Four parks merged into one giant free forest? California’s redwood coast rewards the slow driver

It’s bigger than you think it is

Four parks run together along Northern California’s coast, covering nearly 139,000 acres across Del Norte and Humboldt counties. That’s Redwood National Park plus three California state parks, all managed as one.

Together they protect 45 percent of all the old-growth coast redwood forest left on the planet. You don’t pay to get in, and you don’t need a plan.

But once you start driving under those trees, you’ll want to stay longer than you budgeted for.

The trees that logging almost finished off

Coast redwoods once spread across roughly two million acres along the California coast. Then the gold rush hit in the 1850s, and logging followed hard.

By the time people started paying attention, about 96 percent of the original old-growth forest was gone. The Save the Redwoods League pushed to create three state parks in the 1920s to protect what survived.

Congress created Redwood National Park in 1968 and expanded it a decade later.

The parks now hold both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve designation.

Stand next to a redwood that’s been here for centuries

Some of these trees top 300 feet. That’s taller than the Statue of Liberty with the pedestal, and they don’t look real up close.

The bark is thick and fibrous, rust-colored, and when you press your hand against it the texture feels almost soft. Look straight up and the canopy closes in around you.

You lose the sky.

The parks carry two international heritage designations, first from UNESCO in 1980 and then as a Biosphere Reserve in 1983, both recognizing what this forest represents on a global scale.

Walk the elevated boardwalk through the Grove of Titans

Deep inside Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park sits the Grove of Titans, home to some of the largest coast redwoods anywhere.

For years, people bushwhacked in and unknowingly trampled the root systems that keep these trees alive. In 2022, a 1,300-foot elevated boardwalk opened so you can walk through the grove without touching the ground.

The $3.5 million project involved California State Parks, the Save the Redwoods League, and the National Park Service.

The 1.5-mile loop starts off Howland Hill Road, and the signs along the trail were developed with the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.

Squeeze between 50-foot walls of ferns at Fern Canyon

Fern Canyon is one of those places you have to see to understand.

The walls rise about 50 feet on both sides, and every inch of them is covered in sword ferns, deer ferns, and five-finger ferns stacked floor to ceiling.

Home Creek runs right down the middle of the canyon floor, so your feet will get wet. The loop is only about 0.7 miles and takes roughly an hour at an easy pace.

Most of the outside noise disappears in there. The green walls absorb it.

Short forest walks for every ability level

Not every trail here requires a full day or a fit set of knees.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove is a 1.4-mile loop through ridge-top old-growth forest, dedicated to the former First Lady who championed conservation.

Stout Memorial Grove in Jedediah Smith runs just 0.5 miles through a cathedral stand of massive redwoods along the Smith River.

Big Tree Wayside off Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway puts you next to enormous old-growth trunks in about five minutes. Trillium Falls Trail adds a small waterfall to a 2.5-mile loop through old growth.

Two scenic drives go straight through the forest

Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway runs 10 paved miles through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, with pullouts and short trailheads along the way. RVs and motorhomes handle it fine.

Howland Hill Road is different. That’s 10 mostly unpaved miles through old-growth groves in Jedediah Smith, narrow enough that large vehicles have no business on it. No RVs, no trailers.

Both roads put the trees right over your head. You’re not looking at the forest through a windshield.

You’re driving inside it.

Roosevelt elk graze right off the road

The Roosevelt elk here are the largest subspecies in North America, and adult bulls can weigh over 1,000 pounds. You’ll most likely spot herds at Elk Prairie, Elk Meadow, or on the grass behind Gold Bluffs Beach.

Dawn and dusk are your best windows. During the fall rut, bulls get aggressive, and the 25-yard rule is not a suggestion.

These are wild animals moving through open meadows, and sometimes a whole herd crosses the road and everything just stops while they pass.

Gray whales swim past twice a year

Drive Requa Road near the town of Klamath to reach the Klamath River Overlook, one of the best whale-watching spots in the parks.

Gray whales make two runs past this coast: southbound around December and northbound in May.

Some whales feed along the northern California coast outside those windows, but sightings from the overlook are never guaranteed.

High Bluff Overlook on the Coastal Drive Loop and Crescent Beach Overlook near Crescent City also face the water. Harbor seals, California sea lions, and brown pelicans work these same waters year-round.

About 40 miles of coast with tide pools and driftwood beaches

The parks run along roughly 40 miles of Pacific coastline.

Gold Bluffs Beach stretches out behind eroded golden bluffs, accessed by Davison Road off Highway 101.

Enderts Beach, about 15 minutes south of Crescent City, exposes tide pools at low tide loaded with sea stars, anemones, and urchins.

Hidden Beach sits in a quiet cove off a short trail from the Klamath section of the Coastal Trail.

That trail runs about 70 miles total through the parks, connecting beaches, overlooks, and redwood groves in chunks you can hike as day trips.

The Smith River runs emerald green and swimmable

The Smith River flows through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and carries the distinction of being the longest major free-flowing river in California, no dams.

The water runs clear and reads as emerald green from the banks near Stout Grove. You can swim in it, kayak it, or fish it.

Salmon and steelhead move through in fall and winter. On warm days, the pebbly river beaches near the Stout Grove spur trail fill up with picnickers.

A seasonal footbridge sometimes connects Jedediah Smith Campground directly to the grove.

Longer trails take you further from the crowds

If you want solitude, the longer routes deliver it.

Tall Trees Grove holds some of the tallest trees in the park system and requires a free daily permit to access the trailhead. Get it online before you go.

Boy Scout Tree Trail in Jedediah Smith runs about 5.5 miles round trip through dense old growth and ends at Fern Falls.

Note that Damnation Creek Trailhead and its parking lot are currently closed until further notice, and the trail itself dead-ends near the coast because a bridge has been removed. Carry water, wear sturdy shoes, and build in extra time.

Plan your visit to Redwood National and State Parks

The parks run along the Northern California coast in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, about 325 miles north of San Francisco.

Redwood National Park charges no entrance fee, though some developed state park areas collect a day-use fee. Campgrounds run $35 per night and book through the ReserveCalifornia website.

Fern Canyon requires a reservation from May 15 through Sept. 15. The Tall Trees Trailhead requires a free online reservation year-round.

Cell service is spotty throughout, so download an offline map or pick up a paper one at a visitor center. Coastal temps stay between about 40 and 60 degrees all year.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• San Francisco’s 80,000-acre free park beat every national park in the country last year
• Sand dunes, lava fields and Joshua trees: this California preserve has three deserts in one drive
• This Northern California park has four types of volcanoes and the ground literally boils