Article Overview: Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
The best hikes in Redwoods National Park take you through so much more than the old-growth coast redwood forest in its 140,000 acres. However, those towering trees do steal the show on most trails.
The actual name of the park is Redwood National & State Parks, a unique swath of public land in Northern California.
In fact, this UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve is collaboratively managed by the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks & Recreation.
Coast redwoods are almost exclusively restricted to coastal Northern California and far southwestern Oregon. In addition, they are the tallest trees in the world, capable of growing the better part of 400 feet tall.
They’re also exceptionally long-lived conifers and vie with their close relative, the giant sequoia, as the most massive tree in the world. You could make a solid argument that the coastal fog-belt forests that house the supersized trees are the most glorious on Earth.
What follows is a roundup of the best redwoods hiking in the park system. Along with unforgettable jaunts through classic redwood forest, you’ll find trails showing off some of the other habitats this one-of-a-kind place protects. Those include raw ocean beaches to hilltop prairies, and oak groves.
Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
Table of Contents: Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
Table of contents: Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
- Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
- Things to Know Before You Visit Redwood National Park
- 15 Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
- 15. Little Bald Hills Trail
- 14. The Leiffer-Ellsworth Loops
- 13. Coastal Trail – Skunk Cabbage Section
- 12. The Circle Trail & Big Tree Wayside
- 3. The Grove of Titans
- 10. The Rhododendron Trail
- 9. Trillium Falls Trail
- 8. The Simpson-Reed Grove
- 7. The Boy Scout Tree Trail
- 6. Dolason Prairie Trail
- 5. The Tall Trees Grove
- 4. Karl Knapp Trail – Foothill Trail Loop
- 3. Lady Bird Johnson Grove Loop
- 2. Fern Canyon Loop
- 1. The Stout Memorial Grove
- Best Hike in Redwood National Park You Can’t Take… Anymore
- FAQ – Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
- Map of Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
- Summary of Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
Things to Know Before You Visit Redwood National Park
Entrance Fees
There is no fee at Redwood National Park. If you plan to visit more National Parks within the next 12 months, I suggest you purchase the America the Beautiful Pass (which can be found at the entrance gates to most national parks). This pass gets you into all National Parks, Forests, Monuments, and more, including 2,000 sites for free after a one-time $80 fee.
Sunscreen
Use it. Lots of it. Especially this one, which I never leave the house without because it plays nice with our dear friend, Earth 🙂
Insect Repellent
If you’re looking for a good insect repellent that plays nice with our good friend Earth, we recommend this one or this one if you’re a DEET person.
Guide Book
The Best Guide Book for Redwood National Park is this one which we’ve marked up and highlighted quite a bit.
Map
The Best Map: I like this map best for Redwood National Park.
National Parks Checklist Map: This beautiful National Parks Checklist Map can be ordered to your house.
Framed National Parks Map: We’re a sucker for maps; this framed national parks map is the best.
15 Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
15. Little Bald Hills Trail
- Distance: 9.6 miles
- Difficulty: Strenuous
- Elevation Gain: 1,600 feet
- Time Required: 6 – 8 hours
The Little Bald Hills Trail, which links the Redwood National & State Parks with the Six Rivers National Forest, is a great choice for solitude. In addition, you get ecological diversity and botany. All in all, it’s one of the best hikes in Redwood National Park from an ecosystem-touring standpoint.
Bear in mind you share this trail with mountain bikers. You can tackle the Little Bald Hills Trail as an out-and-back, perhaps turning around at the Redwood National Park-Six Rivers National Forest boundary. Another option is to station cars at Bald Hills Road (northwest) and South Fork Road (southeast) trailheads.
Backcountry in Little Bald Hills: Check out this brochure for backcountry camping and to learn more about this fantastic trail.
You’ll ascend from old-growth redwood forest through mixed-conifer stands to reach a very different world. You arrive at the plateau country with sunny, wide-open, grassy pine woodland populated by Jeffrey and knobcone pines.
