Grey boxes will take you to regional maps; park names to park pages
As a result of wildfires in 2020 and 2021, all redwood and sequoia parks south of San Francisco, except Portola Redwoods, are completely or partially closed due to wildfire damage. All redwood parks north of San Francisco are open as normal.
Fire-damaged areas that have reopened include Armstrong Redwoods and the Big Ben hike in Henry Cowell Redwoods.
This site is a guide to hiking California’s old-growth redwoods and giant sequoias. It contains descriptions, photos, and maps of almost every trail that has a significant amount of old-growth redwoods and is open to the public. Many nearby trails without old growth are also covered.
This is the main page for the coast redwoods. There’s another page for the giant sequoias of the Sierra Nevada.
In general, the further north you go, the better the redwoods. To really experience the redwoods I’d suggest visiting at least three parks:
Currently, the tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion Tree in Redwood National Park. The tree is not accessible by trail and its location is kept secret to prevent visitors from trampling the soil around the tree. The tree is on a hillside, not in the Tall Trees Grove.
California’s redwood forests are famous for being home to the tallest living things on the planet, but there’s much more to these extraordinary woodlands than the size of the trees. At their best, redwood forests are suffused with a sense of openness and serenity. Sun-dappled, elegantly fluted tree trunks shoot straight as an arrow into the sky, while below are burbling streams, spectacular fallen trunks, and a lush accumulation of ferns, sorrel, moss, and lichen. Many redwood trails are also a pleasure to walk because they’re so well constructed: wide, smooth, and easy to walk, with a springy mud-resistant carpeting of needles, and bridges to span even minor obstacles. The forest is cool in the summer but rarely below freezing in the winter, and (except for Muir Woods) the parks are almost never crowded.
Foothill Trail, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
California has six major redwood parks, each with its own character. Prairie Creek, for example, is an aggressively lush and green coastal forest, while Jedidiah Smith is filled with light and is the most photogenic. Del Norte has a unique location on a prominent coastal bluff, while Redwoods National Park occupies a large and heavily-logged inland valley. Humboldt Redwoods is best known for its dark, dense, and flat lowlands, and Big Basin has the mixed-species woodlands typical of southern redwood forests. Of these six parks, Jedediah Smith and Prairie Creek clearly have the best-preserved ecosystems and most scenic hikes.
At least 15 other parks have small old-growth groves and should not be overlooked. Many of these parks are just as enjoyable as the big parks and, in addition to outstanding redwoods, offer a wide variety of other scenery, from the dramatic coastal bluffs of Big Sur to the rolling farmlands of the Anderson Valley.
Total area of and amount of old growth in some of California’s redwood parks
Within each park, the largest trees are normally found in the flat bottoms of creek valleys, where the soil moisture is the highest. These alluvial flats host the spectacular, cathedral-like groves that redwoods are famous for. Most redwood parks are centered around an alluvial flat that originally inspired the creation of the park. These alluvial flats, which usually aren’t very big to begin with, are often the site of highways and parking lots, making it difficult to appreciate their unique and serene character. The most striking example of this type of forest is the Bull Creek area in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Pfeiffer Falls Trail, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Uplands tend to have fewer big redwoods and more trees of other species. The difference is more pronounced in drier and hotter parks like Big Basin and Humboldt Redwoods. On the other hand, in Prairie Creek, Del Norte, and Jedidiah Smith parks, large redwoods can cover the hills right up to the ridgelines. Uplands can make great hiking because the hills make the trail more interesting. A great example of redwood uplands is the Miners’ Ridge Trail in Prairie Creek State Park.
Redwood forests generally get more scenic as you go north. The northernmost parks tend to have the biggest trees and the lushest, healthiest appearance. The southern parks tend to be drier, have less greenery and more dead tanoak leaves on the ground, and often have a a dense layer of shrubs that obstructs views of the redwoods. On the other hand, the southern parks have better weather and there’s more to do after the hike.
The tallest redwoods are found in Redwood National Park, Humboldt Redwoods, and Montgomery Woods. However, the lists of tallest trees that can be found online are no longer maintained and are out of date, since the large numbers of people going off-trail to see and climb the trees was causing significant damage.
Click on the links below to view the regional, park, and hike pages. Parks are listed from north to south. Each park and trail has been rated from one star (pretty good) to five stars (world class) based on how enjoyable it is overall, with an emphasis on redwoods.
