Hey there! Are you ready to plan a larger-than-life trip to Redwood National Park?! Stepping foot in a forest bursting with the tallest trees in the world is a truly humbling experience!
You are sure to find something here that everyone in your group will LOVE.
Redwood National Park is an unforgettable place — and likely somewhere you will talk about for years to come. You’ll never spend so much time looking to the sky as you will during your time in the Redwoods!
There is so much to do. You may have already looked at a map and been a little overwhelmed — and eager — to make sure that you don’t miss the best sights.
I’m a former park ranger, and I’ll help you plan your vacation down to the details. I’ve extensively explored Redwood National Park and am here to help! Whether this is your first time to the Redwoods, or if you are returning after many years and would like to be reintroduced to the park, this list of 10 things is for you.
What You Need to Know About Redwood National Park
- THIS PARK CAN BE SO CONFUSING! Redwood National Park, Prairie Creek State Park, Jedediah Smith State Park, and Del Norte State Park are all separate parks but work together as one to create the Redwood National and State Parks. For this article, ALL ACTIVITIES LISTED ARE LOCATED IN ONE OF THESE FOUR AREAS but for simplicity’s sake are just called Redwood National Park. (Special Note — This list does not include the popular drive, The Avenue of the Giants, because it is not part of the Redwood National and State Parks complex as described above. It is still worth a visit if you have the time!)
- There are no lodging or restaurant options within the park boundaries. Towns such as Crescent City, Klamath, and Orick offer some options just outside of the park, and it’s a good idea to get what you need before you head out for the day!
- There are four campgrounds in Redwood National Park, and the campsites are all reservable and often booked months in advance. You can learn more about camping in the park here.
- Redwood National Park is open and accessible year-round. Temperatures typically stay between 40 and 60 degrees — considerable precipitation falls from October – April and the fog rolls in during the summer months. For more information on the park’s operating hours, seasons, and weather, click here.
- Numerous hiking trails converge and overlap in this park, so you don’t want to be caught hiking without a map. This is the map I use and recommend for Redwood National Park.
I’ll make sure that you don’t miss the sights that make this park so famous, but I also want to provide a few treasures that are off-the-beaten path as well. Let the adventure begin!
Click NEXT to see this awesome list of 10 things you can’t miss on your first visit to Redwood National Park!
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Hey Ash! I purchased your Glacier Park itinerary and loved it! I want to plan another family national park trip and came to your blog straight away. Your info is so helpful in narrowing down where I would want to go next. You have so much info above on Redwoods, but didn’t see it as an option to purchase a more detailed itinerary. Maybe that’s not needed, but I live on the East Coast and in looking at traveling to the west with a large family, was hoping to make a 5-7 day itinerary out of it. Do you have an itinerary to purchase on the way for this park and/or suggestions on what is best to add on to it?
Thank you!
Hey Chandra! I don’t have an itinerary for Redwood yet, sorry! It’s on my list, but won’t be completed for a while probably. We do have a podcast episode about the Pacific Northwest that includes Redwood, so you might find that helpful in the meantime: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/podcast
We have a park pass that we will be using on EPIC griswold tour of the west/northwest NPs. Redwoods is a bucket list park! After reading through your articles, I see that it is a conglomeration of state parks and the NP. Are there fees to get into other parts? Like the Jedediah Campground area?
Yes, you’ll have to pay day-use fees there that aren’t covered by the parks pass :)
I am coming to visited for 2 weeks at the end of may. I don’t want to book hotels ahead of time due to not knowing how fast we will see things. Is it hard to find lodging at the last minute? Or do you recommend getting a hotel right away?
You’ll probably be ok in May. Lodging is limited close to the park though, so you’ll likely have to stay further out.
Hi Ash,
We’ll be visiting the Redwoods in mid-April. Do you have recommendations on the best sights to see with two toddlers in tow?
Thanks!
I have taken my young kids to all of the spots on this list!
