World’s tallest free-standing totem pole!

A  few miles north of the Drive Thru Chandlier Tree is another tourist attraction literally nestled among  Redwood Trees of North California — a place called Confusion Hill (in...

A  few miles north of the Drive Thru Chandlier Tree is another tourist attraction literally nestled among  Redwood Trees of North California — a place called Confusion Hill (in Piercy, California). What drew us there was a structure that made it to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not list as the tallest free-standing totem pole in the world.

Tallest free-standing totem pole, Legget, CA
World’s tallest free-standing totem pole

According to a board I found near this totem pole, this piece of art was carved out of a dead redwood tree. It is said to have taken a man three months to carve out this 44-foot tall wooden structure with the help of a chain saw. It also goes on to say, (quote) There are many taller totem poles but they were cut down and carved, then set back upright. So this is the world’s tallest, free-standing redwood chainsaw carving (unquote).

Apparently the pole with just the carvings of the bears is 40 feet tall and along with the ‘World Famous Confusion Hill’ sign it adds up to 44 feet. There seemed to be no mention of who carved this pole but another board that marks Confusion Hill as a ‘California State Point of Historical Interest’ says that the pole came into being in 1994.

Confusion Hill also has a few other things for visitors to check out like a Gravity House and a Train Ride through Redwood Forests, both of which we did not do that day. As we have already taken the Redwood Train in Felton (Roaring Camp Railroads) and also visited Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, these didn’t sound too inviting. Moreover it was almost evening and we wanted to have a look at One-log House before we turned south again.

 

Confusion Hill is around 10 miles north of Drive Thru Tree Park, Legget.

The address – 75001, Highway 101, Piercy, CA, according to the official site. But Google maps says 75001, Legget, CA. Some navigation systems may not show these addresses. Just drive up 101 North and a few miles from Legget, you’ll spot the sign board. Also look for the tall wooden structure. The destination will be on the right.

Official Site Here

Note: California is home to another Totem Pole (not free -standing) which is considered to be one of the tallest in the world. This one is said to be 160 ft tall. I haven’t been there yet, so I leave you with this link – http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13808

If you haven’t visited my previous post, you might want to do so and see the tree with a tunnel that an SUV can go through. Here – A date with Drive Thru Tree.

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Dee (Divya): Blogger, Freelance Content Writer & Content Strategist. | 📸 Loves tripping.🛣 Tipsy from every TRIP!😬🫣 | 🏞Follow > for intoxicating virtual trips!🥂😉
60 Comments on this post.
  • umashankar
    5 October 2012 at 2:33 am
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    That is a perfect post about the totem pole. You have photographed it well.

    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 5:50 pm
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      Thanks USP. I had to photshop that first picture a little bit. There were too many shadows (of all those tall redwood trees) falling on the totem pole making it really dark. I thought I messed it up by brightening it. 🙂

  • Rahul Bhatia
    5 October 2012 at 3:17 am
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    This sure was interesting, Divya:)

  • Kishan P
    5 October 2012 at 4:28 am
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    Haha Nice.. I like the Bear costumes the most. Should be fun walking around in those 🙂

    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 5:54 pm
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      Really cute, right? (especially the ones with the suspenders). The pole is this attractive because of those outfits. 🙂

  • R Niranjan Das
    5 October 2012 at 6:22 am
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    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 5:58 pm
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      I wish I knew who created it. That person does deserve some credit for his outstanding craftsmanship.
      The bears look adorable, right? The grizzly bear is the state animal of CA. It's on the California flag too (you can see a part of it on that flag on the right (top).

    • R Niranjan Das
      6 October 2012 at 6:32 am
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      Dint know about the bear being the state animal of CA. Obviously the creator needs credit and recognition. They could have atleast written his name near the pole.

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 11:10 pm
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      I swear, he does. 🙂

  • Jay Singh
    5 October 2012 at 7:59 am
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    Lovely picture DN 🙂
    Thanks for sharing this information, though I missed the chance to go on PCH. So, I couldn't pay a visit to this place. Maybe next time 🙂

    Regards,

    Jay
    http://road-to-sanitarium.blogspot.in/

  • Bikramjit
    5 October 2012 at 9:33 am
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    now that is something beautiful.. oh god my list of places to visit is becoming bigger and bigger and biggerrrrrrrrrrrrrr

    Bikram's

    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 6:04 pm
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      It's only going to get bigger and better, Bikram. I hope I'm making you want to visit California.

  • Ranita Sinha
    5 October 2012 at 9:33 am
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    Nice one Dn..

    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 6:04 pm
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      Thanks Ranita.:)

  • AmitAag
    5 October 2012 at 11:43 am
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    Very interesting:)

    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 6:05 pm
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      Fun totem pole, right?
      Thanks Amit.

    • AmitAag
      6 October 2012 at 5:35 am
      Leave a Reply

      …the pole, the pictures and the whole post in fact:):)

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 11:09 pm
      Leave a Reply

      :).
      So glad you liked it.