Key to table colors |
Old growth redwood hikes |
Other hikes |
Overall Rating | Distance, miles | Climbing, feet | Trail name | |
Oregon | ||||
★★ | Siskiyou National Forest | |||
★★★ | 1.1 | 290 | Redwood Nature Trail | |
★ | 1.7 | 280 | Oregon Redwoods Trail | |
Redwood National and State Parks | ||||
★★★★★ | Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park | |||
★★★★★ | 5.3 | 750 | Boy Scout Tree Trail | |
★★★★★ | 1.7 | 200 | Grove of Titans | |
★★★★★ | 0.6 | 40 | Stout Grove | |
★★★★ | 7.4 | 250 | Mill Creek Trail | |
★★★ | 2.6 | 110 | Nickerson Ranch Trail | |
★★★ | 4.3 | 360 | Hatton Trail | |
★★★ | 0.9 | 20 | Simpson-Reed Trail | |
★★★ | 2.1 | 330 | Leiffer and Ellsworth Loops | |
★ | 0.6 | 20 | Adams Grove | |
★★ | 4.4 | 420 | Hiouchi Trail | |
★ | 9.8 | 1600 | Little Bald Hills Trail | |
★ | 1.5 | 470 | Wellman Loop Trail | |
★★★ | Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park | |||
★★★ | 4.0 | 1170 | Damnation Creek Trail | |
★★ | 12.6 | 2370 | Coastal Trail, DeMartin Section | |
★★ | 13.0 | 2810 | Coastal Trail, Last Chance Section | |
★ | 15.8 | 2000 | Crossover Road (Mill Creek Watershed) | |
★ | 7.0 | 1260 | Hobbs Wall and Saddler Skyline | |
★ | 3.1 | 70 | Picnic Road (Mill Creek Watershed) | |
★★★★★ | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park | |||
★★★★★ | 12.1 | 1350 | Miners’ Ridge and James Irvine | |
★★★★ | 5.8 | 760 | West Ridge and Prairie Creek | |
★★★★ | 3.5 | 540 | Brown Creek loop | |
★★★★ | 0.8 | 130 | Moorman–Pond Trail | |
★★★ | 8.7 | 1050 | Rhododendron and Foothill | |
★★★ | 8.0 | 960 | Friendship Ridge Trail | |
★★★ | 7.7 | 1433 | West Ridge and Rhododendron North | |
★★★ | 3.6 | 720 | Cal Barrel Road | |
★★★ | 3.5 | 710 | Ten Taypo Trail | |
★★★ | 3.2 | 190 | Big Tree loop | |
★★ | 6.4 | 1400 | CREA Trail | |
★★ | 1.0 | 110 | Nature Trail | |
★★ | 0.6 | 40 | Ah Pah Trail | |
★★ | 2.2 | 580 | Carruthers Cove | |
★★ | 3.6 | 730 | Ossagon Trail | |
★ | 2.8 | 210 | Elk Prairie Trail | |
★ | 0.4 | 90 | Little Creek Trail | |
★★★ | Redwood National Park | |||
★★★ | 9.5 | 1520 | Coastal Trail, Flint Ridge Section | |
★★★ | 7.2 | 1270 | Berry Glen Trail | |
★★★ | 5.5 | 700 | Emerald Ridge and Tall Trees | |
★★★ | 3.9 | 690 | Tall Trees Grove | |
★★★ | 2.8 | 440 | Trillium Falls Trail | |
★★★ | 1.4 | 100 | Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Trail | |
★★★ | 10.4 | 2490 | Dolason Prairie Trail | |
★★ | 15.4 | 500 | Redwood Creek Trail | |
★★ | 14.1 | 2600 | McArthur Creek Loop | |
★★ | 7.8 | 1390 | Coastal Trail, Klamath Section | |
★★ | 7.6 | 1050 | Coastal Trail, Skunk Cabbage Section | |
★★ | 1.5 | 200 | Enderts Beach | |
★ | 22.0 | 3100 | Lost Man Creek Trail | |
★ | 10.4 | 1970 | Mill Creek Horse Trail | |
★ | 6.0 | 590 | Coastal Trail, Tey-wo-lew section | |
★ | 4.5 | 750 | Lyons Ranch Trail | |
★ | 1.2 | 100 | Yurok Loop | |
Humboldt Redwoods and Vicinity | ||||
★ | Headwaters Forest Reserve | |||
★★ | 2.8 | 530 | Salmon Pass Trail | |
★ | 10.7 | 1460 | Elk River Trail | |
★★★ | Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park and Van Duzen County Park | |||
★★★★ | 0.7 | 10 | Cheatham Grove | |
★★★★ | Humboldt Redwoods State Park | |||