Hi Ash. My college age daughter and I just returned from a few days in the Redwoods, and your suggestions were immensely helpful–thank you so much! A few observations/opinions:
We camped at Mills Creek in Del Norte SP. I would not call it a destination campground (as in, I would not recommend it as a place to stay 24/7), but as a basecamp, it was perfect. Super-lush and every site felt just isolated enough because of it. Convenient location, helpful NPS rangers at the entrance, flush toilets, etc. And I wish every campground used the bear lockers they have there. A great idea to minimize impacts on all wildlife, and these are big enough to where they act as a pantry and an extra shelf/prep surface.
We hit almost every one of your 10 musts. A couple of things we did not like as much as the rest: Tall Trees grove is a pretty steep hike to see similar trees to what you can see in many other places. Absolutely beautiful, but for people not used to elevation hiking, perhaps not worth it? We also skunked out at every area mentioned here and elsewhere for tide-pooling, even with negative low tides last week. We are spoiled living in Oregon, but we saw nothing but snails at probably four different beaches that supposedly have great tide-pooling, including Enderts.
Overall, I cannot recommend this area enough. It’s beyond stunning, easy to access, not overcrowded (at least until school is out, which in Cali it is as of last Friday). We didn’t see any bears, but so many elk, marine mammals, banana slugs, birds, etc.
Finally, it’s not part of the Park System, but we *loved* Trees of Mystery. It’s definitely sort of cheesy/touristy, but also has magnificent redwoods and other ancient trees, an elevated skytrail, gondolas that go WAY up (with a viewing deck at the top where you can see the forests below and the Pacific Ocean beyond), and a small but lovely museum filled with new and old art by Indigenous peoples. A steal at $20.
Oh, and thank you for the updated information about needing reservations/permits for Fern Canyon and Tall Trees. We saw more than a few people get the disappointing news at various ranger stations that they could not access either same-day, because they had not made a reservation.
Thank you so much for the updates David! I appreciate your insight and am so glad that you enjoyed your time in the Redwoods!
Hi Ash. I’m visiting the Redwoods late August as a memorial trip in honor of my late husbands birthday on 9-1 and I’m traveling alone so a bit nervous. Will I be safe exploring these amazing places all alone or should I hook up with a tour company. I expect I’ll be using your guide as my itinerary.
Hey Lisa, you could do either! But I will say that if you’re feeling nervous about it, it may be worth booking a tour for at least some of your trip. Some places near the Redwoods give off a weird vibe…I’m really picky about where I stay when I’m in that area. If you have additional questions about that, you can contact me directly :)
We will be visiting in late August/ late September. What do you mean by weird vibe? Have never visited this part of the country.
Love your post
It’s kind of hard to put words to it, but I’ve talked to many people who have also felt the same way haha. I wouldn’t let it worry you, but I would just be vigilant about checking reviews for anywhere you might want to stay :)
Quick Question: Our family of four is hoping to do Fern Canyon, Lady Bird Johnson, and Trillium Falls in one day? Is that possible? Will it feel like to much? It looked to me like they were close to each other. Are they in the same area?
Yes, you could complete all three in one day! Have fun!
Hi Ash,
I booked a cabin in Red Crest in October. Is staying in Red Crest a doable location to see everything? Or is this location too far south?
Hey Cheryl! Redcrest is too far south for the activities in this post. But you’ll be perfectly situated for seeing the redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants, which is also very impressive!
Wanting to hit the park in two weeks with my hubby and 11 yr old. How many days do you think it will take to enjoy these 10 sites? Driving in from San Francisco and want to see it all, but not rush to omuch and actually enjoy it!
I’d suggest 2-3 days depending on your pace. Have fun!
Just wanted to echo everyone’s comments here on what a great guide you put together! I spent two days in the area, camped at Prairie Creek. Was awe struck around every bend of every trail. I even saw a bear at Fern Canyon. I took your guide and mapped out a route that would make sense for my travels and it did not disappoint. And in addition to the “must sees” listed, there are countless other trails that one might stumble upon for even more hidden wonders. The only thing I would do differently is pack warmer! Fail on my part, as I should have looked up the weather, but it’s chilly even in the middle of summer!
One of the most beautiful places on earth, and thanks again for your help in putting together a wonderful visit.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed your time in the park. I was just there a few weeks ago, and it was the coldest 4th of July I’ve ever experienced haha. Happy trails!