More reminiscent of the Sierra foothills or Intermountain West in vibe than the Northwest coastal forest, this realm serves up some long-range views and even a few glimpses of the Pacific.
14. The Leiffer-Ellsworth Loops
- Distance: 2.6. miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 330 feet
- Time Required: 1 hour
The Leiffer and Ellsworth loops in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park offer a quieter and longer alternative hike through equally pleasant redwood groves. This is a great choice for somebody with limited time or stamina. It’s also one of the best hikes in Redwood National Park for smaller crowds.
Partly tracing the historic Crescent City Plank Road, these loops make an up-and-down (but never grueling) course. You’ll walk beneath a soaring redwood canopy that overtops a mixed understory layer of hemlocks, California bays, and tanoaks and a shrub layer including red huckleberry, thimbleberry, vine maple, and hazel.
13. Coastal Trail – Skunk Cabbage Section
- Distance: 7.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 1,050 feet
- Time Required: 3-4 hours
Spruce forests can be admired along the California Coastal Trail’s long run through the park complex, and some of the finest await along its Skunk Cabbage Trail section, among the top hikes in Redwood National & State Parks for ocean ambiance.
You won’t see many redwoods on this route, though there are a few big ones along the first section of the trail near the Robinson Road start. Thick, moss-cloaked, stub-branched Sitka spruces can be nearly as commanding as redwoods. Combined with tall ferns and the roar of the nearby ocean, this trail casts quite the spell… and smell.
Does Skunk Cabbage Stink?
Yes. Horribly. However, the smell is part of its life cycle to attract pollinators that love the scent of rotting meat.
The scent won’t make you gag, but you’ll notice a tinge of rotten skunk as you go. Some people find it part of the trail’s intrigue.
The trail eventually leads you to a quiet, lightly visited, undeveloped beachfront that’s a joy to trek along.
12. The Circle Trail & Big Tree Wayside
- Distance: 0.3 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Time Required: 15 – 30 minutes
When you’re visiting the land of big trees, you certainly should see a tree called “Big Tree,” right? This is more of a stroll than a hike, but it’s also a “big” deal. This is also one of the best hikes in Redwood National Park for those with limited mobility or who need accessible options.
The first 200 yards of the trail take you right to Big Tree on a wide and paved walkway. Next, there’s a viewing platform alongside Big Tree.
Big Tree Facts:
- 23-foot circumference
- Nearly 300 feet tall
- 30,000 feet of wood
- Approx. 1,500 years old
The 0.2-mile Circle Trail forges ahead with a quick and easy taste of the cathedral-like grandeur of the redwood forest.
3. The Grove of Titans
- Distance: 1.5 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 200 feet
- Time Required: 1 – 2 hours
The Grove of Titans ranks among the most legendary stands of redwoods on Earth—and you can probably make that one of the most legendary stands of trees on Earth. That’s thanks to its absolutely epic redwoods and to the story of its “discovery” being told in the bestselling 2007 Richard Preston book, The Wild Trees.
Now, thanks to the thoughtfully designed Grove of Titans Trail, reached via a trailhead on Howland Hill Road, you can visit this redwood sanctum while minimizing your footprint.
The route includes some 1,500 feet of elevated boardwalk to protect the forest floor while allowing close-up views of the Grove’s mighty redwoods. To point out a few, look for champion-sized specimens such as Chesty Puller, the Lost Monarch, the Del Norte Titan, and the Screaming Titans.
10. The Rhododendron Trail
- Distance: 6.3 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 1,764 feet
- Time Required: 4 – 7 hours
The Rhododendron Trail is one of the longest trails in Prairie Creek Redwoods—and among the best hikes in Redwood National & State Parks for solitude. The main trailhead is reached via the Nelson B. Drury Scenic Parkway, Cal Barrel Road, and various paths such as the Cathedral Trees Trail.
The Rhododendron Trail does a decent amount of climbing and dropping interspersed with fairly level sidehilling, but it’s never particularly steep. It gets its name from the abundant Pacific rhododendron along it, and there’s no better time than spring to hike this trail when these understory evergreen broadleaf shrubs burst with blooms.
