Two Yurok guides in a redwood canoe.
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Canoe trip along the Klamath River

The lower Klamath River and the redwoods, which grow nowhere else on Earth, are at the heart of Yurok culture.

Two Yurok guides in a redwood canoe.

Yurok tour guides Sammy Gensaw, 26, left and Zechariah Gabel, 20, launch a trip on the Klamath River. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Willows, alders, fir and cottonwood crowd the banks of the Klamath River as people float by in canoes.

Yurok guides paddle tourists along the Klamath River in canoes handcrafted from redwood trees. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A Yurok guide paddles on a rainy Klamath River in a traditional canoe handcrafted from a redwood tree.

Yurok guide Jon Luke Gensaw paddles on a rainy Klamath River. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The prow of a handcrafted redwood canoe on the river.

The canoe, paddles and seats are all handcrafted by tribal members. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Tribal member David Severns with a redwood trunk.

Tribal member Dave Severns uses traditional Yurok methods to hollow out redwood trunks. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The mouth of the Klamath River where it meets the Pacific Ocean.

The mouth of the Klamath River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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