• Image of coast redwood forest along Cal-Barrel Road

    Redwood

    National and State Parks California

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  • Campgrounds open and space available, but reservations no longer accepted.

    As of 9.3.2012, winter reservations no longer accepted (via reserveamerica.com; 1-800-444-7275) for Jed Smith, Mill Creek, and Elk Prairie campgrounds. This does NOT mean that sites are unavail. All sites avail. first-come, first-served basis until May. More »

  • Miners Ridge and Ossagon backcountry camps closed indefinitely.

    Backpacker sites avail. during summer only at Gold Bluffs Beach Campground (8 sites avail.; free permit req'd; $5 fee paid on site) and year-round at Elk Prairie Campground (hiker/biker sites avail., first-come, first-served; $5 fee paid on site). More »

Hiking

Tall Trees Grove

Tall Trees Grove. Do you see the people?

Walking through a redwood grove on a fog-shrouded morning can be an unforgettable experience. Sounds are reduced to the musical gurgle of water trickling amongst ferns and mossy rocks. Light ebbs with the somber mist and shafts of sun hang like cobwebs. Stillness and peace weave their spells upon the respectful traveler. More than 200 miles of trails weave through a variety of environments, including prairies, old-growth redwood forests, and beaches. In this section, we list all the hikes RNSP has to offer on three web pages. Be sure to pick up a map at the visitor center and chat with the rangers.

Elevations at RNSP range from sea level to just over 3,000 feet (1,000 m). Consistently mild temperatures make year-round exploration a possibility. Be aware that trails in the redwoods are often wet and slippery, so bring raingear and good boots for your hike. In winter, the Redwood Creek and Trestle Trails may be difficult or impossible to use. Temporary bridges open these trails in summer but are removed for the rainy season. Fern Canyon bridges are removed as well. You can hike the ¼-mile canyon but it will be a chilly experience; bring water shoes. Access to Stout Grove from Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park campground exists only in the summer via seasonal bridges. Go explore!

Did You Know?

Trail through Stout Grove.

While oceans contain most of Earth's carbon, about half stored on land in Redwood National and State Parks is in soils. The amount of carbon in the upper two meters of soil alone is ~14 million metric tons. That's equal to 1% of total U.S. emission in a year!