Yes, We're Sure There Are Ewok Villages in the Santa Cruz Mountains

I have a confession to make.

I spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about Star Wars. I’m not talking about flying a miniature Millennium Falcon around the living room making laser gun noises, or having epic one-man lightsaber battles in the garage. No, that would be ridiculous. I’m a grown man now, and while the Star Wars universe always lingers in the back of my mind, my fantasies have matured with time.

As POST’s Redwoods Program Manager, I get to spend a lot of time in our redwood forests. On longer walks through the woods, my mind sometimes begins to wander and “the Force” awakens. I find myself slipping, slipping back to “A long time ago in galaxy far, far away…” where Ewoks roamed the forest floors.

For the uninitiated, Ewoks made their debut in The Return of the Jedi way back in 1983. The official Star Wars website defines these creatures as “sentient furred bipeds native to the moon of Endor,” which is a surprisingly scientific description for a fictional character. Anyway, as forest dwellers, they’re extremely skilled in forest survival and primitive technology. They’re curious, smart, inventive and incredibly adorable.

I know what you’re thinking: A grown man looking for Ewoks? But it’s actually not completely ridiculous to imagine stumbling upon an Ewok Village in our local redwood forests. The scenes for that part of The Return of the Jedi were filmed in the redwoods of Humboldt County. So, it’s quite likely that if Chief Chirpa and his tribe of Ewoks actually existed, they might be found right here in our local redwood forest. Pretty logical, right?

Ok, sure it might be a bit (or completely) ridiculous. But when was taking a walk through a majestic redwood forest ever a bad idea? In fact, science is showing that being outside in the forest has tremendous health benefits — all the more reason to get out there!

Want to play along? When you can, take a walk through the majestic redwoods in our backyard and look up about 50 feet, imagining an Ewok village awash in revelry after defeating the Galactic Empire. It makes me giddy just thinking about it.

Happy trails and #maytheforestbewithyou, always!

Due to Covid-19, make sure you check the status of the hiking location before you go.