The California Redwoods are one of the top destinations in the state, found in several parks. However, to see the largest trees in the world, you need to visit the Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California. The Redwoods are one of the of North America’s iconic landscapes, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For Star Wars fans, the trees were immortalized as Endor’s Forest Moon (or the land of the Ewoks). Here are the Top Things to do in Redwood National Park.
Top 11 Things to Do in Redwood National and State Parks
Learn the Redwood Trees
Stop by a Visitor Center
Take a Scenic Drive
Hike in the Park
Ride Your Bike in the Redwoods
See the Roosevelt Elk
Gaze into a Tide Pool
Earn a Junior or BARK Ranger Badge
Star Gaze
Picnic in the Park
Camp in the Redwoods
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Should you Visit Redwood National Park
To see the tallest living trees in the world, you must visit Redwood National and State Parks. It offers a myriad of things to do, from scenic drives to beaches.
The California National Parks are particularly rich and visitors will find desert landscapes, historic sites, forests and more.
During our visit, we visited the national parks in Southern California, including Redwood National Park. On the same road trip, we camped in Lassen Volcanic National Park before heading into Oregon.
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Learn about the Redwoods
California boasts two of the three types of redwoods. However, only one type lives in the Redwood National and State Parks. With bark that’s 12 inches thick, Coast Redwoods have no known diseases or suffer from insect damage. They thrive along the upper California Coast in the Redwood National and State Parks.
The Coast Redwoods are the tallest trees, with heights over 370 feet, grown from a seed the size of a tomato seed.
The Giant Sequoias are located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in Central California’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. They are bulkier with thicker trunks, yet not as tall.
The Dawn Redwoods were considered extinct, yet were discovered in 1944 in Central China.
The Redwood National Park also includes California State Parks: Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks. Each offers its own camping, ranger programs and fees to enter.
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Stop by a Visitor Center in the Redwoods
Find five visitor centers across the park. Grab maps or junior ranger booklets, also find restrooms along with interpretive areas at each. Learn about seasonal park ranger programming, too.
Hiouchi Visitor Center
Located along U.S. 199 in Hiouchi, California. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from spring to fall and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the winter. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday in the winter season.
Jedediah Smith Campground Visitor Center
Located along U.S. 199 in Hiouchi, California. Open seasonal from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the end of May until the end of September.
Crescent City Information Center
Located at 1111 Second Street in Crescent City. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from spring to fall and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the winter.
Prairie Creek Visitor Center
Located just at U.S.101 at Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from spring to fall and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. otherwise. Closed in winter.
Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center
Located along U.S. 101, just south of Orick, California. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from spring to fall and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the winter.
Take a Scenic Drive
If you are limited on time, scenic drives are the best way to see the redwood forests. However, many of the roads aren’t suitable for large RVs and trailers.
Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway—A 10-mile (16 m) paved road that parallels U.S. Route 101 offers some of the best tree viewing.
Enderts Beach Road—A 2-mile (3.2 km) road offers amazing coastline views near Crescent Beach.
Howland Hill Road—A 10-mile (16 km) road along Mill Creek to Stout Grove.
Coastal Drive—An 8-mile (3.2 km) road to the coast with a WWII Radar Station on Highbluff Overlook.
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Hike in the Redwoods
Hiking is always tops on my list. During our visit, we hiked several short hikes. My Star Wars kids especially like fern-covered groves.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail—A 1.5-mile (2 km) loop off Bald Hills Road. The path meanders through a fern-covered grove where the dedication of Redwood National Park took place.
Ah-Pah Interpretive Trail—A .3-mile (.48 km) walk off Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. This trail takes visitors through the rehabilitation process after logging.
Big Tree Wayside—A 200-yard (180 m) walk to a grove of big trees off Newton B. Drury Scenic.
Simpson-Reed Trail—A .8-mile trail (1.3 km) in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Prairie Creek Foothill Trail Loop—A 2.5-mile (4 km) trail near the Prairie Creek Visitor Center.
Trillium Falls—A .5-mile (.8 km) one-way to the falls, in the Elk Meadow
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Ride Your Bike in the Redwoods
Redwood National Park is one of the few parks that offers back-country cycling on rehabilitated logging roads. Visit the visitor center for a brochure and current conditions.
Davidson Road—A 3-mile (4.8-mile) easy and level section at Elk Meadow Day Use Area.
Streelow Creek—A 3-mile (4.8-mile) easy level section.
See Wildlife in the Redwoods
Spot wildlife is one of the best things to do in Redwood National and State Parks. You have to be observant and the best time to see wildlife is near dust and dawn when they are out foraging.
Roosevelt Elk Herd—For the best viewing, visit during the fall’s elk rut, when the males battle each other in the annual mating ritual in the Orick area.
Bats—Find 13 species of bats in the parks.
Black Bear
Mountain lion
Bobcat
Coyote
Mink
Beaver
Harbor seal
Sea lion
Gray whale
Humpback whale
Be Bear Aware
California is bear country. The National Park Service recommends the following guidelines for reducing encounters.
Make noise when hiking; kids are good at this.
Be aware of the possibility of bears at streams.
Store food when not eating or preparing in the bear-proof storage lockers.
Keep 100 years between you and the bears.
Put all trash in a bear-resistant trash container.
Gaze into Tide Pools
Located on the Pacific Shoreline, kids (and adults) love gazing into a tide pool. Each is a tiny marine world with sea stars, anemones and more.
Enderts Beach—A .5-mile (2 km) hike from the Crescent Beach Overlook.
Damnation Creek—A .5-mile (2 km) hike from the Damnation Creek Trailhead
False Klamath Cove—Near the Wilson Creek bridge.
Whale watching from the shore is best during the gray whale migration from the coastal overlooks in November and March.
