Picture of a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

Redwoods National and State Parks

Redwoods National and State Parks is a series of parks along 65 miles of California coastline created to preserve forests of thousand year old coast redwoods, the tallest trees in the world.

California

2011

Redwoods was an afterthought on a trip to see the national parks in the Pacific Northwest. I have to say I loved the park.

On a trip to see five national parks in the Pacific Northwest I was least interested in Redwoods. I had a certain amount of time and it didn’t fit in my itinerary. On the way from Lassen Volcanic National Park to San Francisco for a flight home I pulled into a gas station and called my boss and asked if I could take a few more days so I could visit Redwoods National Park.

I didn’t expect much of Redwoods but since I was not too far away I thought I might as well see it now instead of making a separate trip out of San Francisco on some future trip. Redwoods turned out to be a great park and much more than I expected.

Redwoods National and State Parks is the result of a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and the State of California to protect the coast redwoods which are the tallest and some of the most massive trees on Earth. The tallest tree in the park is Hyperion at 379.1 feet (115.5 m). The ‘tallest tree’ designation has changed over the years as other taller trees are discovered and also trees fall down, get hit by lightening or just seem to lose their tops. Coast redwoods can live to 2000 years with the average of 500-700 years in park. Only the giant sequoias are more massive. Redwoods are taller and slimmer.

Along with Redwoods National Park are California's Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks. To the visitors it is functionally one continuous park running for 65 miles along California’s northern coast.

About 60 miles south of Redwoods, along Highway 101, is Humboldt Redwoods State Park. If this were a bit further north I’m sure it would’ve been included in the Redwoods National and State Parks. Geography did not favor that. In any case I included it here because I highly recommend seeing it as an adjunct to a Redwoods National Park visit. Over 100 of the 137 known trees over 350 feet (110 m) tall—all coast redwoods—can be found in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is home to the 4th-tallest living redwood, the Stratosphere Giant, which was measured at 370.5 feet (112.94 m). Stratosphere Giant was the tallest known living redwood until the discovery of three taller trees in Redwood National Park. The Avenue of the Giants is a 32-mile auto tour with stops at the park’s highlights.

The ‘drive through tree’ pictured at the top is a practice that would be frowned upon today. It definitely is not good for the tree as it just hastens the day when that majestic giant falls over. There are several of these drive throughs. This one is on private land that charged a $5 entry fee (whether you drive through or not - I didn’t for fear of my SUV getting wedged in). There’s another famous one in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove.

Wildlife

In Redwoods, over 40 species of mammals have been documented, including the black bear, coyote, cougar, bobcat, beaver, river otter, black-tailed deer, and elk. Along the coastline, California sea lions, Steller sea lions and harbor seals live near the shore. Whales and dolphins are also occasionally seen.

Lodging

There isn’t a (national parks) lodge in the park per se and limited lodging options within the environs of the park. A web search may turn up some cabins. On my trip I found a motel in Arcata a few miles from the south end of the park. There’s lodging in Crescent City, at the north end of the park, and is another viable option.

Hiking

What I loved most about these parks, with their massive trees and giant ferns, was the feeling of being in Jurassic Park. And high on my list of such places is Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Fern Canyon’s prehistoric ambience was used in the Lost World: Jurassic Park movie and in the BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs (episode 2, at 10m 25s). Fern Canyon is reached by driving about 7 miles down unpaved Davison Road. The road surface is hard and it’s an easy, scenic drive that any 2-wheel drive car can make. Even if you don’t do the relatively easy 1.1 mile loop hike on which you may have to deal with some shallow stream crossings (some with seasonal foot bridges) and downed trees blocking the way, it’s worth it just to walk in a couple of hundred feet and see the 30-50 foot-high walls totally covered with ferns. It is a prehistoric scene and some of the ferns are ancient species whose ancestry can be traced back 325 million years which pre-dates the dinosaurs. The park service warns to watch out for elk herds in this area so that’s another reason to visit Fern Canyon.

As of October 27, 2018 the Loop trail in Fern Canyon was closed due to log jams but you could still walk ¼ mile into it. Apparently the narrowness of the canyon gives rise to significant flooding and the result is evident in the pictures in the photo gallery accompanying this page.

As with visiting any National Park you should always check with the NPS website for current conditions and alerts.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail

Another easy hike in the southern part of Redwoods National Park is the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail - a 1-mile easy loop which winds through stands of old-growth redwood, Douglas-fir, and tan oak. A brochure at the trail head corresponds to marked posts along the trail.

Tall Trees Trail

A bit further south, still in Redwoods National Park, is the Tall Trees Trail which leads to the Tall Trees Grove. It once held the tallest tree in the park but at some point it lost a good deal of its top and no longer holds the record. Getting to the grove requires driving down a narrow, winding, unpaved road and requires a permit available at the visitor center. The hike is a 4-mile round-trip but, with the drive to the trailhead, can take 3 to 4 hours.

Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway

There’s a 10 mile spur road, the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, which splits off from Highway 101 and back to it again. It’s a one-way paved road that only goes from north to south. It passes through the heart of the old-growth redwood forest in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. There’s plenty of trail heads, mostly fairly flat easy hiking, and even a resident herd of Roosevelt elk.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

In the northernmost part of the park, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, is Howland Hills road which leads to the Stout Memorial Grove. This one-way road is mostly unpaved, but an easy drive, and travels from west to east. It’s a beautiful road traveling through towering old-growth redwoods. You can reach the Stout Grove from the east via a short paved road but I would recommend the west to east drive. If you’re coming from Highway 101 you don’t really have much choice since it’s a good deal longer to loop around to get to the Stout Grove from the east (and you would have to retrace your steps if you want to get back to highway 101). The hike is only a ½ mile loop hike but a beautiful one because floodwaters have inhibited the growth of other trees and plants so the ground is covered with ferns and the trees nicely spaced apart. Consequently the views are not distracted by the amount of lower lying growth seen in other groves.

Redwoods National and State Parks Photo Gallery

Other Resources

Redwoods National and State Parks on the National Parks Service website - NPS.gov

Redwoods National and State Parks - Wikipedia

Picture of giant redwood tree in Redwoods National Park

Picture of drive through tree in Redwoods National Park

Other National Parks Within a Day’s Drive

Crater Lake National Park the deep blue waters of this natural wonder is about 235 miles to the north and about a 4.5 hour drive.

Lasen Volcanic National Park with its volcanoes and thermal features is 245 miles to the southeast and about a 4.5 hour drive.

Pinnacles National Park where ancient volcanic spires can be found is 500 miles to north and about a 8 hour drive.

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument where the famous 1980 eruption took place is 430 miles and about a 7 hour drive to the north.
*N*P*Z*

Home

National Parks Zone