Why Redwood National Park Should Be Your Next Adventure
Redwood National Park symbolizes one of the Treasures of Nature and Culture of the world. It is here, where you can see World’s tallest Living Tree – Living Link to the Age of Dinosaurs. Some of them scratch the sky, towering more than 370 feet into the air!
One can spend days and days in these groves of tall trees appreciating the serene and peaceful surroundings. From the scenic drives along the North Coast of California to the vast hiking trails Redwood National Park has something to offer for everyone.
So, we planned to embark on a 5-day adventure, and below is a closer look at our journey through the Redwood National Park. You can check out our suggested itineraries if you want to do a shorter trip.
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Did You Know?
Redwood Trees grow too big and too tall, but their roots are shallow only 10-13 feet deep.
Redwood Bark is a protector against fire as it has neither pitch nor resin.
If you are a movie buff, you would have noticed that Redwood Forest served as the backdrop for The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi!
The World’s largest reported volume of living matter per unit of land surface develops in these groves of Redwoods.
Currently, the Park protects ~ 45% of all remaining coastal redwoods.
Ready to plan your trip - Check out these details!
So as part of Day 1, we hopped onto an early flight from San Diego (SAN) to San Francisco (SFO) and drove to get our ride for the trip.
For a long time, we were keen on trying a camper van, and with so many campgrounds available in Redwood National Park, we decided to take the plunge.
Jucy rentals seemed a great and logical choice because how accessible and hassle-free it is and if you plan and book early they have some pretty good deals!
After picking up our van, we started our drive up north towards the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This is the southern end of the Redwood Groves and an amazing gateway into these ancient forests.
Day 1
Avenue Of The Giants
Avenue of the Giants is a scenic 32 miles of drive that goes through the State Park. The entire route has multiple stops to enjoy the radiant redwoods. This is the main scenic drive and definitely one of the great drives to learn about the history of the Redwoods in general.
We entered through the Avenue of the Giants south entrance which is ~ 230 miles from SFO and the start of the scenic drive. At the entrance, you can make a stop and click the information board which has details about the scenic drive and map in general.
As you keep driving through the scenic drive, South Fork Eel River keeps you company on one side. Almost 80 inches of rain is received by the Park, so the River had a nice flow to it.
These trees are really tall, they are the tallest trees on Earth - see it to believe it!
From there you would enter in the dense part of the State Park. We recommend taking stops at Williams Grove Area and other groves before reaching the Park’s Headquarters at Burlington. Park’s Headquarters has a lot of historical and geological details of the Redwood Groves in the Park.
Founders Grove is a popular area of the State Park. There is an easy ~0.5-mile trail that takes you through all the important ecosystems of the Ancient forests. You can see the Relic Redwood which is a perfect example of looks that can be deceptive. This Redwood tree has been growing for years and it looks heavily fire damaged, but it is still living. You can also see the dead and decaying giants which are vital to the new growth of the Redwoods. They supply rich nutrients to the soil. And finally, the Dyerville Giant which stood for 1600 years and before it fell in 1991, was ~370 feet tall.
From Founders Grove parking lot, continue on Avenue of the Giants for few yards and then turn left under Hwy 101, following the sign towards Rockefekker Forest & Honeydew. Continue on the Bull Creek Flats Road which merges to Mattole Road for 5 miles to the famous “Giant Tree-Tall Tree-Flat Iron Tree” area of the Park.
Log footbridge across Bull creek available only during Summer
ou cross a fun log bridge at the Big Trees Area to visit the Giant Tree and Flat Iron Tree. The hike to the Giant Tree and Flat Iron Tree is an only 0.5-mile loop.
From there we got back onto Avenue of the Giants towards the north entrance. A good stop would be the Immortal Tree which true to its name survived lightning, loggers Axe, Forest Fire (1908), and Floods of 1964.
Once we reached onto the Avenue of the Giants North Entrance, we drove back to our first campground of the trip – Hidden Springs Campground. You can read all about our night stay at this campground in our blog on Camping in California: Our Top 5 Picks.
Embracing the Giant Tree
Day 2
Tall Trees Trail
We got up with the crack of the dawn and headed towards the Thomas H Kuchel Visitor Center in Orick, CA. Our first adventurous hike for the day was Tall Trees Trail – World’s tallest Trees. This is a free permit trail with only 50 permits given out each day, on a first-come-first-served basis.