Hi Ash,
My family and will be driving from Lassen National Park to the Redwood Forest. We are trying to figure out where to stay to get the most out of our two to three days there. We will be driving there on a Wednesday and have to head to Medford Oregon Saturday. (Flying home on Sunday) Is Klamath are best bet for lodging as well? We are hoping to spend much of our time in the forests, but want to check out the beaches as well
Thanks so much for your help.
Kathy
I prefer the Klamath area for something that’s central to all of the areas of the park. If you want to stay in the same place for the whole time you’re there, I’d try to find somewhere to stay in that general area. Have fun!
Hi Ashley, I would like to print off this list of top 10 things to do in the redwoods but it doesn’t seem to let me copy and paste? And redwoods is not listed in your itineraries . Is there a way I could get a printed version of your list?
Hey Tammie! Email me ash(at)dirtinmyshoes(dot)com :)
also emailing you about this now!
Got it, thanks!
It will be our first time visiting the Redwoods this summer. Any tips on where to camp or stay? We will be traveling with our 3 kids , any family friendly places?
I like the Klamath area for something that is centrally located to the various sections of the park. We always camp in the Klamath River RV Park and it’s really nice. With this park, I always do a lot of research for family-friendly places to stay…to be honest, some places can have a really weird/creepy vibe. If you camp or stay in the national park or state parks, you should be ok :) Otherwise, read lots of reviews to determine if it would be a good fit for you!
My husband and I are considering a trip to the Redwoods with our two sons in the next year or two. What is the best time of the year to make the trip? Thank you!
I like to avoid the rainy season by visiting from May-October. Have fun!
Is end of October out of the question? Should I just wait until next spring?
October can be really pleasant in that park and it’s usually less rainy in the fall than the spring :)
This is wonderful information – thanks so much! But why can’t I print it? It’s not really feasible to access this page and read it while I’m in Redwood. And as we’re driving to NPs, I like to read to my husband about where we’ll be hiking, what we’ll be seeing, etc.
Hey Kelly, I’m sorry for the inconvenience! Unfortunately, people have been stealing my work and copy/pasting it on their own websites, which has ruined things for honest travelers like yourself! I do offer a PDF version of any of my articles for $2 if you’d like a printable version. You can email me at ash(at)dirtinmyshoes(dot)com for more information. Happy trails!
Thank you so much for the helpful information on the Redwood NP. We plan on following your advice and then travel up the Oregon coast. Is it safe to just call motels the day of to see if they have a room for the night or do we need to plan better? This will be during the middle of October.
That time of year, you’re probably ok to do that. I wouldn’t do it during the summer months though :)
Hello! Thank you for all the great information :) starting to plan our first trip there this year and to say we are excited is an understatement!
We would love to tent camp, when do you suggest the best time of year to do that is and which park would you recommend
Elk Prairie or Mill Creek are the most central, but Jed Smith is nice too. If you’re tent camping, I recommend avoiding the park’s rainy season and visiting from May-October. Have fun!
This guide is WONDERFUL. Easily the best I’ve found.
For our subjective use though, it was extremely discouraging as literally every thing mentioned can’t be visited with pets.
Are there any stunning redwood hikes where pets ARE allowed? I’m starting to regret some of our B&B reservations since it seems we won’t be able to do most the things.
Thanks for taking the time with this wonderful list.
Thanks, Tom. Most national parks don’t allow dogs on trails in an effort to protect the local wildlife. Most redwood groves in California are either national or state parks…nothing is coming to mind where you can hike in the redwoods with a dog. Sorry I’m not more help with that info!
How about service dogs? Thanks!
Service dogs are permitted everywhere with their owner. Your dog must be ADA-compliant as a dog trained for a specific purpose — therapy or emotional support animals are considered pets and must follow the park’s pet policy. You can find more info here: https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/pets.htm
Wow! Wish I’d have found your page before visiting Redwood NP and Zion NP this year… but very excited to have found it before future trips. Thank you for sharing your know knowledge and experience!
Of course! Hopefully you’ll get to plan more national park adventures soon!
Hello Ash, I’m looking at traveling to Crater Lake on August 16th for a couple days and then down to Redwood National Forest, with my son (20) and daughter (15). What fun things would you recommend, that will keep them engaged. Looked into Ziplining, but only seeing Santa Rosa has them, are there others near Klamath or Crescent City, we will probably stay in those areas.