  • Raghav
    5 October 2012 at 1:53 pm
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    Funky… I like how it's all bears and not like a usual Totem pole

    • dNambiar
      5 October 2012 at 6:10 pm
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      When I first heard of this pole, I expected a pole with some strange faces but it turned out to be a fun-looking pole. I was also under the impression that totem poles had something to do with worship. I just learned that there never was anything religious about it. They say totem poles talk of history and ancestry and things like that.
      This pole in Confusion hill however just seemed to scream California and Redwoods. 🙂

  • magiceye
    6 October 2012 at 1:07 am
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    Amazing work! Sad that the name of the artist is not known.

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:44 pm
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      Exactly! 🙂

  • Indrani
    6 October 2012 at 1:29 am
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    Great info! Thanks for showing.

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:44 pm
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      Thank You for coming by, Indrani.

  • Desi Traveler
    6 October 2012 at 6:47 am
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    very interesting… we in India need to learn so many things on how to market tourist talking points…

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:46 pm
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      I guess we do. There really is no dearth for attractions, really. But then again, these days there is a lot of promotion happening, right?

  • Meoww
    6 October 2012 at 8:29 am
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    Confusion Hill, surely there has to be a story behind that too? Love the grizzlys on the pole, DN.

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:49 pm
      Leave a Reply

      You're right. I understand that it's got these 'seemingly' gravity-defying things to show. You've probably been to Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, right? This place is also said to be something like that. 🙂
      The bears are damn cute! 🙂

  • Rajesh
    6 October 2012 at 11:46 am
    Leave a Reply

    Very interesting place.

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:49 pm
      Leave a Reply

      🙂
      The craftsmanship on the pole is amazing.

  • Ghazala Hossain
    6 October 2012 at 1:57 pm
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    Such a nature friendly place 😀

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:51 pm
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      It's in the middle of some redwood trees that California is famous for.

  • indu chhibber
    6 October 2012 at 3:25 pm
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    It is quite an achievement-carving at the height of 40 ft.It is very colorful & different too.Thanks Divya.

    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:53 pm
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      Quite a an achievement really. And it is very attractive too. It is different from the traditional totem poles we've seen pictures of, right?

      Thank You. 🙂

  • shooting star
    7 October 2012 at 3:50 pm
    Leave a Reply
    • dNambiar
      8 October 2012 at 10:55 pm
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      I guess the reason it is free-standing and still going strong is the fact that it was never cut. They say the carving was done on the still-standing tree.

  • Need Website In Wordpress
    9 October 2012 at 10:57 am
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    Indeed a nice post! I am also from the SEO background and love to enjoy reading fresh posts on this subject. I would like to thank you for writing this post and now I am your regular reader as I have subscribed your blog in my RSS reader.

  • Modern Gypsy
    9 October 2012 at 2:07 pm
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    Very interesting! Great picture too. 🙂

    • dNambiar
      9 October 2012 at 10:22 pm
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      Nice to see you here, Modern Gypsy.
      Thank you for the visit. 🙂

  • jaish_vats
    9 October 2012 at 3:20 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Interesting!

  • R.Ramakrishnan
    9 October 2012 at 11:40 pm
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    Interesting & informative tit bit. The bears on the totem pole: black bear or grizzly?

    • dNambiar
      11 October 2012 at 11:27 pm
      Leave a Reply

      I guess their just some fun bears. But going by the muzzles, the ones at the bottom look like grizzlies and the ones on top more like the black bear. 🙂

  • Anupama K. Mazumder
    11 October 2012 at 6:12 am
    Leave a Reply
    • dNambiar
      11 October 2012 at 11:32 pm
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      Cute, na? I'm thinking working at that height might have been a challenge, even if there was scaffolding.
      No doubt that was a lot of work in 3 months.

  • Khushbu Verma
    12 October 2012 at 8:13 am
    Leave a Reply

    Interesting Picture, This Totem Pole is reminding me of my Electronics Book

    • dNambiar
      14 October 2012 at 8:50 pm
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      Electronics book, Khushbu? 😀 Why is that?

  • poonam
    13 October 2012 at 6:03 pm
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    This is so very awesome! A pretty unconventional monument! so cool!

    • dNambiar
      14 October 2012 at 9:03 pm
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      Cool indeed. It's the artistry that I'm awed by. 🙂

  • poonam
    13 October 2012 at 6:05 pm
    Leave a Reply

    btw, it would be awesome if you could have an RSS to email option on your blog… I prefer keeping track of my favorite bloggers that way!

    • dNambiar
      14 October 2012 at 9:03 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Sure Poonam. Your wish is my command. 🙂

  • Arti
    15 October 2012 at 8:05 am
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    Wonderful, the concept of a totem pole was something new for me. The creativity of the artist is truly commendable. Many thanks for sharing it here 🙂

    • dNambiar
      16 October 2012 at 12:35 am
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      My pleasure Arti. And I have been enjoying your Japan-posts. 🙂

  • Siddhartha Joshi
    15 October 2012 at 3:37 pm
    Leave a Reply

    This looks like a fantastic place D 🙂

    • dNambiar
      16 October 2012 at 12:39 am
      Leave a Reply

      The plan was actually to see Chandelier Tree (the tree with the tunnel) but since this totem pole was not too far away from there, we thought we'd check it out. And then we also went to see something else close to this Totem pole place and that is even more fascinating. Shall write about it soon.
      I hope you are doing well.

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    22 May 2013 at 9:26 am
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