9. Trillium Falls Trail
- Distance: 2.7 miles
- Difficulty: Easy – Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 440 feet
- Time Required: 1 – 1.5 hours
This is one of the best hikes in Redwood National & State Parks, offering a short but “lotta-bang-for-your-buck” experience.
One big attraction of the Trillium Falls Trail is the proximity to Elk Meadow. If you time it right, you’ll find Roosevelt elk. The hallmarks of this subspecies include big bodies that can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and antlers used to compete for females during the rut.
Time your trip right in the fall, and you might just hear the bugling call of elk bulls.
The namesake of this trail is worth bugling about, too! Trillium Falls spills through ferns and moss and an impressive lineup of supersized redwoods.
8. The Simpson-Reed Grove
- Distance: 0.8 mile
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 20 feet
- Time Required: 30 minutes – 1 hour
If you’re strapped for time but want a tranquil dose of redwood energy, consider the Simpson-Reed Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. This short, easy, flat-as-can-be loop leads you through a forest topped by massive redwoods with an underwood of western hemlocks, huckleberries, and ferns. It’s accessed by a trailhead along Walker Road, just a short way off Highway 101.
This is one of the best hikes near Redwood National Park to learn aspects of redwood-forest ecology, including the fundamental structural/successional role played by “nurse logs.” That’s a toppled tree that then gives a leg up to saplings and other vegetation above the chaos of the forest floor.
It all makes for classic hiking in Redwood National & State Parks, even on a tight timetable.
7. The Boy Scout Tree Trail
- Distance: 5.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 750 feet
- Time Required: 3 – 5 hours
Repeat after me, “On my honor, I will take the Boy Scout Tree Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.” This trail gets its name after two trees that share a trunk.
The drive to the Boy Scout Tree trailhead takes you along narrow, winding, unpaved Howland Hill Road. Many travelers call this one of the best parts of the trail long before you set foot on the forest floor.
The out-and-back trail, one of the iconic best hikes in Redwood National & State Parks, climbs from lowland to upland forest. You’ll pass gargantuan redwood and lush wild gardens of sword fern casting quite a mesmerizing spell.
Not far past the Boy Scout Tree is the trail’s end at the pretty cascade called Fern Falls.
6. Dolason Prairie Trail
- Distance: 5.9 miles
- Difficulty: Strenuous
- Elevation Gain: 2,490 feet
- Time Required: 5 hours
The Dolason Prairie Trail offers one best hikes in Redwood National Park for eco-diversity, taking you through a fine spectrum of habitats as you bust out some major elevation change.
It begins on the crest of the Bald Hills, a crest of the North Coast Ranges named because of the quilted meadowlands and oak woodlands along their tops. A contrasting view from the dense and towering conifer forests on the lower slopes and in the valleys.
From the extensive, segmented Dolason Hill Prairie in the first part of the hike, you’ll nab big-time views downslope into the drainage of Redwood Creek. It’s a calf workout, to be sure.
You can clearly see where old-growth redwood groves tower above the shorter second-growth forests on the slopes above Redwood Creek—much of this viewshed was logged before being incorporated into protected parkland in 1978.
The worthy descent takes you through the prairie openings, past the picturesquely set Dolason Barn, and down through mixed-conifer woods into the redwood forests of Emerald Creek and Redwood Creek.
5. The Tall Trees Grove
- Distance: 4.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 1,600 feet
- Time Required: 3 – 6 hours
The Tall Trees Grove offers one of the best hikes in Redwood National Park’s footprint because it feels like a hike in one of the more mountainous parks. The trail drops 800 feet in the first mile and a half.
The sheltered, floodplain location has resulted in some skyscraping trees. In fact, a number of coast redwoods here soar north of 350 feet tall. Indeed, one of the famous redwoods the trail passes—the Libbey Tree, aka Howard Libbey, aka simply Tall Tree—was long considered the tallest tree in the world. Subsequently, it starred on the cover of an influential 1963 National Geographic article to muster support for establishing a Redwood National Park.
