Skip to main content

The Chandelier Tree and Drive-Thru Tree Park

By

The Chandelier Tree and Drive-Thru Tree Park are notable attractions which were located on early US Route 101 (Redwood Highway) in Leggett.  The Chandelier Tree is a 276 foot high Coastal Redwood which had a tunnel carved into the trunk circa 1936-1937 by the Underwood family.  Despite Leggett being bypassed by modern US Route 101 in early the 1970s and replaced with California State Route 271 Drive-Thru Tree Park remains a popular stopping point for travelers in northern Mendocino County.  




Part 1; the history of the Chandelier Tree

The Chandelier Tree is a Coastal Redwood located in the community of Leggett along the southern segment of California State Route 271 (formerly US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway).  The Coastal Redwood grove the tree is located in was purchased by Charles and Hazel Underwood in 1922.  Underwoods carved a tunnel through the Chandelier Tree either in 1936 or 1937 as the central feature of Drive-Thru Tree Park.  Chandelier Tree became a popular destination on the early Redwood Highway and remains so despite Leggett having been bypassed by US Route 101 during the 1970s.  

The Chandelier Tree name is derived from the almost upright branches jutting from the trunk from approximately 100 feet.  These branches give the tree a chandelier-like appearance.  The tree was originally thought to be 315 feet high but has been since laser measured to 276 feet high.  



Part 2; a drive through the Chandelier Tree

The southern segment of California State Route 271 passes through Leggett and intersects the entrance to the Drive-Thru Tree Park at Postmile MEN 16.20.  





Drive-Thru Tree Road passes through a park entrance station and crosses under the Chandelier Tree.







The placard above the Chandelier Tree still indicates the original claimed height of 315 feet.


The Chandelier Tree tunnel is approximately seven-feet-wide by seven-feet-high.  Larger vehicles often have to fold their mirrors inward and some are too large to fit through the tunnel.  This Chevrolet Colorado Z72 was barely able to fit through the tunnel.  


Drive-Thru Tree Park has numerous other features such as wooden carving and a fallen Coastal Redwood log.  



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former California State Route 180 in Centerville

By
Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854.  The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road.  The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934.  By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park.  For the majority of the life of California State Route 180 in Centerville, it has not strayed far from Kings Canyon Road.  This changed in 2020 when California State Route 180 was relocated onto the Kings Canyon Expressway.  This blog serves as an overview of the history of California State Route 180 and general evolution of highways in Centerville.  California State Route 180 can be seen passing through Centerville and Minkler below on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno Count...
Post a Comment
Read more

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 73

By
California State Route 73 is 21 mile limited access highway aligned over the Corona del Mar Freeway and San Joaquin Hills Toll Road.  California State Route 73 connects Interstate 5 near San Juan Capistrano westward to Interstate 405 in Costa Mesa.  Prior to the construction of the Corona del Mar Freeway and San Joaquin Hills Tollway California State Route 73 was a surface highway located on largely MacArthur Boulevard. Part 1; the history of California State Route 73 What became California State Route 73 ("CA 73") entered the State Highway System in 1933 as Legislative Route Number 184 ("LRN 184").  LRN 184 was given the following route definition: "LRN 60 near Corona Del Mar to Santa Ana via Main Street" LRN 184 was announced in the April 1933 California Highways & Public Works .   LRN 184 appears for the first time on the  1934 Division of Highways Map .   LRN 184 appears under State Maintenance from US Route 101/LRN 2 in Santa Ana south ...
Post a Comment
Read more