I don’t do a lot of “extra” activities outside of the national parks, so I’m not sure about the ziplining in that area. This list of things you can’t miss should keep your family engaged for a few days though!
Hello, my wife and I are driving down from Seattle, with respective times at each of your 10 recommendations, how many days would this take? We’re only spending 2 days there before heading further south? Thanks in advance~!
Two days is a good amount of time to see these sights!
Hello! My husband and I plan to visit the Redwoods in October. I read that October could be more rainy so do any of the hiking trails become off limits? Should we bring any other gear?
They usually keep things open, so you should still be able to hike the trails. You’ll just want to have really good gear with you! It can get really slippery on those trails, even during the drier season, so definitely bring shoes with good traction. Have fun!
Hello! We are heading to the redwoods in April. We are coming from Utah. A little overwhelm of where to stay any suggestions
I like Klamath for staying in one place and seeing both the northern and southern parts of the park :)
We are looking at visiting with my parents next year and they are not real mobile. What are the best areas to visit when you are with a person that is handicapped and requires the use of a wheel chair or scooter?
Redwood is a great park for that! There are many fabulous scenic drives in the park, as well as some wonderful wheelchair-accessible trails. You can even get beach wheelchairs! Take a look at the NPS website for more info: https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm Have fun!
Hi Ash,
I stumbled upon your page and so happy I did, so many great tips here! Thank you for putting this together for people like me! My husband and I are taking his family to the Redwoods for my mother-in-laws 60th birthday this June. I was trying to figure out an itinerary when I found your amazing list. Any suggestions on what towns to stay in though? I haven’t booked the hotel/air bnb yet since I’m not sure where to stay. I’d appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
I like Klamath because of its central location for the national/state parks that are run by the NPS {all the activities listed in this list}. But if you’re wanting to see the Avenue of the Giants or other parts of the redwood forests that are not run by the NPS, you’ll likely also want to book something closer to that as well. Have a great trip!
I love your page!!! We will be flying in and I am thinking that we will stay in Klamath. Where is the closest airport that we would fly in to?
Either Crescent City or Arcata. Have fun!!
Ash,
I am traveling from FL to San Francisco for a work conference. I was able to manage ONE day away and booked a flight to Eureka. I fly in Sunday night and fly out Tuesday morning… sooooo my question is if this was your first time visiting the Redwoods and you only had ONE day, what would you do?
It will depend on the weather, because if it’s foggy then you won’t want to spend time at the coastal/view areas. I’d for sure hit up Fern Canyon and Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Add in Tall Trees if you like to hike!
Hi Ash!!! I too am so grateful that I too stumbled upon your site! We leave this Wednesday and will be camping for 5 days in Jedediah Redwoods State Park and cant wait! It’s been 27 years and 4 kids later since our last visit. We had 2 toddlers and one on the way. So we just really past through. Excited to hang out under the majestic redwoods again!!! We love to hike about 4-6 miles and your suggestions seem perfect! Thank you for the great info! Normally we tent but for this trip we rented a 2019 Dodge Roadtrek 19.5 camper van. QUESTION reading some of your 10 sites it seems that we wont be able to drive into them all because of the van size? Is that true or are you saying much larger campers? I too agree more time IN the trees and less in the car! Thank you so much! Peggy
Hey Peggy,
Sounds awesome! I’m not familiar with that van, but if it’s 19.5 feet long as the name implies, you should be fine. That’s how long our truck is and we didn’t have a problem on those roads. Safe travels!
Ash
This is a great resource, Ash. As a former national park ranger myself, I appreciate your special insights. Good work.
Thanks so much! I definitely appreciate that!
First I want to Thank You for this very helpful information, this made it so easy to plan our first trip to the Redwood portion of our trip. You are such a blessing!
My wife and I have a trip planned for the first week of Sept. 2019 to Portland then driving down the coast to the Redwoods. We are thinking of staying a night in Crescent City or somewhere close then start early the next morning heading to Howland Hill Road for the 10 mile trip, stopping to see Stout Grove.
Being that the road is narrow, is Howland Hill Road a one-way road?
