Stout Grove is the world's most scenic stand of redwoods. It's not all that large, and it doesn't have the biggest trees, but for sheer photogenic beauty nothing beats this extraordinary grove on a sunny afternoon.

Located on a small floodplain at the junction of two rivers, the Stout Grove has an openness and cathedral-like majesty combined with a lush, lawn-like ground cover. There are quite a few good-sized trees here, although the Stout Tree with its distinctively rippled bark dwarfs all the others. The trees are all redwoods, with no understory of tanoak or other small trees to obscure the views. The redwoods are densely packed, especially at the west end of the grove. A perfect, plush layer of ferns and redwood sorrel carpets the ground.

The grove has a remarkably hushed and serene environment. Sounds are damped out by the thick, spongy layer of needles on the ground. What's more, the grove is hidden away off the normal tourist routes and busy Highway 101 is miles away. At times, however, some traffic noise does drift across the river from two-lane Highway 199, about a quarter-mile away. The noise is worse on weekdays when a lot of trucks use the highway.