Article Overview: Visiting Jedediah Smith Redwoods
Named for the famous mountain man, Jedediah Smith State Park is often many visitors first experience in Redwood National Park.
This area is located on the stunning Wild & Scenic Smith River on the north side of the park near Crescent City. It is the northernmost unit of Redwood National & State Parks.
There is a beautiful campground and a popular swimming hole located in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods along with some of the most popular groves in the world including Stout Grove.
Jedediah Smith State Park Location + Map
Things to Know Before Visiting Jedediah Smith Redwoods
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 $80 fee.
The best guidebooks 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 in Crescent City, not far from Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
Cell Service there is limited cell service.
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 Jedediah Smith Redwoods
The best time to visit the Jedediah Smith Redwoods is early in the morning around sunrise to see foggy rays of light filter through the forest 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 Jedediah Smith. 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 understory and smell the freshness of the forest.
Getting to Jedediah Smith
To get to this spot simply follow HWY 199 north from Crescent City or South from Oregon. Its location, just a few miles north of Crescent City makes it easily accessible.
Camping in Jedediah Smith Redwoods
Fee: $35/site
Sites: 86 tents or RV (but no hookups)
Amenities: ADA-accessible restrooms, ADA-accessible cabins, hot showers, flush toilets picnic tables, fire pits and barbeques, dump station, visitor center.
Reservations: Yes, here’s a link
The campground at Jedediah Smith State Park is the most popular in all of the Redwoods. The iconic campsites located under massive redwoods, many having redwoods within the site itself are hard to beat. Throw in the wild & scenic Smith River which runs through the campground and you have something quite magical.
Amenities at Jedediah Smith Redwoods
In addition to the beautiful scenery, the amenities and facilities at Jedediah Smith are top-notch. Hot showers, cabins, flush toilets, a dump station, a visitor center, and more make this spot especially great.
Trails at Jedediah Smith Redwoods
Finally, there are stunningly beautiful trails that lead through and from the campground. The best of these leads to the most stunning grove of Redwoods in the world (at least we think so), the Stout Grove.
Jedediah Smith Redwoods Nearby Sites
If you’re visiting Jedediah Smith we recommend you check out these nearby sites:
Redwood National Park Guide
Yep, we created a beautiful, comprehensive guide to Redwood. 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!
Video Description
MTJP | Redwood is the culmination of several weeks spent exploring Redwood National and State Parks.
Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California are home to the tallest trees in the world, the mighty Redwood, which can reach staggering heights of over 360ft and weigh more than 500 tons.
These parks feature magical forests, miles of spectacular beaches, stunning overlooks, and the largest herd of Roosevelt elk on the planet.
This film was shot entirely in 4K. Redwood National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for good reason.
A trip to this magical place is a must for every human on the planet. Redwood National Park features the tallest trees on the planet (not to be confused with the largest in Sequoia National Park).
Photos of Jedediah Smith & 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 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.
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 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 fewer 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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