The parking lot for the trailhead from the visitor center is ~16 miles. From US 101, get onto the scenic Bald Hills Road for 7 miles before getting to the Tall Trees gate. Access Permit has a gate code combination. Instructions on how to operate the lock at the gate along with directions to the trailhead are on the Permit.
Tall Trees trail ends along a creek surrounded by redwoods
Spotted this black-tailed deer on Tall tree trail
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
After the awesome Tall Trees trail, we got onto the Bald Hills Road towards US 101 for exploring the next area – Lady Bird Johnson Grove. This Nature Trail is highly recommended as there is a lot of educational information for redwood enthusiasts along the trail. It is a 1-mile loop trail that takes you through the old-growth ancient forests, truly a Timeless Place!
Keep an eye out on the canopy of the forest bed below these groves, which are nicely tucked away. Along with Redwoods, you can also see Douglas-fir, western hemlock sharing the skyline. This site is devoted to Lady Bird’s dedication championing the cause to safeguard the redwoods.
Frozen in time - beautiful Trillium Falls
The last stop before heading towards our campground for the night was – Trillium Falls. This is a moderate hike off of US 101 N. It is heavily trafficked and a 2.6-mile loop trail. From US 101 N, get onto the scenic Davison Road and park in the Elk Meadow Picnic Area.
Once at the picnic area, continue to follow the sign for Trillium Falls. Within ~0.75 miles you will see the small (10 foot) yet beautiful Trillium Falls. Take some time to explore the area around the Falls before continuing on the trail. The rest of the trail takes you through Tall Redwood Groves.
With sunset in 1.5 hours, we got onto our van and headed to our campground – Elk Prairie Campground. This campground is located in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We felt this is truly the heart of the Redwood National Park. Prairie Creek region has some amazing hiking trails for all age groups and all skill levels.
As soon as we pulled into the parking area of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, we were welcomed by Roosevelt elks who were out on an evening stroll. We parked our vehicles and gazed at these marvelous animals from a distance.
Elk Prairie Campground is available all year and can be reserved through parks.ca.gov. It has water, restrooms and also coin-operated showers available. Our site #55 was right near the Prairie Creek. We had a good night’s sleep, in the van listening to the lullaby sung by the gentle flow of the Prairie Creek.
Day 3
James Irvine/Fern Canyon/Miner's Ridge Loop Trail
One of the highly recommended trails in Redwood National Park is the James Irvine/Fern Canyon/Miner’s Ridge Loop trail. This is an 11.2-mile hike trail. We would recommend anyone planning to visit Redwood National park to definitely consider hiking this loop if you can.
The trail starts from the parking area of the visitor center. It takes you through Groves of Coastal Redwoods, finally leading to the Gold Bluffs Beach. You can dip your feet in the water and then walk along the sand towards the Fern Canyon. Then you hike back up through the Groves again eventually making you gain an elevation of 1482 ft.
Ancient giants and the tallest living beings on the Earth - Redwoods
As you start on the trail, you will cross a couple of wooden bridges over the Prairie Creek leading the vast Groves of the Giant Trees. There are trail markings at all the junctions and the trail is also heavily trafficked. The trail is categorized as moderate mainly due to the shade provided by the Tall Trees.
Approx ~ 1 mile into the hike, you will come across the junction. The trail splits into Miner’s Ridge Trail and James Irvine Trail. We had planned to hike down the Miner’s Ridge Trail and then hike up the James Irvine Trail to complete our loop. The reason for doing this was only to avoid crowds and the strategy worked!
There were few climbs but for the most part, we were hiking down through the hills of these archaic Groves. We took our sweet time as we captured the magnificent coastal redwoods through our lenses. Also, banana slug one of the natives of Redwood Forest can be seen in plenty on the trail.
As the roots of the redwoods don’t grow too deep, please be cautious as you are hiking. Since the trail would be uneven due to these shallow roots of the trees spreading around to gather their nutrients. The last 0.5 miles you will walk through a small canopy of narrow fern-like growths, finally leading to a more open-spaced area. You can also hear the crashing of the waves once you reach the paved Davison Road.
Continue walking towards the Gold Bluffs beach by walking through the Beach Campground. If you need a restroom break, there is a restroom at the Beach campground area. Walkthrough the sandy California Coastal Trail towards the Fern Canyon.
Gold Bluffs Beach
We recommend taking some time to soak in the views of the Redwoods you can see from the beach. Usually, the Coastal beaches in Northern California are foggy and cloudy in May. But the views of the beach with the backdrop of the Redwoods was something you can’t ever see anywhere in the world!
