Three million years ago at this now roadside-Americana attraction, a volcanic eruption at Mt St Helena blew down a stand of redwoods. The trees fell in the same direction, away from the blast, and over the millennia the mighty giants’ trunks turned to stone.

　　The 2017 wildfire damaged a lot of the property, and at the time of research, only a mile of trail was open. The petrified wood pieces were luckily saved from the blaze.

　　On the short walk you can discover the huge slabs of petrified redwood and stop by the monument that marks Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1880 visit, which he described in the Silverado Squatters. Guided tours go at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.