Nowadays, the Libbey Tree sits far down the list of the loftiest redwoods, but it’s still a thrill to see this historically significant specimen. Another highlight of this lollipop loop trail displays a grove of hefty, moss- and fern-furred bigleaf maples. It’s among the signature hardwoods of the Northwest coastal forest.
Importantly, you will need a permit required by the park to control the number of daily visitors on the road and trail. Fifty permits are available each day, and you’ll need the associated code to get through a road gate that leads to the trailhead.
4. Karl Knapp Trail – Foothill Trail Loop
- Distance: 2.5 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 95 feet
- Time Required: 1 hour
In terms of a short, easy trail accessing some giant redwoods and quintessential Redwood Coast scenery, it’s hard to beat the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park loop made by the Karl Knapp and Foothill trails paralleling the Nelson B. Drury Scenic Parkway. This is one of the preeminent best hikes in Redwood National & State Parks.
Kicking off at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center, the Karl Knapp Trail leads you through a stunning redwood forest, with the hiker’s bridge over Prairie Creek often yielding glimpses of spawning coho salmon in the fall. You’ll take in the Big Tree Wayside, then follow the Foothill Trail (and a little portion of the Cathedral Trees Trail) back to the visitor center.
You’re guaranteed intimate looks at some titanic redwoods along this loop—and you’ve got a decent shot at seeing Roosevelt elk. Stay at least 75 feet, if not 150 feet, from elk and never look them in the eye if you accidentally come in one’s path.
3. Lady Bird Johnson Grove Loop
- Distance: 1.5 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 100 feet
- Time Required: 1 hour
This easy loop explores an interesting old-growth redwood forest set up around 1,300 feet on a ridge above the confluence of Prairie and Redwood creeks. Accessed by a 2.5-mile drive off 101 on Bald Hills Road, the Lady Bird Johnson Grove provides a quiet, easy (and foggy) walkabout among trees. Plus, it’s one of the best hikes in Redwood National & State Parks in terms of its historical background.
It was President Richard Nixon who, in 1969, dedicated this grove to the former First Lady of the U.S., Lady Bird Johnson. This was the year after Redwood National Park had been established, and this grove near the park boundary was just a stone’s throw from logged-over timberland.
2. Fern Canyon Loop
- Distance: 12 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 1,764 feet
- Time Required: 5 – 7 hours
We file this under the best hike at Redwood National Park’s family of parks – “Prove Us Wrong.” The trail follows the James Irvine Trail into Fern Canyon and then out onto the Pacific strand at Gold Bluffs Beach. The combination of statuesque redwoods, an ethereal fern-walled gulch, and the ocean surf all in one amazing package are unparalleled.
From the trailhead at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center, you’ll trace the James Irvine Trail up the drainage of Godwood Creek through a forest dominated by good-sized redwoods and sprinkled with other trees such as Sitka spruces, western hemlocks, and tanoaks.
You’ll cross a low, gentle sylvan divide, then drop down into Home Creek, transitioning from the inland redwood zone into the maritime spruce forest. From the far western end of the James Irvine Trail, you can slip into dreamlike Fern Canyon either on your outbound or inbound hike from Gold Bluffs Beach, making a little loop.
This is essentially a slot canyon furred over in dense, dripping walls draped in ferns—a spectacular sight you might recognize from Jurassic Park: The Lost World, which filmed a memorable scene here.
Pristine Gold Bluffs Beach wins you over with its own swoony sight, where you’ll be tempted to linger by the bellow of the ocean and the misty views up and down the wild Redwood Coast.
1. The Stout Memorial Grove
- Distance: 0.5 mile
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: 40 feet
- Time Required: 1 hour
Set in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, where Mill Creek runs into the Smith River, the Stout Memorial Grove beckons as drop-dead gorgeous as any redwood stand you’ll ever see. Its big, fairly closely spaced trees over a verdant jungle of ferns create the epitome of a redwood forest, making this one of the very best redwood hikes around.