Walking on the sandy beach was a fun experience. After around 1 mile, you will come across the Parking area for the Fern Canyon Trail. There were quite a few picnic benches near this area. This was a great spot to enjoy our lunch and reload before the headway.
Ferns and Mosses growing on the 50-foot high walls - such a lush and picturesque view!
Fern Canyon is unlike anything that we have ever seen before. Your trip to Redwood will be incomplete if you don’t visit it. This trail can also be accessed via the scenic Davison Road if you can’t hike the James Irvine/Miner’s Ridge Loop Trail. It is a 1.1-mile loop trail. You can see a fascinating display of 50-foot canyons covered with ferns all the way. As you enter the mouth of the Canyon, you can see the ground to be wet and puddles of water in the ground. This area of Park is heavily trafficked and has been used to film a lot of scenes of Jurrasic World. How much ever time you spend in this area would be less. As you go towards the middle of the canyon, you can see a waterfall through the fern-covered canyon walls.
Surrealistic and amazing display of ferns on the canyon wall
From there we got onto the James Irvine Trail to get back onto the loop that we started. With a few climbs and switchbacks, we were again surrounded by the groves of the redwoods. The views all along were more Tolkienesque impressive all along.
It took us 6.5 hours to hike the trail with a lunch break and photo-op shenanigans but the scenery we witnessed is etched in our memory forever. We can do this trail in a heartbeat again whenever we get a chance (though next time would definitely consider camping at the beach).
James Irvine and Miners’ Ridge loop is one of the world’s best hikes to experience the old redwood growth
Newton B Dury scenic Pkwy is one of the famous scenic drives in the heart of the Redwood National Park.
We stopped at the Big Tree which is 1500 years old and Corkscrew Tree. You can also stop at any other groves along the way that fancy your eyes!
Such a humbling experience when you walk back in time!
Mill Creek Campground is located in the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park which was 30 miles from Prairie Creek Campground. We had campsite # 68 reserved for the next two nights. The campground is pretty big with most of the amenities like water, restrooms, showers.
Day 4
The next popular area of the Redwood National Park after Prairie Creek is Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. For Day 4, we had planned to explore this state park.
This is the northernmost area of the Redwood National Park near Crescent City, CA. The first stop was the Hiouchi Information center which is the visitor center for the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
Float alongside the giant Redwood trees on crystal-clear Smith River
Boy Scout Trail/Scout Memorial Trail/Howland Hill Drive
Scout Memorial Grove and Boy Scout Trail are both located on the scenic Howland High Road. Howland Hill Road is unpaved and has some narrower sections, but the entire drive is spectacular.
Stout Memorial Grove Trail is right at the beginning of the scenic Howland Hill Road. This trail is heavily trafficked. It is a 0.7-mile loop trail. Along with the towering Redwoods, you can also access the Smith River. Redwood Groves is really picturesque with ferns on the floor. The river access is the cherry on the top of the cake one could ask for.
From Stout Memorial Grove Trail, we continued driving on the Howland Hill Road towards our next hike for the day – Boy Scout Trail. A caution here would be that the Howland Hill Road becomes narrow at certain sections, so be aware as you are driving.
Beautiful Fern Falls at end of Boy Scout Trail
Boy Scout Trail/ Fern Falls is moderate and 6.3 miles out & back trail. There are certain sections of the trail that were muddy and slippery, so be careful. A hiker ahead of us had a hard fall. The trail ends at a beautiful Fern falls which has a picture-perfect setting of falls behind a giant fallen log.
Fern Falls are 20’ tall which are covered with ferns and mosses all around. Right before the Fern Falls, you will come across a spur on the right side of the trail. This is the home where the historical Boy Scout Tree lies. A memorable photo of an entire troop of boy scouts was standing was captured in front of this tree.
All along the trail, you can see Redwood Burls at the base of a lot of Giant Redwoods and also a couple of wooden footbridges.
It was almost time for lunch after the hike and we started to drive to experience the coastal areas of the Redwood National Park.
Iconic Battery Point Light House, Crescent City, CA
Continuing cautiously west on Howland Hill Road for ~ 10 miles our next stop for relishing our lunch was the Crescent Beach Overlook. This is a great overlook spot to enjoy the endless oceanic views atop a hill.
At the overlook, there is a parking spot, so that you can hike down to Enderts beach which can only be accessed on foot.
