Redwood Forest National Park

About

Redwood National and State Parks cover roughly 133,000 acres of northern California coastline and interior forest, protecting some of the oldest living things on Earth. Coast redwoods are the tallest trees on the planet, with the best-preserved specimens topping 370 feet and living for more than 2,000 years. The four parks that make up the RNSP system now protect close to half of all old-growth coast redwood left after a century of heavy logging.

The landscape here is more varied than the name suggests. Beyond the giant trees, the park includes expansive coastal prairies, oak woodlands, salmon rivers, and nearly 40 miles of Pacific shoreline. Roosevelt elk are commonly seen grazing in the meadows at Prairie Creek, and the Redwood Creek and Smith River corridors are some of the last strongholds for coho salmon and steelhead in California.

The Avenue of the Giants, Lady Bird Johnson Grove, and the Tall Trees Grove are the most popular areas, while Fern Canyon, made famous by multiple films, draws hikers deep into a moss-covered slot on the coast. Fog moves through the canopy almost daily, which is part of how the trees stay hydrated through California’s dry summers.

A Redwoods road trip fits naturally into a Pacific Coast tour, pairs well with Crater Lake to the north, and works especially well as a quieter retreat stop when the southern coast gets too busy.