Over the years I’ve compiled this little list of the best places to see redwoods near San Francisco. Some of the places are more obvious while others are more in the hidden gem category.
As a national park nut obsessed with redwood trees (especially preserving them), I am always on the hunt for this incredible tree species. Surprisingly I’ve found them all over the world as far as Austria (technically those were Sequoias but you get the idea).
For West Coast folks we’re looking for redwoods a little closer to home, like say near San Francisco!
How I Ranked the Best Places to See Redwoods Near San Francisco
In this list I’ve rated the closest redwoods to San Francisco. For the purposes of this article I chose the generic google maps “San Francisco” starting point which appears to be at the corner of Market St & Van Ness Avenue.
For each Redwoods area near San Francisco I’ve included a route map to give you an idea of where exactly each spot is located.
The criteria for rankings is as follows:
- Drive time from San Francisco to the Redwoods – this is the main criteria for this list
- Distance from San Francisco to the Redwoods – physical distance in miles from SF to the Redwoods
- Overall Redwoods Rating – here I am rating how magnificent the redwoods are in the park or area (old growth redwoods in Redwood National Park are a 10/10 whereas “baby” redwoods are 1/10)
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, shall we begin?
Top 10 Best Places to See Redwoods Near San Francisco (Furthest to Closest)
15. Redwood National Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 311 miles
- Drive Time: 5:41
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 10/10
There is a reason that Redwood National & State Park is one of only 12 natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in the United States.
Hands down the best place in the world to see redwood trees is in California’s Redwood National Park. Nowhere on earth have old-growth stands been so well preserved and made so accessible to visitors.
The only problem here (which is a theme throughout this list) is that the best redwoods are not the closest to San Francisco. In fact, in this case they happen to be the furthest. It’s still well worth the nearly 6 hour drive.
I highly recommend the Lady Bird Johnson Grove & the Stout Grove as the two best groves in the park.
For more info about visiting Redwood National Park check out our Redwood Guide & article on the best things to do in Redwood.
If you’re looking for something a bit closer then continue scrolling!
14. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
- Distance from San Francisco: 279 miles
- Drive Time: 4:55
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 10/10*
I hesitated to add this one to the list and added an asterisk to the rating due to a somewhat disqualifying fact.
While the magnificent trees of Sequoia National Park are technically “redwoods” they are a different species than the coastal redwoods and more commonly (and accurately) referred to as Sequoias.
That aside, this is one of the most epic and beautiful places on planet earth that everyone should see in their lives.
The drive from San Francisco to see these redwoods however is still a bit of a doozy at nearly 5 hours long so you may want to keep scrolling for closer options.
13. Humboldt Redwoods State Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 221 miles
- Drive Time: 4:04
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 10/10
The redwood specimens of Humboldt Redwoods appear to the eye as a different species than that of their coastal brethren. To put it simply, they seem “redder” than those you’ll find out on the coast which appear to be more grey than red.
This is largely due to their location further inland in a drier climate further from the coastal moisture of the coastal redwoods rather than a difference in their makeup.
I have to say the groves here are among the most impressive I’ve ever seen with absolute giants and so many of them.
As for these redwoods proximity to San Francisco, that’s another story. At 4 hours away we’re still looking at quite a hearty day trip here.
12. Yosemite National Park (Mariposa Grove)
- Distance from San Francisco: 211 miles
- Drive Time: 3:53
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 10/10*
Another excellent spot to see redwoods near San Francisco is Yosemite National Park. The Mariposa Grove in Yosemite is home to some of the most beautiful trees in the world located in a magnificent setting of Yosemite.
There are however two minor issues here. Firstly, the trees are actually Sequoias in the Mariposa Grove (but still well worth the visit!). Secondly, accessing this spot has become increasingly difficult over the years with crowds and reservation systems.
At about 4 hours away, a trip to Yosemite is still pretty far from San Francisco. Let’s have a look at some locations under two hours away.
11. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
- Distance from San Francisco: 75 miles
- Drive Time: 1:31
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 5/10
At about 90 minutes from San Francisco, Armstrong Redwoods Natural State area is the first really viable option for a half day or full day trip to see redwoods!
Located 75 miles north of the city near Santa Rosa, these redwoods are worth checking out. However, what you save here in time you lose in magnificence.