We spent a couple of hours at the overlook and Crescent Beach Area. Then headed to the Battery Point Lighthouse located in the Crescent City. This is a great spot, with a pier to walk on. The tours for the lighthouse were done for the day. So we just explored the area of the lighthouse before heading back to our campsite.
Day 5
We wanted to drive around and explore the coastal area of the Park more. But before that, we decided to stop at Trees Of Mystery in Klamath, CA area based on some good Tripadvisor reviews.
This park has an admission fee for a small trail and for a gondola ride through the Redwood forests. They have given names to the redwood trees like “Elephant Tree”, “The Towering Inferno” etc. After spending an hour here we drove to the Klamath River overlook. The overlook is at the end of Requia Road off of US 101. Stretched our legs and soaked in the views and headed towards the next small scenic loop road near Klamath, CA.
From Klamath River Overlook, drive ~4 miles on US 101 and then right onto Klamath Beach Road. Klamath Beach Road and Alder Camp Road are both paved, but a small section joining them is unpaved. 4WD is recommended to do the loop. High Bluff Overlook and the World War II Radar Station are the main attraction of this drive.
False Klamath Cove - Dark gray sandy beach scattered with driftwood
After the scenic drive, we headed towards US-101 S again and took a stop to do a small 0.2 Ah-Pah Trail. This trail is interpretative and takes you through a small Redwood grove.
For our last night after camping through the different groves, we wanted to do camp out near one of the Coastal Campgrounds in this region. The campground Agate Beach Campground is located in Patrick’s Point State Park.
One of the best campgrounds we have been to with tons of viewpoints and some good trails. Check our blog about the campground and things to do at this state Park here.
As John Muir said, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks”. These lanky and towering trees will captivate you and stir inspirational emotions in your heart!
There is so much to see and do in Redwood National Park Area that we feel how much ever time you spend here will be less. During our 5 day adventure, we hiked roughly ~35 miles of trail.
If you are a backpacker, hiker, photographer, or someone who likes to spend time outdoors with their family, Redwood National Park should be at the top in your bucket list of places to visit next
Plan your visit
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Spring and Fall are the best time to visit the Redwood National Park. Crowds are smaller and reduced chances of fog and rain.
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Closest large commercial international airports are Portland International (PDX) ~ 340 miles north of the Park and San Francisco (SFO) ~ 330 miles south to the Park.
Redwood National Park area is situated along the US-101 highway. It comprises multiple state parks due to which there is no formal entrance to the Park.
Due to this disjointed nature of the Park, check the driving directions to the Prairie Creek Visitor Center which we feel is located in the heart of the National Park’s area.
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Inside the Park, there are no restaurants or food vendors, but there are lots of options in the nearby cities.
Camping either in the developed campgrounds or the backcountry campsites is the only option to stay inside the Park. Other Lodging facilities are available in the adjoining cities.
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If you have
1 Day: We would recommend spending it in the Prairie Creek Area of the Park. Hike the Lady Bird Johnson trail, take a stroll in the Groves on scenic Newton B Dury Road. Drive the Davison Road for accessing the coastal waters and Fern Canyon loop.
2 Day: In addition to enjoying the Prairie Creek area on day 1:
Hikers can experience the James Irvine/Fern Canyon/Miner’s Ridge Loop Trail OR
One can explore the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Hike Boy Scout Tree and drive the Howland Hill Road towards Crescent City.
3 Day: On top of the two-day itinerary:
Add Tall Trees Hike.
Cruise along the Avenue of the Giants scenic drive in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
4 Day: Explore the coastal redwood area
Crescent Beach & Battery Point Lighthouse
Enderts beach
Klamath River Overlook
Time permitted, visit Patrick's Point State Park just outside the park boundaries in the south.
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The weather inside the Redwood Forests during your hikes always range from 40F to 60F, no matter when you visit. Carrying a light jacket is recommended.
Trail Terrain can be uneven, carrying poles is helpful. We recently got these hiking poles and love them.
If you plan to hike the Tall Trees Trail, plan to go to the Thomas H.Kuchel Visitor Center early enough to secure a permit.
Please check current conditions on the Park website, before you start your trip.
Please follow leave no trace policy.
We feel that each and every moment we spent in the Park was truly some of the sparkling moments of our life. Writing this blog, made us relive those again and we hope it inspired you to hop onto your next adventure!
Researching for navigating through different areas of the Park can be a lot at first, but we hope this blog will help you to carve out your adventure much better!
Feel free to share your comments and experiences of the Redwood National Park below.
