Dotted across the landscape of Northern California are some of the world’s oldest conifers and giant conifers, which grow like a scene from Tolkien’s fictional world.
The giant tree is capable of reaching heights of up to 300 feet and living up to 3,000 years. Due to their widespread growth, locals have discovered creative ways to use them, creating beautiful central terraced trees.
What is really interesting is that some trees have turned into tunnels without losing growth and vitality. The concept of walkway trees dates back to 1875, when the first tree was created in Yosemite National Park, Tuolumne Grove. This was done to increase tourism and visitors had to pay a fee to pass through it. The tree was carved from a giant 2,500-year-old conifer that was struck by lightning, then cut down and stripped of its bark. Over time, more and more hollow trees were created, and tourists in vintage cars paid to drive through them. However, the creation of terraced trees was stopped due to environmental concerns. However, tourists can still admire these preserved wonders in California’s national parks, which are considered relics of a bygone era of tourism.
In 1875, to encourage tourism, Tuolumne Grove in Yosemite National Park introduced the first driving pine tree.
The Shire vehicle access tree at Myers Flat features a naturally shaped angled opening that is now supported by cables.
This photo, taken in the 1930s, shows a vehicle crossing the Wawona Tree located in the Mariposa Forest of Yosemite National Park.
For more than a century, the vehicle tree has been a popular tourist attraction. A fascinating historical image taken in 1880 shows a stagecoach passing by the Wawona Tree. In contrast, a 1923 photo shows a car driving through the same tunnel.
The Wawona tree is a famous natural wonder known to many people. On the left is an updated photo of President Theodore Roosevelt driving through the tree tunnel, while on the right is an 1890 photo of a man standing beneath the massive tunnel.
The fallen tunnel tree, formerly known as the Wawona Tree, fell during a severe storm in 1969 and can now be seen in updated photos left and right.
Located in Leggett, just over 280 miles north of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Candelabro Tree is in a privately owned forest. This stunning tree has a giant tunnel created in 1937.
The candlestick, which is approximately 2,400 years old, is so named because its branches are said to hang like chandeliers, as shown in the images left and right.
The Tuolumne Grove tree has become very popular with tourists, causing other business owners to follow suit and carve similar trees.
New images of the Wawona tree show a group of curious tourists gathered together as they anxiously wait their turn to go through the tunnel carved into the giant tree’s trunk. Each car passes by one by one, creating unique and memorable experiences for all who witness it.