Top 9 things to do in Redwood National Park

Redwood National and State Parks are four parks run together, one national and three state, along about 40 miles (65 km) of the far northern California coast. Between them they protect nearly half of the old-growth coast redwood forest left on Earth, including the tallest trees ever measured, as well as wild beaches, river mouths and prairies where herds of Roosevelt elk graze. The groves are often wrapped in fog, which is what keeps them alive through the dry summer. These are the nine outings we would put first. The order starts with what the parks are known for, then goes by what an outing gives back for the time and effort it takes. Distances are approximate; times are our estimates and do not include stops.

On the beaches, sneaker waves rise far up the sand without warning and can roll the big drift logs: never turn your back on the ocean, and stay off the logs. Give elk plenty of room, above all in the fall rut and the spring calving season. Poison oak grows along many trails and ticks are common in grass. The tallest known tree, Hyperion, stands in a closed area off any trail, and the park fines people who go looking for it: the visits were trampling the roots around it.

1. Walk among the giants in Tall Trees Grove

Down on the flats of Redwood Creek, the tallest grove that visitors can reach has many trees over 350 feet (106 m) tall. It was the discovery of one of them in 1963, then the tallest known tree in the world, that led to the creation of the national park. The trail drops through the forest to a loop along the creek among the giants. Access is limited to protect the grove: a free permit, issued for a set number of cars each day, gives you the combination for the gate on the access road. Plan ahead, especially in summer.

Distance: about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) round trip with the loop
Climb: about 800 feet (240 m), all of it on the way back
Allow: 3 to 4 hours, plus the drive in on a gravel road
Start: Tall Trees trailhead, at the end of the gated Tall Trees Access Road off Bald Hills Road
When: all year, with a permit
Suits: steady walkers

2. Walk the Lady Bird Johnson Grove loop

This is the easiest way into a true old-growth redwood forest, and one of the most beautiful. The loop wanders along a ridge top among huge redwoods, with Douglas firs, rhododendrons and a deep layer of sword ferns below them. It is often misty, which suits the place. Richard Nixon dedicated the grove to the former first lady in 1969, with Lady Bird Johnson there, in honour of her work for the national park.

Distance: about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) loop
Allow: 1 hour
Start: Lady Bird Johnson Grove trailhead, about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) up Bald Hills Road from US 101 near Orick. The road is steep and not suited to trailers.
When: all year; late May and June for the rhododendrons
Suits: everyone

3. Walk up Fern Canyon

Home Creek has cut a narrow canyon through soft gravels just behind Gold Bluffs Beach, and its walls, 50 feet (15 m) high, are hung top to bottom with five-finger ferns and other ferns, dripping with water. The trail is the creek bed itself, crossing back and forth on small plank bridges, and you will get your feet wet. Steven Spielberg filmed part of The Lost World: Jurassic Park here. The gravel road in fords creeks and is not suited to trailers. From mid-May to mid-September, cars need a reservation; walkers coming in on the James Irvine Trail from the Prairie Creek Visitor Center do not.

Distance: about 1 mile (1.6 km) loop from the Fern Canyon parking area; about 9 miles (14.5 km) round trip on the James Irvine Trail
Allow: 1 hour from the parking area; a full day on foot from Prairie Creek
Start: Fern Canyon parking area, at the end of Davison Road past Gold Bluffs Beach, or the Prairie Creek Visitor Center
When: all year; the plank bridges are in place in summer only, and the road can close after heavy rain
Suits: everyone who does not mind wet feet

4. Drive Howland Hill Road and walk Stout Grove

In Jedediah Smith Redwoods, at the north end of the parks, a narrow gravel road winds for miles through old-growth forest so close that the trunks stand at the edge of the road. It ends near Stout Grove, on a river flat beside the clear green Smith River, where the redwoods grow huge and evenly spaced with little underbrush between them, giving the grove the feel of a great hall. In summer a seasonal footbridge crosses the river to it from the state park campground.

Distance: about 10 miles (16 km) of road, much of it gravel; 0.6 miles (1 km) for the Stout Grove loop
Allow: half a day
Start: Howland Hill Road, from the south side of Crescent City
When: all year; the road can close in winter storms and is not suited to RVs or trailers
Suits: everyone

5. Drive the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway and see the Big Tree

This paved road leaves US 101 and takes the old route through the heart of Prairie Creek Redwoods, through miles of unbroken old-growth forest, with the giants close on both sides. Stop at the Big Tree, a short walk from the road: 286 feet (87 m) tall, 24 feet (7.3 m) across and about 1,500 years old. Its parking area is also the start of a web of trails through the forest, such as the Cathedral Trees Trail, for those who want to walk further.

Distance: 10 miles (16 km) of parkway; a few hundred yards (metres) to the Big Tree
Allow: 1 hour, longer with a walk
Start: either end of the parkway, off US 101 north of Orick
When: all year
Suits: everyone

6. Watch the elk at Elk Prairie

Roosevelt elk are the largest elk in North America, and they were nearly gone from this coast a century ago. The herd that grazes the meadow beside the Prairie Creek Visitor Center is now one of the easiest to see anywhere, often lying in the grass within sight of the parking area, along with the herds on Gold Bluffs Beach. In September and October, the bulls bugle and fight for the cows. Stay in or by your car, at least 25 yards (23 m) away, and further during the rut.

Allow: 30 minutes
Start: Elk Prairie, on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway beside the Prairie Creek Visitor Center
When: all year; early morning and evening; the rut in September and October
Suits: everyone

7. Hike the Boy Scout Tree Trail to Fern Falls

For a longer walk among the giants, this trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods leads up and down through old-growth forest of redwoods and huge Douglas firs, with almost nobody else on it once you are past the first mile. The Boy Scout Tree, a pair of redwoods fused at the base, is down a short side path near the end, and the trail finishes at Fern Falls, a small fall on a mossy rock face. It is one of the quietest of the classic redwood walks.

Distance: about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) round trip
Climb: a few hundred feet (about 100 m) of gentle ups and downs
Allow: 3 hours
Start: Boy Scout Tree trailhead, on Howland Hill Road. The roadside parking is small.
When: all year; muddy after rain
Suits: steady walkers

8. Walk the Trillium Falls loop

This loop near Orick is the best short walk into old-growth forest that needs no permit and no long drive. It climbs gently from a former mill site, passes a small waterfall on a mossy rock face after half a mile (800 m), then circles through big redwoods and back. In spring, the white trilliums the trail is named for flower beside the path. Elk often graze in the meadow at the trailhead.

Distance: about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) loop
Allow: 1.5 hours
Start: Elk Meadow Day Use Area, on Davison Road just off US 101 north of Orick
When: all year; March to May for trilliums
Suits: most walkers

9. Look for whales from the Klamath River Overlook

High on a bluff on the north side of the Klamath River mouth, this overlook looks along the coast and down on the river meeting the sea. Sea lions and harbor seals gather at the river mouth to hunt salmon, and it is one of the best places on the coast to see gray whales, which pass close to shore on their migrations south in late fall and north in spring. A steep trail drops from the parking area to a lower viewpoint.

Allow: 45 minutes
Start: Klamath River Overlook, at the end of Requa Road, off US 101 north of the Klamath River. The road is steep and narrow.
When: November to December and March to April for whales; fog can hide the view at any time
Suits: everyone for the upper overlook

Before you go

This list covers what stays the same from year to year. Permits, road and trail closures and the summer reservation dates are posted by the National Park Service on its own site. The link is on our Redwood National Park guide, with the map and how to get there.