In the cool, moist climate of the California coastline, redwoods have thrived for 20 million years. While redwoods must have plentiful moisture and mild temperatures to survive, they can live in different microclimates within the forest ecosystem: along ridgetops, beside fluctuating rivers, farther inland (with drier temperatures), and close to the ocean (with a buffer of salt-tolerant trees).

Each area provides subtle differences in redwood groves. Riverside redwoods benefit from flooding which brings in rich alluvial soils. Standing tall, redwoods won't flare out at the base as in other groves, because the base is covered from hundreds of years of floods. Notice the lack of understory plants. Sword ferns may be the primary compliment to the redwoods.

During your walk within ridgetop redwoods, look to the sky. Where more sky appears, more wildflowers, bushes, and ferns receive light to grow on the forest floor. Streamside redwoods have more vine and bigleaf maple, tall shoots of the salmon berry, and western hemlock or octopus tree.

Redwood groves close to the ocean have a rich understory of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, tanoak, huckleberry and evergreen bushes, sword fern, salal, and an abundance of greenery; Sitka spruce and red alder face the ocean salt spray to protect these redwoods.

As you visit and walk through the various redwood groves of RNSP, notice the subtle differences.

Location: Take the Howland Hill Road or Highway 199 to reach several groves and trailheads.

Description: These redwoods stand in a drier climate but along streams and rivers. Look for Simpson-Reed Grove, the Hiouchi Trail, and the Boy Scout Tree Trail.

Location: In the summer, campers at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park can reach the Stout Grove by crossing the Smith River via the seasonal foot bridge. Also, Howland Hill Road (gravel) provides year round access.

Description: An easy ½-mile (1-km) loop gives visitors a chance to experience a riverside stand of giant redwoods.

Location: Six miles (10 km) south of Crescent City on Highway 101.

Description: The old-growth stands found along the Damnation Creek Trail are at the heart of this state park. These trees are very near to the coast and are often shrouded in mist. The cool, moist conditions have resulted in a lushly vegetated understory and immense redwoods.

Location: Take the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway just south of the Klamath River on Highway 101.

Description: 13,000 of the 14,000 acres in this state park are covered with old-growth redwoods. Seventy miles of trails take you through quiet stands where only a bubbling stream can be heard. Stop by the Prairie Creek Visitor Center for a trail map.

Location: The turnoff to the Big Tree Wayside is just north of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor Center. Take the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.

Description: This impressive example of a giant coast redwood is 100 feet (33 m) from the parking lot. The old-growth groves of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park are connected by a network of trails.

Location: About 2-½ miles (4 km) up the Bald Hills Road.

Description: This ridgetop grove features a gorgeous stand of old-growth redwoods and an easy 1-mile (1-½ km) loop trail. In August 1969, President Richard Nixon dedicated the grove to Lady Bird Johnson.

Location: Redwood Creek is in the southern part of the park and is accessed either by the Bald Hills Road or by the Redwood Creek trailhead.

Description: The old-growth redwood stands along Redwood Creek are impressive for their size and location. Redwood Creek is a large drainage with sweeping mountainsides. The rich soil along Redwood Creek has produced some of the tallest trees in the world.

Location: At the southern end of the parks, take the Bald Hills Road to the Tall Trees Access Road (gravel); also accessible from the Redwood Creek Trail. Tall Trees Access Road requires a free permit, obtained at the Redwood Information Center in nearby Orick. A maximum of 50 permits per day are given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Description: A 3-mile (5-km) round trip trail leads down a steep grade to the Tall Trees Grove. When you visit, notice the built-up sediment at the base of the trees. In the 1960s and 1970s, efforts to protect the surrounding Redwood Creek drainage from logging focused on the the Tall Trees Grove. Upstream logging threatened the grove by increasing sediment flow in the creek. With the creation of Redwood National Park in 1968 and with added park lands in 1978, the Tall Trees Grove and lower Redwood Creek were given protection.