state park trail? >> no. this is one created by people searching for the titans. >> reporter: someone posted the g.p.s. location on social media. images like this lured thousands searched for the secret grove. calling it "the grove of the titan," "the secret grove," that enhanced the hunt. >> people got intrigued into the big tree hunt, like trophy hunters. se reporter: and like trophy tnters, people posed with the titans, sharing them online as proof of their conquest. >> you can see the steps leading higher and higher so they can get that perfect picture. >> reporter: forest ecologist studies the damage done by foot traffic. along with destroying native plant, the soil compaction caused by standing next to a red wood harms the roots. >> most of the roots of a redwood tree are in the first three feet or so, and it kills the small roots where nutrients are taking up. an reporter: now the redwood anrk's conservancy is raising money to protect the titans.