Redwood National Park

Home of the world's tallest tree

California > Redwood National and State Parks

The Redwood Creek Valley, seen from the Redwood Creek Overlook

Redwood National and State Parks has four units: Prairie Creek, Del Norte, and Jedediah Smith State Parks, and Redwood National Park. The name "Redwood National Park" is often used to refer to all four units together, but officially it refers to the Redwood National Park unit and does not include the state parks. This page is about the Redwood National Park unit.

The three state parks were acquired beginning in the 1920s, when this area was still minimally affected by logging. By the time Redwood National Park was acquired beginning in the 1960s, most of the really spectacular old growth had either been logged or purchased for the state parks. What's more, environmental regulations mostly prevent new trails from being constructed in pristine old growth. As a result, most of the park's trails pass either through small remnant patches of old growth, through second growth, or through areas that lack redwoods altogether.

On the other hand, the park does has much more of a wilderness feel than the state parks. While the state park trails often run within earshot of busy roads, many of Redwood National Park's trails have no traffic noise whatsoever and few other hikers. Providing a wilderness experience was in fact one of the goals of establishing the park, and in that regard the park has been very successful.

The main body of Redwood National Park is a huge swath of the Redwood Creek basin at the south end of the park. This basin includes one of the park's best-known features, the Tall Trees Grove. In this grove is the Libbey Tree, which in the 1960s was, at 368 feet tall, the world's tallest known tree. Taller trees were later found in other parks, but in 2006 the Redwood Creek basin once again became the site of the record holder when the 379-foot-tall "Hyperion" tree was discovered. Hyperion's location is kept secret since even slight root damage from visitors would likely result in its top dying off; however, the tree is likely to be within a few miles of the Tall Trees Grove, possibly in the Tom McDonald Creek valley.

The Lost Man Creek Trail

The Orick Horse Trails

West of Redwood Creek and south of the town of Orick is an extensive network of equestrian trails. The northern half of this trail network, between the Orick trailhead and Elam Camp, has been minimally affected by logging and contains endless miles of singletrack trail through attractive alder groves, with a few small patches of old-growth redwoods that are surprisingly nice. The network's southern half, between Elam Camp and the Tall Trees Grove, still has some enjoyable singletrack but is mostly made up of monotonous logging roads through dismal second-growth redwoods. Throughout the area, the horse trails are mostly in good condition and easy to hike, but a few are faint. In places it's easy to get lost since there are intersections with other logging roads that aren't shown on most trail maps, and the trails are usually signed only with a horse icon and an arrow, not the name of the trail. A GPS receiver is really useful here.

I wouldn't recommend the Orick Horse Trails for first-time visitors to Redwood National Park, especially for those who come mainly to see the big trees. However, if you want to see another side of the park, check out the Ridge or McArthur Loop trails, or the old-growth redwood grove above Elam Camp.

The Six Hour Loop Trail, one of the Orick Horse Trails in Redwood National Park

Old growth on the Orick Horse Trail

Old-growth redwood hikes

*** Emerald Ridge and Tall Trees (length 5.5 miles; climbing 700 feet)
A more memorable and interesting variation on the Tall Trees hike, this loop includes a few miles of walking along the wide, gravelly stream bed of Redwood Creek, and some splashing through the shallow water. This loop can only be hiked in summer.

*** The Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Trail (length 1.4 miles; climbing 100 feet)
The most popular trail in the park, this short loop leads through an attractive ridgetop grove of large redwoods.

*** The Coastal Trail, Flint Ridge Section (length 9.5 miles; climbing 1520 feet)
Located four miles north of Prairie Creek Redwoods, this trail begins at a scenic pond, ascends a ridge through a remnant patch of old-growth redwoods, then descends to a backpacking camground near the coast.

*** The Trillium Falls Trail (length 2.8 miles; climbing 440 feet)
This trail leads through a small patch of old growth on the side of Highway 101. There's a lot of traffic noise but the redwoods are actually pretty impressive.

*** The Tall Trees Grove (length 3.9 miles; climbing 690 feet)
Once home to the world's tallest known tree, this small grove requires a special permit, a one-hour drive, and a 1.4-mile walk to access. After all that, the grove is not particularly scenic.

Lupine blooms on Bald Hills Road, May 2009

Lupine blooms on Bald Hills Road

Other hikes

*** The Dolason Prairie Trail (length 10.4 miles; climbing 2490 feet)
This scenic out-and-back hike descends through a prairie with dramatic views of the Redwood Creek basin, then enters old-growth redwoods. From the end of the trail, a short stretch of the Emerald Creek Trail leads to Redwood Creek. The return climb is long and insistent, but the gradient is mostly gentle.

** The Redwood Creek Trail
The most popular backcountry trail in the Redwood Creek basin, the Redwood Creek Trail mostly leads through creekside forest that hasn't been logged but is also naturally devoid of redwoods. Camping is allowed along the creek.

** The McArthur Creek Loop (length 14.1 miles; climbing 1400 feet)
This long loop is the best of the Orick Horse Trails. The scenery is mostly lush non-redwood forest, but there are also a few old-growth redwood groves.

* The Lost Man Creek Trail (length 22.0 miles; climbing 3100 feet)
This dirt road starts in old-growth redwoods but climbs mostly through somewhat dull second-growth to Bald Hills Road. Bicycles are allowed.

* The Lyons Ranch Trail (length 3.5 miles; climbing 550 feet)
A dirt road through remote, windswept prairie and oak woods, with some nice views of the Redwood Creek watershed. The road ends at an old barn. Much different from the rest of the park.

* The Mill Creek Horse Trail (length 10.4 miles; climbing 1970 feet)
This loop explores a small holding on the southern border of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. There are two short sections of old growth, one of which is actually pretty magnificent, but most of the route is unattractive second-growth.

Getting to Redwood National Park

Except for the equestrian trails, all trailheads in the Redwood Creek basin are off Bald Hills Road. From Arcata, drive north on Highway 101 about 40 miles. Just north of the run-down little town of Orick is the well-marked Bald Hills Road / Lady Bird Johnson Grove turnoff.

Kuchel Visitor Center, on the beach just south of Orick, serves as the main visitor center for Redwood National and State Parks. It's open from 9 am - 5 pm except in winter (November - February), when it's open from 9 am - 4 pm.

There's no charge to visit Redwood National Park, but the Tall Trees grove requires a permit from Kuchel Visitor Center.

Lodging and Restaurants

For recommended lodging and restaurants, see the Redwood National and State Parks page.