The redwoods in Armstrong are massive trees no doubt about it, but younger and not as impressive as those you’ll find elsewhere in the state. If you’ve been to Redwood National Park most of the redwoods here don’t compare.
10. Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 64 miles
- Drive Time: 1:24
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 7/10*
NOTE: Big Basin Redwoods State Park sustained major fire damage and has significant closures as a result including the groves for which the park is famous.
At under 90 minutes from San Francisco, Big Basin Redwoods State Park presents as a great option for folks seeking giant trees near the city. The park is located just east of San Jose and south of San Francisco near the coast.
There is a caveat here as the most impressive specimens here are actually Sequoias and they are massive indeed.
Big Basin is actually California’s oldest state park! Created in 1902 the park is great for the avid hiker with over miles of beautiful trails. I highly recommend the 3.1 mile, gentle hike to Sempervirens Falls while you’re here!
9. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 73 miles
- Drive Time: 1:19
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 7/10
The 40 acre old-growth grove in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is among the best preserved groves of Redwoods in the state of California. A fun fact about this grove is that it was visited by none other than President Theodore Roosevelt!
According to California State Parks the tallest tree in the park is an impressive 277 feet tall, 16 feet wide, and around 1,500 years old!
For reference, that’s significantly taller than the statue of liberty (151 feet without the pedestal), wider than an elephant is long, and has been around roughly since the fall of Rome.
Located south of San Francisco at just under 80 minutes from the city, the redwoods here are lesser visited than the likes of Muir Woods and just as impressive.
8. Portola Redwoods State Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 50 miles
- Drive Time: 1:12
- Overall Rating: 6/10
For me, one of the highlights of visiting Portola Redwoods State Park is actually what is possibly the coziest California State Park visitor center. Yes, the redwoods here are beautiful, massive, etc but that visitor center is definitely worth a visit.
The forest I would say is one of the darker groves with a densely packed canopy of redwoods that does a great job of maximizing sun exposure and minimizing any light that hits the forest floor.
Located about 70 minutes south from San Francisco, this park is another great option for city-dwelling redwood seekers.
7. Butano State Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 51 miles
- Drive Time: 1:09
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 5/10
The good news here is that the drive to Butano State Park is under 70 minutes from San Francisco! The well, let’s say other news, is that the redwoods here are all second and third growth trees (their ancestors having fallen victim to the savagery of the 19th & 20th century logger).
What that means for the visitor is that these redwoods, while massive compared to your average garden variety specimen, are not quite as impressive as others on this list.
Let’s head to the redwoods that are less than an hour from San Francisco. Coming right up!
6. Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 29 miles
- Drive Time: 0:48
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 6/10
While the redwoods in Samuel P Taylor are not as impressive as many of the other parks on this list, the epic overlook views here are worth the visit in and of themselves.
The view from the Barnabe Fire Road is one of the best in all of Marin County offering visitors spectacular views of the surrounding natural beauty.
Did I mention that the redwoods at Samuel P. Taylor State Park are less than an hour drive from San Francisco? Yep, these are quite easily accessed from the city (depending on traffic).
Does it get better (closer) than this, you ask? Why yes it does!
5. Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve
- Distance from San Francisco: 29 miles
- Drive Time: 0:33
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 4/10
The Purisima Creek redwoods, while not the most impressive redwoods on the list are certainly worth celebrating for at least two reasons.
First they were preserved by the amazing Save the Redwoods league and gifted to the public as part of a $2 million dollar gift (a small price to pay for the preservation of these incredible trees).
Secondly, these redwoods are a mere half an hour drive from San Francisco! If 30 minutes is still further than you’re looking to drive this list gets even better.
4. Muir Woods National Monument
- Distance from San Francisco: 17 miles
- Drive Time: 0:35
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 7/10
Named for the celebrated giant of conservation and champion of the natural world, Muir Woods National Monument is a beautiful place to see Redwoods just over 30 minutes from San Francisco.
If you plan on visiting make sure you book your reservation in advance or you will not be let into the park.
If you’re wondering why reservations are required it’s because of the crowds. This monument is visited by over 300,000 people every year.
While the reservation system has definitely reduced crowd sizes (and parking frustrations), I’d say there are better places to see redwoods near San Francisco.
One benefit of Muir Woods however is that the boardwalks here are accessible making them a great option for folks in need of such services.
3. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 18 miles
- Drive Time: 0:22
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 5/10
Who knew that a beautiful grove of redwoods exists just beyond the ridge visible in Oakland?
