Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Part of the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area, the story of Redwood Creek echoes that of many of California's wilderness treasures. This grove of young Coastal Redwoods and Incense Cedar was once inhabited by Native Americans, documented by early explorers, admired by conservationists and ultimately preserved for the future by the State and National Park Service.

The trail map near the entrance of Redwood Creek lays out the adventures ahead, with challenges for both body (net climbs, rope slides, suspension bridges, etc.) and mind (plaques throughout the trail expound on local flora, fauna, geology and more). On the map, you'll also notice the three lookout towers, each named for a prominent California peak: Mt. Whitney (the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States), Mt. Shasta (second highest peak in the Cascades and the source of the live Christmas trees once trucked down to Disneyland) and Mt. Lassen (the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range).

Setting off down the trail to the right, we first come to Wawona Walk ("wawona" is the word the Miwok people used for redwoods) and the stump of Big Sir, the remainder of a giant redwood felled by lightning ages ago. Big Sir, of course, is artificial, crafted by Imagineering artists in the model of the real thing. Nearby, however, is the Millennium Tree, an actual cross section of a 1000-year-old Sequoia, which had fallen naturally in a forest near Sequoia National Park. The slab is marked with signs, indicating some of the historical moments through which the tree had lived.

The path along Redwood Creek bears the imprint of branches, leaves and animal tracks. Listen closely, and you can even make out the sounds of the wildlife in the surrounding forest. There's the croak of frogs, the chatter of bluejays, the howl of a coyote and the roar of a mountain lion. Inside Big Sir, listen for woodpeckers and squirrels by day. At night, though, the sounds change to those of hooting owls and fluttering bats.

Between the Mt. Whitney and Mt. Shasta lookout towers is the Sequoia Smokejumpers training challenge. This rope slide course would be used by the park rangers to keep fit and ready in the event of a forest fire. It's certainly one of the most vigorous challenges along the trail and not for everyone.

Younger explorers may be more drawn to the Squirrel Scramble rope mesh bridge or Shake-A-Log, a climb-through hollow log suspended by ropes, that sways just enough to make negotiating it really fun. My boys (above) certainly enjoyed it! They also liked the Cliff Hanger, where they were challenged to find the right foot and hand holds to traverse a granite outcropping... under the watchful eye of a Redwood Creek Ranger, of course.

Also fun in this area are the Rock Slide and Boulder Bears, a collection of granite boulders that just happen to resemble climbable bear cubs. When Disney California Adventure was new, these cubs and the nearby Hibernation Hollow served as the sole tributes to the California Black Bear. With the November 2003 release of the animated feature Brother Bear, the animals took on a larger role, with characters from the film making appearances in this part of the park (okay, so a little liberty was taken, considering the story of Brother Bear takes place in what would today be part of Canada or Alaska).

Hibernation Hollow (which originally featured just a few Native American pictographs and the growl of an unseen inhabitant) became Kenai's Spirit Cave. Visitors are invited to step inside and place a hand on the paw print to magically discover a personal animal connection.

Back outside, a carved graphic reveals the qualities you and your animal bond have in common.

Performances of "The Magic of Brother Bear" are showcased in the Ahwahnee Camp Circle. Ahwahnee means "deep, grassy valley" in the Miwok language and was the original name for the valley now known as Yosemite. The circle is the place where Native American legends and stories are told... and where the totem of moose brothers Rutt and Tuke come to life via simple animation and the simply hysterical voices of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas.

It's the perfect place to relax after some of the physical exhilaration of the rest of the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.