★★★★ | 2.4 | 110 | Homestead and Big Trees Loop | |
★★★★ | 0.6 | 10 | Big Trees Area | |
★★★★ | 0.7 | 20 | Rockefeller Loop | |
★★★★ | 0.3 | 10 | Grieg-French-Bell Grove | |
★★★ | 10.0 | 300 | Bull Creek Flats | |
★★★ | 3.0 | 280 | High Rock Trail | |
★★★ | 2.4 | 30 | Drury-Chaney Loop | |
★★★ | 1.8 | 70 | Children’s Forest Trail | |
★★★ | 1.3 | 20 | Founders’ Grove | |
★★★ | 0.7 | 30 | Stephens Grove Loop Trail | |
★★★ | 0.0 | 0 | Bolling Grove | |
★★ | 10.5 | 2870 | Peavine Ridge spur | |
★★ | 3.4 | 450 | River Trail | |
★★ | 2.3 | 790 | Allens Trail | |
★★ | 1.3 | 100 | Nelson Grove | |
★★ | 0.9 | 0 | California Federation of Women’s Clubs Grove | |
★★ | 0.7 | 10 | Gould Grove Nature Loop Trail | |
★★ | 0.4 | 20 | F.K. Lane Trail | |
★★ | 0.4 | 40 | Kent-Mather Loop Trail | |
★ | 13.4 | 2610 | Look Prairie and Peavine Ridge | |
★ | 3.8 | 420 | Garden Club of America Grove | |
★ | 3.0 | 750 | Dry Creek Horse Trail | |
★ | 0.4 | 70 | Chandler Grove | |
★ | 16.2 | 3200 | Grasshopper Summit and Johnson Camp | |
★ | 16.9 | 3650 | Grieg Road and Grasshopper Summit | |
★ | 15.5 | 3170 | Grasshopper Trail | |
★ | 2.5 | 580 | Addie Johnson Trail | |
★★ | John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural Reserve | |||
★★ | 0.3 | 50 | Whittemore Grove | |
★ | 0.6 | 20 | Holbrook Grove | |
★ | Benbow State Recreation Area | |||
★ | 5.5 | 640 | Thrap Mill and Pioneer Trails | |
★★★ | Richardson Grove State Park | |||
★★ | 2.4 | 340 | Lookout Point Trail | |
★★★ | Sinkyone Wilderness State Park | |||
★★★ | 18.4 | 5290 | Lost Coast Trail | |
★ | 8.9 | 1850 | Wheeler Trail | |
★ | 0.5 | 250 | Shady Dell | |
★ | Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve | |||
Park has no trails | ||||
★ | Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area | |||
★ | 1.7 | 130 | Taber Nature Trail | |
★★ | Drive-Thru Tree | |||
No trails | ||||
Mendocino and Sonoma Counties | ||||
★★★★★ | Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve | |||
★★★★★ | 1.6 | 220 | Montgomery Grove Trail | |
★★★★ | Hendy Woods State Park | |||
★★★★ | 1.4 | 20 | Big Hendy | |
★ | 2.7 | 270 | Hermit Huts and Little Hendy | |
★★★ | Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve | |||
★★ | 1.3 | 50 | Colonel Armstrong Tree loop | |
★ | Grove of Old Trees | |||
★ | 0.6 | 50 | Grove of Old Trees | |
★ | Mailliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve | |||
Park has no trails | ||||
★ | Admiral William Standley State Natural Reserve | |||
Park has no trails | ||||
★ | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | |||
Park has no trails | ||||
San Francisco Bay Area | ||||
Only old-growth redwood parks are listed here; for more parks see the Bay Area page | ||||
★★ | Samuel P. Taylor State Park | |||
★ | 2.7 | 190 | Pioneer Tree Trail | |
★★ | 10.6 | 1200 | Bolinas Ridge | |
★★ | 5.8 | 1340 | Barnabe Peak | |
★ | Roy’s Redwoods Open Space Preserve | |||
★ | 3.0 | 400 | Roy’s Redwoods Loop Trail | |
★★ | Muir Woods National Monument and Mount Tamalpais State Park | |||
★★★ | 8.5 | 2080 | Willow Camp and Steep Ravine | |
★★★ | 4.7 | 930 | Sun Trail | |
★★★ | 3.9 | 890 | Dipsea and Steep Ravine | |