The main trailhead for the Stout Memorial Grove is along Howland Hill Road. A spur path off the Stout Memorial Grove Trail offers direct access to a cobbled alluvial beach.
Culminating in the Stout Tree itself—some 325 feet tall and containing nearly 22,000 cubic feet of wood—the Stout Grove was the first dedicated grove in “Jed Smith.” The old-growth stand was donated to Save the Redwoods League by the widow of Frank D. Stout, the lumberman who owned the land, in 1929.
Best Hike in Redwood National Park You Can’t Take… Anymore
The world’s tallest tree is in Redwood National Park. It’s named Hyperion after the god in Greek mythology. You won’t find a trail to it. You will find countless videos on social forums of people who bushwhacked their way there.
In 2022, decisions were made to protect the ecosystem from human damage and vandalism. The park offers a blunt and guilt-inducing list of reasons to avoid trying to track down Hyperion. If you have a short attention span, you might miss the “hiking within this enclosure could result in a fine or jail.” That’s technically six months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
Largest vs. Tallest: Don’t go all Sequoia National Park on us. We know that General Sherman is a record-breaking tree, but it’s the LARGEST tree. Hyperion is the TALLEST tree.
In the spirit of transparency and respect, we’ll show you a photo of Hyperion to hopefully scratch that itch.
FAQ – Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
The parks might seem similar at first blush, but they are two very different options. That’s not just because they are 570 miles apart, either. Sequoia has teamed up with Kings Canyon to form Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, giving you two national treasures in one region. However, Redwood National Park has beaches, and that’s a big selling point for many travelers. Sequoia and Kings Canyon have a lot of vertigo-including heights and winding roads. You won’t find much of that at Redwood.
A long three-day weekend would be perfect for a trip to Redwood National Park, but two days is also a fair amount of time to explore many of the top things to do. Keep in mind the travel time to airports and the remote location of this park when planning a Redwood itinerary.
The nearest commercial airport to Redwood National Park is the Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV) in McKinleyville, California. That’s about 30 minutes south of the park. Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR) in Oregon, which is approximately a four-hour drive. The San Francisco Bay Area airports are up to six hours away but offer many more flight options than the other two.
Map of Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
Summary of Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
- The Stout Memorial Grove
- Lady Bird Johnson Grove Loop
- Fern Canyon Loop
- The Grove of Titans
- Karl Knapp Trail – Foothill Trail Loop
- The Tall Trees Grove
- Dolason Prairie Trail
- The Boy Scout Tree Trail
- The Simpson-Reed Grove
- Trillium Falls Trail
- The Rhododendron Trail
- The Circle Trail & Big Tree Wayside
- Coastal Trail – Skunk Cabbage Section
- The Leiffer-Ellsworth Loops
- Little Bald Hills Trail
Pin Best Hikes in Redwood National Park
Helpful Related Links
Things to Do at Redwood National Park: 15 EPIC Things to Do in Redwood National Park
Redwood National Park Photos: 20 Breathtaking Redwood National Park Photos
Bald Hills Redwoods: Visiting the Bald Hills
Gold Bluffs Beach: Visiting Gold Bluffs Beach
Redwood Creek Overlook: Visiting Redwood Creek Overlook
Lady Bird Johnson Redwoods Grove: Visiting the Lady Bird Johnson Grove
Stout Grove Redwoods: Visiting the Stout Grove Redwoods
Redwoods Near San Francisco: 15 BEST Places to See Redwoods Near San Francisco
Sequoia Facts: 10 GIANT Sequoia Tree & National Park Facts
For the fern canyon loop, the main interest is actually the forest. I found Fern Canyon a bit “meh”. It’s great to play in the water if you got kids, but for a hike, you get your feet wet, it’s awkward with all the diftwood, so when you got to walk the 6-8 miles back, well, hello blisters from wet feet/socks. Pictures are also almost always taken with a polarizer, which exagerates way too much how green it actually is in real life. It’s also very short.