Visiting Lady Bird Johnson Grove | Redwood National Park (Helpful Guide)

redwood national park lady bird johnson grove — Lady Bird Johnson Grove late in the day | Redwood National Park

About Lady Bird Johnson Grove

The Lady Bird Johnson Grove is one of the most spectacular groves of ancient, old-growth Redwoods in the world. This grove is located near the town of Orick at about 1,000ft above sea level and is one of the most popular hikes in the park.

The trail itself is only about 1.3miles long with little elevation gain making it great for folks of all ages and fitness levels.

Along with the Stout Grove, this is one of the most visited groves of Redwoods in the park.

History and Dedication Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Lady Bird Johnson Grove was dedicated in August 1969 by President Richard Nixon honoring former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson recognizing her work to preserve public lands. Lady Bird attended the dedication along with her husband, former president Lyndon B. Johnson.

Notably, also in attendance were California Governor Ronald Reagan, Billy Graham, and First Lady Pat Nixon.

lady bird johnson grove dedication — The Dedication of LBJ Grove by Richard Nixon August 1969.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove Location + Map

Things to Know Before Visiting Lady Bird Johnson 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 you can purchase here). This pass gets you into all National Parks, Forests, Monuments, and more including 2,000 sites for free after a one time $79 fee.

The best guide books for Redwood: This is our favorite hiking guide but this one is another great one that encompasses the surrounding area.

The best map for the park: We like this map the best.

Gas: There is a gas station in the little town of Orick just below Lady Bird Johnson Grove.

Cell Service there is service at Lady Bird Johnson Grove but it can be spotty.

Water: Drink it. Lots of it. Don’t forget it in the car.

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 Lady Bird Johnson Grove

The best time to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Grove is an hour or two before sunset to catch the golden light filtering through the trees. We captured some really stunning shots during this time of day. With that being said, there’s never really a bad time to visit the grove.

Mornings are cool and sometimes you can catch some great fog moving through the forest.

Getting to Lady Bird Johnson Grove

lady bird johnson grove redwood national park — Burned out redwood tree at LBJ Grove | Redwood National Park

Lady Bird Johnson Grove is located off Bald Hills Road near the town of Orick. From Orick city center, take a left (head north) up the 101 about a mile and turn right onto Bald Hills Road. From there drivers will ascend up about two and a half miles until you see a bridge overhead.

Once you see the bridge keep a lookout for the parking lot which is another 100ft or so down the road on the right. You have arrived.

Hiking the Lady Bird Johnson Trail

The trail itself is only about 1.3miles long with little elevation gain making it great for folks of all ages and fitness levels. This trail is one of the most popular in the park for good reason as it’s relatively flat and features some of the most spectacular Redwoods in the world.

Distance: 1.3 miles roundtrip
Time: 1-2 hours

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!

Be sure to keep an eye out for bright yellow banana slugs on the trail which are common to the area and harmless.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nearby Sites

If you’re visiting LBJ Grove be sure to check out Redwood Creek Overlook just down the road for the park’s best sunsets! Other nearby great spots include Gold Bluffs Beach, Fern Canyon, and Bald Hills.

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

Redwood National Park 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 Lady Bird Johnson 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.

More From Redwood National Park

Interested in learning more about the park? Check out some more of our informative posts on different locations, seasons & weather, & more!

Why Listen to Us About Visiting 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 national parks experts.

will jim tony pattiz — Jim (left), Will (right), with our Tony (our dad)

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

Explore

About Lady Bird Johnson Grove