The Stout Grove is one of the most magnificent and highly photographed groves of old-growth Redwoods in Redwood National Park.
Located in Jedediah Smith Redwoods North of Crescent City, the Stout Grove features a relatively small grove of giant, 300ft tall redwoods. The low undergrowth and massive height of the trees makes for a surreal experience and incredible photos.
Of all the groves of redwoods we’ve visited, this is our absolute favorite. Read on to learn why we love it so much.
History of Stout Grove
Believe it or not, the Stout Grove was actually donated by the widow of a lumberman back in 1929 to the Save the Redwoods League.
It later became the part of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park as the park’s first grove. Today it is one of the most treasured groves of redwoods or trees for that matter in the world.
Stout Grove Location + Map
Things to Know Before You Visit Stout Grove
Entrance Fees
$30 per vehicle OR if you plan to visit more National Parks within the next 12 months we suggest you go ahead and purchase the America the Beautiful Pass (which can be purchased at any national park) and gets you into all National Parks, Forests, Monuments, and more including 2,000 sites for free after a one time $79 fee.
Redwood Map
The best map for the park: We like this map the best.
Best Guide Book
The best guide books for Redwood: This is our favorite hiking guide but this one is another great one that encompasses the surrounding area.
Cell Service
Cell Service is pretty reliable in the park. There are a few spots near Orick where service is more limited but overall visitors can expect to have good reception.
Getting to the Redwoods
Getting to Redwood National Park is half the fun! Out of state visitors can fly into Crescent City Airport (which is only 30mins from the closest part of the park), or San Francisco and drive up the coast (6 hours south of Redwood), or Redding (3 hours east of Redwood), or Medford, OR (2 hours northeast of Redwood).
Food & Restaurants
There are many restaurants and food options throughout the areas, cities, and towns around the park. The major towns for restaurants are Crescent City to the North, Klamath in the middle, and Trinidad to the South.
Mosquitoes
During the summer months (June – August) expect to find mosquitoes at varying levels in the Redwoods. I recommend this bug spray which has worked for me in the park and is environmentally friendly.
Best Time to Visit the Redwoods
The Best Time to Visit Redwood National Park is in Spring and Summer to take advantage of less crowds (Spring) and warmer temperatures (Summer).
Where to Stay in the Redwoods
Visiting Redwood National Park? If you haven’t decided where to stay (yet) check out our helpful guide on visiting Redwood National Park for tips. Don’t have time? Here’s our favorite hotel in the Redwoods.
Best Time to Visit Stout Grove
The best time to visit the Stout Grove is early in the morning around sunrise to see foggy rays of light filter through the grove with very few people around. If you can’t make it for sunrise then sunset is a great bet as well to see beautiful light filter through the trees.
With that being said, there’s never really a bad time to visit the grove. During the rain (so long as it’s not a major storm) is a great time to visit to see the glossy leaves of the under story and smell the freshness of the forest.
Getting to Stout Grove
The Stout Grove is located in the northernmost section of the park in Jedediah Smith Redwoods. The road leading to the Stout Grove is unpaved but passable with 2WD vehicles. Mosquitoes here can be pesky in early to mid Summer.
The grove itself is located off Howland Hill Road, a gravel road with it’s fair share of bumps. We had no problem getting to the grove in a prius.
Driving
From Hwy 199 drivers cross a bridge over the Smith River and drive 1.5 miles down Douglas Park Drive until it turns into Howland Hill Road.
You’ll know when this happen because the road gets rougher (but not too bad). From here, it’s another mile down the road until you see a turnoff on the right for Stout Grove.
Follow the turn a quarter of a mile or so to the parking lot.
Walking
Alternatively, you can park at the Jedediah Smith Redwoods Day use area (after paying the $8 day use fee) and walk to the grove. The trail to the grove is a lovely .8 miles that crosses a cool hiking bridge over the Smith River to get there.
The Stout Grove Trail
Distance: .7 miles roundtrip
Time: 1-2 hours (to soak in the beauty)
While the trail is short, pound for pound it is one of the most breathtaking you’ll find in the entire national park system.
From the parking lot hikers descend gradually into the grove and are quickly introduced to one of the most spectacular groves or redwoods in the world. The trail is a brief loop with lots of small footpaths throughout that are fun to explore.
Another cool thing to explore on the trail are the ancient redwoods that were burned out at one point. Some of the hollows in the trees are so large that adult humans can easily fit inside standing up!
Stout Grove Nearby Sites
If you’re visiting the Stout Grove we recommend you check out these nearby sites:
Redwood National Park Guide
Yep, we created a beautiful, comprehensive guide to Redwood National Park. It’s totally free and just for you with beautiful photos, videos, and more.
Watch the Award-Winning Redwoods Video
If you’re visiting the Redwoods ya just gotta take 3 minutes and watch the (award-winning) film we made based on our trips to the park.
We spent weeks in the park to produce this film which covers all of the different regions and areas in the park. It was even featured by National Geographic!
Photos of Stout Grove
We have spent countless hours in Redwood National Park and have taken over 15,000 photos of the place! We’ve included a few of our favorites from the grove here.
Why Listen to Us About Visiting Stout Grove?
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 national parks experts.
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.
If you’d like to follow along our journey we’d be delighted to have you!
And a bonus! Tips for Visiting a National Park
Permit Systems and Reservations
Check to see if the national park you’re visiting has a permit or reservation system in place before visiting. As parks become increasingly crowded more has to be done to safeguard them which means controlling the hundreds of millions of people who visit these places each year.
Popular national parks with reservation systems of some kind include Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Arches, Acadia, Denali, and more.
Want Less Crowds? Try a National Forest!
Try visiting a national forest while you’re on your trip to avoid the crowds. There are 155 national forests in America, many of which are equally as beautiful as the national parks they neighbor and only see a fraction of the visitors.
For example, try the Flathead National Forest next to Glacier National Park, the Bridger-Teton next to Grand Teton, and the Dixie which borders nearly all of the Utah National Parks.
Practice Safety, Seriously
National parks are amazing but wild places so it is essential to practice basic safety while visiting them. Every year people die while vacationing in national parks. This is easily avoided by:
- Sticking to trails
- Checking the weather before going out on a hike
- Maintaining a safe distance between wildlife which means at least 25 yards from most wildlife and 100 yards from predators
- Avoid ledges with steep drop offs
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