The place is called Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park and while most of the old-growth redwoods here fell victim to the loggers blade back in the 19th century, the second growth redwoods here are worth the visit!
At just 18 miles from San Francisco and less than a 30 minute drive (depending on traffic) what is there to lose in visiting these redwoods!
2. Transamerica Redwood Park
- Distance from San Francisco: 3 miles
- Drive Time: 0:11
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 1/10
So let’s start off with the proximity. These redwoods are IN San Francisco! Does it get any better than that? Yeah, it does.
These redwoods are probably the least impressive on this entire list. What do you really expect with redwoods that are in the city itself? But, if you’re looking to check it off the list sort of speak here they are.
Well, both Sacramento’s parks and Portland’s parks actually have really impressive species of Sequoias so there’s that.
1. Golden Gate Park (Heroes Grove)
- Distance from San Francisco: 3 miles
- Drive Time: 0:04
- Overall Redwoods Rating: 1/10
The Heroes Grove represents San Francisco’s best redwood specimens. The grove is dedicated to residents who gave their lives in WW1 as part of a memorial commemorating their sacrifice and also the Gold Star mothers.
While this grove is certainly more impressive than San Francisco’s other redwood segment, it’s still not all that impressive. That’s okay! These redwoods are still cool to see.
List of Redwoods Near San Francisco
- Golden Gate Park (Heroes Grove)
- Transamerica Redwood Park
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
- Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve
- Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- Butano State Park
- Portola Redwoods State Park
- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
- Yosemite National Park (Mariposa)
- Humboldt Redwoods State Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Redwood National Park
Map of Redwoods Near San Francisco
The (Sad) History of Redwood National Park
The history of Redwood National Park is an all-too common tragedy of the American West. Back in 1850 the California redwoods spanned more than 2 million acres of old-growth redwood forest.
The land was occupied by Native Americans (mostly Yurok) who respected and revered the incredible natural heritage of the area.
Sadly, the story doesn’t end there. The event of the gold rush changed everything, for the worse. The natives were forced out by gold-seekers and timber interests (largely looking to supply the gold rush folks).
The next five decades would be the most gut-wrenching for the area as Natives were extirpated along with the majority of the 2,000+ year old Redwoods themselves by way of the clear-cut.
Finally, An End to the Logging
In 1918 the Save the Redwoods League was founded with a “clear-cut” mission (pun intended). The league was able to spearhead the creation of several state parks including Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek.
Finally in 1968, after a devastating 90% of the original old-growth redwoods had already been logged, the national park was signed into law by President Richard Nixon. It was later expanded by Jimmy Carter.
Redwood Fun Facts
1. Redwood National Park is home to the tallest tree in the world.
The tallest tree in the world is located in Redwood National Park and is named Hyperion. This tree is estimated to be 379 feet tall! For comparison, that’s taller than Big Ben and The Statue of Liberty. It’s exact location is kept under wraps to prevent harm from befalling the noble giant.
2. Some of the Redwoods are old, like really old.
The oldest recorded living Redwoods are estimated to be more than 2,200 years old! The great pyramids were still being built when some of these trees were sprouts.
3. Redwoods have really thick bark.
Redwood trees have incredibly thick bark. We’re talking up to a foot thick! The thickness of the bark serves to protect these giants from pesky pests and forest fires.
4. Redwoods live off of fog.
It’s true! Redwood trees depend heavily on coastal fog to survive. It is estimated that up to 40% of Redwood’s water intake comes from fog.
5. Redwoods have an extremely shallow root system, relatively speaking.
Redwood trees have a very shallow root system relative to their height. Their roots only go down 6 to 12 feet into the earth. So then how do they stay up you might ask?
While their root system is shallow, it makes is incredibly wide extending up to 100ft out from the tree itself and interlocking its roots with the roots of other redwoods creating a stability network.
Why Listen to Us About the National Parks?
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. We’ve spent our entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues.
Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
Big Basin burned to the ground last year and will be closed for years. Your story should have mentioned this minor detail.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for taking the time to read and leave us a comment! I’ve updated the post with that helpful note so folks know about the major fire damage the park sustained.
Best,
Will
Thank you for this wonderful review as well as your passion and care of the beautiful Redwood Forests. So appreciative as I plan my first trip to visit the area!