Designed by legendary San Francisco architect Julia Morgan (if you’ve ever been to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, you’ve admired her work), the four-sided hearth at the California Federation of Women’s Clubs Grove is a magnificent example of Arts and Crafts style built of stone and redwood timber and serves as a monument to the women’s civic groups that rallied to protect the grove and other old-growth redwoods from logging in the early 20th Century.
The four-fireplace hearthstone is located in a peaceful clearing and flanked by two large redwood picnic tables, each big enough for a large family. It overlooks the South Fork of the Eel River next to a popular swimming hole. In summer, a footbridge is sometimes installed across the Eel River allowing an easy and scenic hike to Rockefeller Grove.
To get there, take Avenue of the Giants 3 miles north from the Visitor Center. Follow a sign marking a narrow road, which continues west through the forest to a parking lot near the hearthstone.