Some 67 per cent of Californians have apparently hugged a tree, according to a survey. And during a trip to the giant redwood forests near California’s northern border with Oregon, I confess that I joined them.

This ecological paradise in one of America’s most liberal states is definitely tree-hugging territory. It’s home to the greatest proportion of artists and performers in the whole of the US, and attracts more lefty, peacenik visitors than you could shake a redwood branch at.

Settlers and tourists alike are attracted to California’s Pacific Northwest region for one overriding reason: the environment - whether they want to save it, or savour it, or both. The magnificent Redwood National Park biosphere is just a 45-minute drive from the Klamath river basin, the second-biggest water system in the US, which winds through a cluster of Native American Indian reservations and some of the finest scenery to be found anywhere on the continent, on its path to the Pacific.

My wife and I drove up from Los Angeles for a longish weekend, away from McDonald’s and Starbucks and into this realm of environmentalists and artists. OK, so our 1,500-mile round trip coastal drive may not have been the best for the environment, but at least it took us far from the madding crowds of LA and into one of the last natural wildernesses left on the planet.

The Klamath Basin and its surroundings boast more than 200 species of birds, plants and animals indigenous to the area. The redwood forest was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1982, and is home to more than 1,000 species of flora and fauna, including three of the ten tallest trees in the world, a majestic swathe of rhododendrons, azaleas and the pink blooms of the dicentra, a perennial known as the Bleeding Heart. The forest still bears the scars of extensive logging carried out in the 1970s, but it is now protected by federal and state laws. Black bears and cougars co-exist here with the lynx and the extremely rare wolverine. If you look up, chances are that you will see a lone bald eagle circling in the thermals above.

It is also a world away from the more popular and well-known national parks of Yellowstone and Yosemite. You will not find any souvenir shops or tourist traps out here, and facilities are basic. But this is perfect territory for the independent traveller who enjoys getting back to nature. The mountainous tundra affords more walking and climbing trails, both short and long, than could be exhausted in a year. And I mean exhausted.

Our lodgings at Sandy Bar cabins in Orleans, up Ishi Pishi Road in the shade of the nearby Marble Mountains, Trinity Alps and Siskiyou wilderness, were pristine, comfortable and superbly situated a few yards from the banks of the Klamath River.

Everything here is geared towards the environment and its conservation: four solar panels in a large grassy area perfect for kids to run about provide power and piping-hot showers for the self-catering cabins. There is a 5 addition to your bill if you do not recycle your waste, a friendly note above the sink informs you. The six four-berth cabins were built in the 1950s, originally as part of an ultimately doomed plan to develop a tourist infrastructure in the area - but the current owners, Mark and Blythe, who bought the site over 20 years ago, were happy to see that trend arrested.

Over the weekend, Sandy Bar hosted its annual sale of the many varieties of plants, shrubs and herbs grown in the on-site nurseries, and of products such as jam and chutney, made from home-grown apples, pears, peaches and walnuts. It was a perfect feast after a hard day’s hiking.

In the centre of Orleans is a run-down, ramshackle motel. Don’t be put off as it has an attractive bar, which was the only place open within 20 miles. The local supermarket is well stocked but closes at 7pm every night.

But there’s far more to the area than green fingers and pink cherry blossom. The four Native American tribes who live on nearby reservations - the Hupa, Karuk, Yurok and Klamath - all play a major part in the area’s natural heritage. We learned a huge amount over the course of our weekend in the company of representatives of the four tribes - far more than we picked up about indigenous cultures during the 8,000 miles or so we covered in three months in South America last year. We felt honoured by these noble, gracious and most welcoming of hosts.

The Hoopa village tribal museum, about 20 miles from Orleans, offers informative and comprehensive guided tours of riverside settlements believed by tribal elders to be up to 7,000 years old. Visitors can explore traditional cedar-wood huts, gaining a sense of tribal life. Cedar wood was the primary building material because its pungent scent kept out biting and stinging insects, including black widow spiders, which are common to the area.

Though the structures were built into "divots" in the earth, they are essentially freestanding: not a single nail or screw is used in their construction. They are said to be warm in winter, when temperatures can plummet to -7C, and cool in summer, when temperatures above 40C are not unheard of. Many of the huts were used for living quarters - typically five or more males or females to one hut, with mixed living frowned upon within the tribe. Some were used as "earth saunas", to sweat out the toxins contained within the body before swimming in the sacred river. Others belonged to the tribal medicine man, where he would mix his concoction of herbs for healing the body, mind and spirit.

The knowledgeable Hupa guides provide a fascinating insight into the spirituality and mythology of the tribes, their annual "world renewal" ceremonies, and their continual struggle to preserve their ancient lifestyles against outside forces.

Chuckie Carpenter, a Hupa elder, runs a summer camp for local teenagers which teaches the traditional practices of fishing and net-tying, and their associated songs, rituals and ceremonies, with lessons in living off the land. The youngsters learn about the nutritional qualities of the foods harvested from the river, forest and mountains, including the salmon, eel, acorns and venison which make up the traditional tribal diet, as well as the medicinal properties of the many species of herbs and wildflowers. He also offers white-water rafting and canoeing on the river rapids close to where he pitches his camp.

If you’re really lucky, he’ll have some of his home-made smoked wild salmon or eel at hand, which you can purchase at a very reasonable price - I heartily recommend that you do.

But it’s the redwood forest that draws tourists to the region. The landscape is strange and ethereal, almost alien in character; it is here that George Lucas filmed the forest scenes for Return of the Jedi. The Native Indians believe the forest to be full of the spirits of Indians and animals past who still stalk through the boughs - though they do not believe in the mythical sasquatch, or Bigfoot, which is said by the white man to roam the area. And you can almost join them in sensing an other-worldly presence at dusk when the last light of the sun sets through the misty tops of the red giants. Traditional beliefs aside, it’s an awe-inspiring sight.

If you’re driving to the redwood reserve from Orleans, make sure you take the turn at the bridge about ten miles downriver from Hoopa, and upriver of Willow Creek - it will get you there in 45 minutes up an enjoyably twisty back road with good views. The route commonly suggested in travel guides will take you upwards of two hours. Thanks for that tip, Chuckie.

There used to be a pair of elderly tree-huggers who wandered around the Hamilton Place area of Aberdeen when I was growing up, whom we used to tease on our way to school. To these two gentle individuals, I apologise. I am now rather proudly one of your company. Now I just have to find a tree to hug in LA ...

FACT FILE: REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

How to get there

Return flights to Los Angeles start at £440 from Glasgow with US Airways. Visit http://www.expedia.co.uk/ for details. Car rental can be arranged from the airport. Visit www.los-angeles-lax.com/car_rental.html for online booking and more information.

You can fly to nearby Eureka from Los Angeles for £120 to £160 return. Visit http://www.travelocity.com/, or http://www.expedia.com/ for details. For car hire in Eureka, visit http://www.orbitz.com/ or http://www.avis.com/

Where to stay

For more information on Redwood National Park and Sandy Bar cabins, visit http://www.redwood.national-park.com/ and http://www.sandybar.com/

Sandy Bar cabins cost £47 per night or £260 per week. Call 001 530 627 3379 for details.

And there’s more

For details about tours organised by Chuckie Carpenter call 001 530 625 0049. For information on the Hoopa Tribal Museum call 001 530 625 4110, and for the Redwood Visitor Centre call 001 707 464 6101.