From Howland Hill we will continue down the coast to Big Tree, Trillium Falls Trail and LBJ Grove, in that order. We are in our mid-sixties and limited in long uphill hikes so we are hoping what we chose will work.
Do you think it is possible to complete the Redwoods from Howland Hill to LBJ Grove in one days time? If yes, then we will be heading to Medford that evening.
Also, do we need to pack a lunch or do you have a suggestion somewhere to get a bite to eat in or near our stops in the Redwoods?
Any other suggestions are very much appreciated, Thank You So Much….
Hi David,
I appreciate the kind words! Howland Hill is not a one-way road…someone will just need to pull off if you meet oncoming vehicles. I think you could make it all happen in a day, but you probably wouldn’t get to Medford until later in the evening. I would pack a lunch — there’s not much by way of restaurants near the park. Have a fantastic trip and safe travels!
Ash
Wow what a great trip…the Redwoods were incredible. We ended up staying in Crescent City (got Subways (lunch) for the next day Redwood trip). We did drive the 10 mile Howland Hill Road when we got to Crescent City before it got dark (What an Awesome experience). Next day, first stop was Big Tree before getting our map at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center, they had us add Redwood Creek Lookout to our list which was a nice drive up past LBJ Grove on Bald Hills Road to see the Redwood Forest below (watch out for logging trucks :). Lady Bird Johnson Grove was so awesome, very nice loop trail with many, many Redwoods and plenty of benches to rest (remember to close your mouth since you will be in awe the whole trail :). The Trillium Falls was a very beautiful trail with a short hike up to the falls (The small fall was nice but the trail made it all worth it, great place to propose marriage :). Would of been nice to have seen/done more in the forest but we had to drive toward Crater lake area to stay the night, ended up in a cute Cottage in Fort Klamath. Thank you again Ash for your guidance and experience…
Thank you for taking the time to share the details of your trip…I greatly appreciate that! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the Redwoods so much and had such a fabulous experience!! Stay in touch!
Hi Ash!
My husband and I will be flying into Medford, OR on October 4th. We’re planning on visiting Crater Lake that day or the next. We will then head to a one night stay in Crescent City and then two nights in Klamath. My question is should we rebook one of the nights in Klamath to McKinleyville to take the drive and then maybe visit Avenue of the Giants or something else in that area? We’d also like to do the drive thru the tree experience – Klamath for that?
Do you recommend Grants Pass, OR or Medford for the last night? I’m so glad I stumbled upon your information. Wow, what a goldmine! Thank you.
Hi Linda,
There is plenty to do in the Redwoods National Park without driving down to Avenue of the Giants, but it would be totally up to you depending on how much time you wanted to spend in the car. I usually stay in the Klamath area…it’s a beautiful place right on the ocean surrounded by the amazing trees. You can find a drive-thru tree there. Avenue of the Giants is beautiful, but if it were me I’d spend less time in the car and more time in the trees :).
Have an amazing trip!
Ash
A couple of suggestions; while in Crescent City I/we highly recommend the Howland Hill 10 mile Road, as Ash did, wow what a great memorable experience. Also a great place to view the Rogue River is Natural Bridge off of 62 headed to Crater lake, on the way to the lake Beckie’s Cafe on 62 is great place to eat…
Thanks for your input David! So glad you enjoyed your trip.
Thank you very much for this great information. We will be arriving In Klamath July 16, 2019. This information is going to be very helpful. Thank you again.
Happy to help! Safe travels!
THANK-YOU!! This is a great trip for us and you made it very easy to understand!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for your feedback. Safe travels!
Not sure if my last reply went through so I’m submitting it again. What do you think is the best area to stay in for lodging while visiting for a few days? We are looking into Airbnb’s in the area.
I like the Klamath area for a first-time visit because of it’s right in the middle of everything within the national park complex!
Loved this post and thank you for breaking down the northern Redwoods “Top Spots” for me! In the middle of planning a Portland-San Fran family road trip with 2 teenagers from NM in 2 weeks and I needed to get all the spots organized, as there are so many! Any tips for packing for mid March coming from the desert? Thanks! Best, Kari
You’re welcome and have a great time! The weather is pretty mild year-round, but bring rain gear!