★★ | 5.2 | 1100 | Ben Johnson Trail | |
★★ | 2.0 | 120 | Bohemian Grove Trail | |
★★ | 1.4 | 410 | Colier Spring | |
★★★ | 0.6 | 30 | Dad O’Roarke’s Bench | |
★★ | Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve | |||
★★★ | 9.1 | 1600 | Purisima Creek and Whittemore Gulch | |
★★ | Portola Redwoods State Park and Pescadero Creek County Park | |||
★★ | 0.5 | 80 | Heritage Grove | |
★★ | 11.5 | 1820 | Peters Creek loop | |
★★ | 5.8 | 1100 | Coyote Ridge and Shingle Mill | |
★★ | 3.8 | 880 | Mount Ellen Loop | |
★ | 13.1 | 2434 | Butano Ridge | |
★ | 10.6 | 1270 | Tarwater - Pomponio - Brook - Canyon | |
★ | 6.0 | 990 | Heritage Grove Trail | |
★★ | Butano State Park | |||
★★ | 11.7 | 1700 | Canyon Rim Route | |
★★★ | Big Basin Redwoods State Park | |||
★★★ | 10.0 | 2150 | Berry Creek loop | |
★★★ | 0.6 | 10 | Redwood Nature Trail | |
★★★ | 2.9 | 560 | Sunset-Skyline Short Loop | |
★★ | 25.0 | 1710 | Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail | |
★★ | 5.4 | 680 | Slippery Rock | |
★★ | 8.0 | 1060 | Hollow Tree and Meteor trails | |
★ | 3.0 | 360 | Blooms Creek loop | |
★ | 3.0 | 500 | Creeping Forest loop | |
★ | 4.7 | 320 | Sempervirens Falls | |
★★★ | 9.4 | 2450 | Westridge Trail | |
★★ | 12.0 | 1860 | Basin Trail | |
★★ | 4.8 | 1200 | Buzzard’s Roost | |
★ | Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park | |||
★★ | 0.8 | 20 | Redwood Grove Loop Trail | |
★★★ | 6.6 | 1360 | Four Crossings | |
★ | 7.0 | 1480 | Truck Trail and Fall Creek | |
★ | 8.2 | 1760 | Big Ben and Fall Creek | |
Big Sur | ||||
★★ | Garrapata State Park | |||
★★★ | 4.7 | 1750 | Rocky Ridge and Soberanes Canyon | |
★ | Molera State Park | |||
★★ | 7.5 | 1300 | Ridge, Panorama, and Bluffs loop | |
★★ | 3.2 | 1390 | East Molera Trail | |
★ | 4.1 | 140 | River Trail | |
★★★ | Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park | |||
★★ | 2.2 | 560 | Pfeiffer Falls and Valley View Trails | |
★★ | 9.4 | 3050 | Mount Manuel Trail | |
★★★ | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park | |||
★★★★ | 5.1 | 1450 | Ewoldsen Trail | |
★★★ | 6.3 | 1980 | Tan Bark Trail | |
★★ | Limekiln State Park | |||
★★ | 2.1 | 480 | Limekiln, Limekiln Falls, and Hare Creek Trails | |
★★★ | Los Padres National Forest | |||
★★★★ | 10.8 | 2360 | Kirk Creek Trail |
Redwood sorrel in Rockefeller Grove, Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Trails are rated for scenery, not safety. The fact that a trail is discussed or shown on a map on this site does not imply that it is safe for all visitors, even under ideal conditions. Furthermore, trails may not be well-maintained and may have become impassable since the last time I walked them. Notices may not posted at the trailhead when this happens, so always ask about trail conditions at park headquarters before your trip.
Trails and some roads were mapped with a handheld global positioning system (GPS) receiver. Roads outside of park boundaries are mostly derived from county or USGS street data and are therefore more likely to be outdated or contain inaccuracies. Most other features are derived from GIS data and satellite imagery provided by the USGS and/or the USDA.
Map legend
© 2006–15 David Baselt