the homes, but replaced everything inside with new and
generally top-quality furnishings. The company now rents
them out for $199 per night.

On a recent visit to the area, we had a chance to sample
the new digs and, for families or multiple couples looking
for reasonably priced quality lodgings, these houses are
ideal. The multiple bedrooms provide room for at last two
families or one very large family, and it looked to us that
two or three couples could easily maintain enough privacy
while sharing the kitchen and living room areas –
which, by the way, are both furnished to the hilt. Divide
three into $199 and you’re paying about what
you’d pay for an inexpensive motel room.

The location of course is a big advantage. The homes are
located just a little north of Orick, which is just inside
the redwood park boundaries. The nearby trails are thick
with redwoods and moss-covered trees and vines and take
visitors to waterfalls or over to the beach just a few
miles away. And, right on cue, two bull elk came out to
spar just 50 yards in front of us as we were conversing
with Russavage out in front of one of the homes.

But these six homes – which are what Russavage calls
Redwood Village – are just the beginning. Soon, his
company will be breaking ground on a new 80-room Holiday
Inn that will be located in the coastal area near the
Redwood National and State Parks visitor center. Russavage
said the design of the inn will be a “resort
model” with expanded pool and recreation areas and
will be especially well-suited for families. Eventually a
new RV park and botanical garden will be built nearby.

The company already offers adventure tours in the park,
which is actually four different parks. The national park
and three state parks are operated as a single unit, and
Redwoods Park Lodge Company has a concession to offer
various types of tours through the parks including
orientation tours and longer, day-long tours that include
meals.

And, in a location somewhat removed from the glitter of the
entertainment world, Russavage plans to use television and
Hollywood star power to take his message well beyond
Northern California. Teaming up with an Emmy Award-winning
director, Russavage is launching a Redwood Adventures
television show that will be appearing every Friday on HCTV
in Eureka. The segments will feature Russavage –
known in the show as “Johnny Redwood” –
showing viewers the sights and attractions in Redwood
National and State Parks. He’s already used his
connections to have actor Robert Conrad do a corporate
video and appear at one of the Redwood Adventures grand
opening events.

“Once we have our act together,” says
Russavage, “we know some pretty big people in the
entertainment industry. Nature’s a big topic with
global warming and that kind of stuff. We don’t think
it’s going to be addressed in the way we’re
doing, so we’re taking a shot at it.”

Redwood National and State Parks

Altogether there are about 105,000 acres in the parks, most
of the area covered with the giant redwoods. The western
border of the parks includes about 38 miles of coastline,
including picturesque beaches and many beach trails. There
are five visitor centers in the parks, each including
interpretive information about the area and its
attractions. Altogether there are 164 miles of hiking
trails, 51 miles of bike trails and 41 miles of horse
trails.

We enjoyed the hike up to Trillium Falls, a walk that
begins close to the Redwood Adventures Village. The
Trillium Falls Trail covers 2.5 miles through ancestral
forest and has one of the few falls in the parks. Be on the
lookout for Fern Canyon with its 30-foot walls dripping wet
and full of ferns.

Another nearby attraction is Newton B. Drury Scenic
Parkway, where you can take a 10-mile scenic drive through
the ancient redwoods. Along the way, you’ll see an
opportunity to take a short 1/8 mile spur off the trail to
Big Tree Wayside, well worth the diversion.

Also on the south end of the park is the Coastal Drive,
which is an eight-mile somewhat primitive road that takes
you to expansive views of the Pacific Ocean and then down
into the redwoods at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

Still another park highlight is Howland Hill Road and Stout
Grove, where you can take a 10-mile scenic drive through
old-growth redwoods and a half-mile walk through a
river-bottom grove of these giant trees.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Redwood National and State Parks is located about 40
miles north of Eureka in northwestern California. The park
areas begin along the coastline and visitors then drive
deeper into the parks as they travel northward on Highway
101.

WHAT: This combination of four parks offers some of the
California’s most spectacular scenery. While the name
implies it’s all about the giant redwood trees, the
parks’ coastal areas are every bit as impressive.
Beaches, jagged rocky coastline, even gray whales are among
the highlights of the coastal areas of the park.

WHEN: Year-round, although the weather along the coast can
change quickly and be quite unpredictable. In winter, bring
layers to bundle up – especially when you get out on
the beach in a strong wind.

WHY: The redwoods are a California treasure and this is one
of the best areas of the state to see them up-close. There
is also a great area south of Eureka called Avenue of the
Giants where there are several vantage points as you travel
the old highway that runs parallel to Highway 101.

HOW: For more information on the Redwoods Park Lodge
Company, phone 866-733-9637 or visit
www.redwoodadventures.com. For more information on Redwoods
National and State Parks, phone 707-464-6101 or visit
www.nps.gov/redw.

Cary Ordway is president of Getaway Media Corp which
publishes websites focused on regional travel. Among the
sites offered by GMC are http://www.californiaweekend.com∞
and http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com∞ .

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