Redwood Transect
Learn about the redwood forest and complete your own redwood transect.
Learn about the redwood forest and complete your own redwood transect.
A transect is a real or imaginary line that people use to learn about a place by noting plants, animals and other things they find along it. Mike Fay, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, walked an 1,800-mile Redwood Transect following the Pacific coast from central California to southern Oregon.
YOU don’t have to walk that far, though! Use this transect to explore a redwood park today.
Transects are a way to “sample” a place, without going to every spot there. They help people explore large areas in detail and to find patterns and connections. By hiking his Redwood Transect, Mike Fay was able to discover links between people, animals and plants in redwood forests.
You can discover the wonders of the redwood forest, too, just by doing this transect.
Redwood transect, notebook, pencil or pen, colored pencils, camera, tape measure (optional).
Explore our Online Interactive Redwood Transect .
Plan a trip to one of California’s redwood parks (see map) and try doing your transect there. But you don’t need redwoods to do this transect — use it to explore any park near you.