• 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 »

Things To Do

Klamath River Overlook
The Klamath River Overlook reveals an estuary for salmon, seals, sea lions, sea birds, and whales.
NPS
 

What lives in the redwood forest? Did you know that Redwood National and State Parks offers far more than just redwoods? Visit one of the five visitor centers to find out about ranger-led programs. Pick up an official map and look for these place names. Suggestions are given north to south.

  • Discover Howland Hill Road and Stout Grove: a 10-mile scenic drive through old-growth redwoods, along Mill Creek, with a ½-mile walk through a river bottom grove of tremendous trees. Motorhomes and trailers not advised.
  • Explore Enderts Beach and Crescent Beach Overlook: Stand before outstanding Pacific Ocean views from the overlook; you may even see a gray whale! Walk 1-mile to Enderts Beach, an access route to multi-colored, myriad tidepool creatures. Be sure to check low tide times. Trailers not advised.
  • Drive to Klamath River Overlook, a prime spot for watching the gray whale migration. Look for other marine mammals and a host of seabirds any time of year. Hike ¼ mile down a steep trail to the lower overlook and more dramatic views.
  • Get off the beaten path and onto Coastal Drive! This 8-mile rough and tumble road winds past expansive Pacific Ocean views and descends into redwoods at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Look through binoculars at the massive off shore rocks to spy thousands of seabirds nesting. Motorhomes and trailers prohibited on gravel section.
  • Travel Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. Not even the Avenue of the Giants can beat this! A 10-mile scenic drive through ancient redwoods. Stop and walk an 1/8 of a mile to Big Tree Wayside; you'll see why! Watch for Roosevelt elk grazing in the prairie.
  • Investigate Davison Road where Roosevelt elk hang out in the prairie. Trillium Falls Trail covers 2½ miles through ancestral forest and has one of the few falls in the parks. Follow Davison Road to the gray sands of Gold Bluffs Beach. See if you can find the remains of the mining era. Nothing compares to Fern Canyon with its 30-foot walls dripping wet and full of ferns. Survey the creek for slippery creatures. Trailers and vehicles longer than 24 feet prohibited.
  • Be sure to stop at Kuchel Visitor Center one mile south of Orick. The state-of-the-art exhibits are fabulous!
 
Fern Canyon
Fern Canyon. Some of the ferns clinging to the steep cliffs are ancient species whose ancestry can be traced back 325 million years.
NPS

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

You can travel by car to Gold Bluffs Beach to hike along a meandering stream through a hidden canyon with 30-foot walls covered by several species of ferns. Follow steps up to James Irvine Trail to a prairie that was once a small mining town above Fern Canyon.