Earn a Junior or BARK Ranger Badge at Redwood National Park
The Junior Ranger Program is the go-to program for families to learn more about Redwood National Park. It’s free and takes about two hours to complete. My kids love the badges that the park rangers present them with after they complete their booklets.
The Redwood Junior Ranger booklet is the same for ages four and up. Kids complete the number of activities in the booklet based on their age. A ranger program is not required to earn this junior ranger badge, though visiting a tide pool or hiking in the redwoods is encouraged.
The California State Parks offers a Junior Ranger program for kids visiting the Jedediah Smith Visitor Center or the Prairie Creek Visitor Center.
BARK program
Redwood National Park welcomes pets as long as they practice the principles of the BARK program. For more information, visit the Redwood National Park page for visiting with pets.
B–Bag waste and dispose of it in the trash
A–Always leash your dog for their safety and others
R–Respect wildlife
K–Know where you can go
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Where to Picnic in the Redwoods
Redwood National and State Parks doesn’t offer a lodge with dining facilities. However, small communities outside the parks offer dining. Find several picnic areas throughout the park.
Dolason Prairie
Stone Lagoon
Redwood Creek
Redwood Creek Overlook
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
Redwood Creek Trailhead
Elk Meadow
Lost Man Creek
Elk Prairie
Kuchel Visitor Center
Prairie Creek Visitor Center
Gold Bluffs Beach
High Bluff Overlook
Klamath River Overlook
Lagoon Creek Overlook
Wilson Creek
Mill Creek
Crescent Beach
Crescent Beach Overlook
Hiouchi Visitor Center
Jedediah Smith Visitor Center
Stargazing in the Park
Redwood National and State Parks is tucked away on the Northern Californian coast, far from cities. This allows for dark skies.
One of the best places to see the stars in on a beach. Another top spot is the Redwood Creek Overlook, off Bald Hills Road. As always in the Redwoods, cloudcover and fog can obscure the night sky.
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Lodging in the Redwood National and State Parks
During my visit to Redwood National and State Parks, I reserved a cabin at Elk Meadow Cabins ($$—$$$). Located three miles north of Orick, California, Elk Meadow Cabins offers six three-bedroom, two-bath cabins that I would describe as small houses instead of cabins. They line a short street right off U.S. Route 101 in an area with a resident herd of Roosevelt Elk.
Elk Meadow Cabins offers guided tours through the Redwood National and State Parks. Half-day or full-day tours can include prepared lunches for an additional charge. Families can choose Redwood destinations like tide pools, Redwood Creek, or a tall trees tour.
Our Cabin
Outfitted with all the necessities a family needs, this house was a charming place to stay for a couple of days. This area of California is remote, and the Elk Meadow Cabins offer an excellent location to base your excursions to Redwood National and State Parks.
With homespun charm, my cabin featured two bedrooms with queen beds each and one perfect for kids with a pair of twin beds. One bathroom included a tub for the kids to bathe in, and the other bathroom had a shower and stackable washer and dryer.
Our cabin featured cable television and Wi-Fi, but my kids played outside until dark. Bring the bikes or kayaks; the cabins feature a small garage for storing your toys. Elk Meadow Cabins offers a community fire pit and Jacuzzi.
The kitchen included all the necessary cooking equipment for a family, including a dishwasher. During our stay, I opted to grill outside since it’s a kid-pleaser and easy for Mom to clean up. I found a grill on the back deck and a dining al fresco table. Grab groceries before heading out to Redwood National Park.
Camping in Redwood National and State Parks
Find four campgrounds within the parks.
Jedediah Smith Campground in Jedediah Smith State Park
Year-round
Reservations Accepted from May 1 until October 1
86 sites without hook-ups, 25-foot RV limit
Potable water and flush toilets
Hot showers
Dump station
Mill Creek Campground in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
Seasonal from early May until the end of September
Reservations Accepted from May 1 until October 1
145 sites without hook-ups, 28-foot RV limit
Potable water and flush toilets
Hot showers
Dump station
Elk Prairie Campground in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Year-round
Reservations recommended
75 sites without hook-ups, 27-foot RV limit
Potable water and flush toilets
Hot showers
Dump station
Gold Bluff Beach Campground in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Year-round
Reservations recommended
26 sites without hook-ups, 24-foot RV limit. No trailers
Solar showers
Note: The campgrounds are located in the California State Parks and are reserved through its system.
Where’s Redwood National and State Parks
Redwood National and State Parks are located along U.S. Route 101 in Northern California. From the south, the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center is 2 miles west of Orick, California, or 312 miles north of San Francisco. On the park’s north side, the Jedediah Smith Visitor Center in Crescent City, California, is 322 miles south of Portland, Oregon.
Redwood National and State Parks are open 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. The Redwood National Park is free to enter through Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwood State Park and Prairie Creek Redwood State Park collect day-use fees at their respective campgrounds.
U.S. Route 101 runs north and south through the Redwood National and State Parks. Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway offers a scenic drive, and several unpaved roads offer beach access, though trailers are prohibited.
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Know Before You Go:
When exploring the beach, never turn your back to the ocean. Sneaker waves can occur at any time.
Rip currents are strong currents that can occur at any time. Put the kids in life jackets.
If exploring the tide pools, remember rising tides can cut off access.
If you feel a strong earthquake, move to higher ground in case of Tsunami.
Ticks carrying Lyme disease have been found in the Redwood National and State Parks.
Know how to identify Poison Oak; it can be found along the trails.
Best places to restock: stop at Crescent City, California if driving down from the north and McKinleyville, California, if arriving from the south.
Give Roosevelt Elk space; they are unpredictable animals that weigh 1,000 pounds.
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