Home to some of the tallest trees in the world, Redwood National Park is a series of parks along the Northern California coast. Here, redwood trees grow in abundance in the elk-filled woods bordering the craggy coastline of the Pacific which is dotted with colorful wildflowers. This unique ecosystem makes a unique vacation experience with something for everyone to enjoy.
You could easily spend days in this park system. However, if you only have one or two days in Redwood National Park, make the most of it and visit the best the park system has to offer by following this Redwood National Park itinerary. This Redwood National Park itinerary is filled with short hikes, scenic drives, tall trees, moody beaches, and attempts at elk spotting.
About Redwood National Park
Before we get into our Redwood National Park itinerary, let’s talk a little bit about the park. First, it isn’t one National Park at all. Instead it is a series of 3 state parks and 1 national park that make up the UNESCO World Heritage site that is set to protect the coastal redwood trees that once were abundant along the California coast. These four parks along this coastline provide you with plenty of opportunities to wonder at the impressive nature of these trees. For the sake our simplicity, we’ll be referring to all these parks as Redwood National Park in this post.
The Redwood trees are the tallest in the world growing to heights over 370 feet. The tallest tree in the world does live in Redwood National Park. However, this tree’s location is a secret and for good reason. Visitor’s have done damage to the ecosystem surrounding the tree so the park service does ask that people not attempt to hike to this tree. And don’t worry, these trees are so tall, you will assume each tree is the tallest in the world every time you spot a new titan.
Getting There and Getting Around
Redwood National Park is about 5 hours away from both Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California. This makes Redwood a popular weekend getaway. Redwood National Park is also located along the coastal highway 101, a popular road trip route. This makes a stop at Redwood a popular stop along a scenic Highway 101 road trip or Norther California road trip.
Eureka is the closest large town to the park and there is a regional airport in Eureka.
You will need a car to explore Redwood National Park. The park is spread out over 37 miles of coastline and tens of thousands of acres of land. To get around you will need your own car. There are a few gravel roads in Redwood, however they are easy to traverse with a car. So no specialty vehicle is needed. If you are planning on taking a camper into Redwood National Park, be aware that there are a few roads where trailers are not permitted.
When to Visit Redwood National Park?
We think the best time to visit Redwood National Park is in the early summer. You’ll still get that moody mist that makes the redwoods feel mythical while still having nice weather to explore in. Also, late spring and early summer is when the wildflowers bloom along the beach. We were lucky enough to catch the beautiful beach flowers blooming and also see the wild rhododendrons blooming in the redwood forests.
However, being close to the coastline, you will find that the temperatures year round are mild and rain does roll in year-round as well. So a visit to the redwood forests is a good option year-round as long as you understand that you will never get perfect weather in a place that close to the coast.
How Long to Visit Redwood National Park?
This park is smaller than other National Parks and therefore easier to conquer in a few days. We think that 1-2 days is the perfect amount of time to explore Redwood National Park. It gives you enough time to see all of the different regions of the park, get a few hikes in, and explore a few beaches.
Where To Stay?
There are four developed campgrounds in the park and several walk-in campgrounds for hikers. These are great options for people and leave you in a great spot to make the most of your daylight exploring the park. Reservations are generally needed for the developed campgrounds.
However, there are few amenities inside the park. So if you are interested in eating out, shopping or doing other non-park activities, you should stay outside of the park. The nearest towns are Eureka (to the south) or Crescent City (to the north). We stayed near Eureka and found it to be a great base camp for exploring Redwood National Park. Both Eureka and Crescent City have plenty of hotels and home rentals available.
One Day Redwood National Park Itinerary
Morning
Start your day at the Kuchel Visitor Center. Grab your paper maps and take in some quick views of the ocean near the visitor center.
First, stop at the Elk Meadow to connect with the Trillium Falls trailhead. This short out and back trail will take you to the small but charming Trillium Falls. This is a lush and damp part of redwood forest and is a fun walk to see the Lost Man Creek.
Distance: 2.75 miles | Elevation Gain: moderate | Time: 1.5 hours | Difficulty: easy
Next, head north on Highway 101, getting off the highway to take the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway route. This will take you near the Prairie Creek Visitor Center where you can park for the first hike of the day.
The Foothills/Prairie Creek Loop and Circle Trail combine to make a lovely loop through the forest just north of the Prairie Creek Visitor Center that takes you to the Big Tree (yes, that’s it’s official name). Here you hike north on the Prairie Creek Trail, cross the street to see the Big Tree along the Circle Trail, then head back to the Visitors Center. This trail is not very well marked, so make sure to take your map with you, or take a picture of the map with your phone.
Distance: 2.5 miles | Elevation Gain: moderate | Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: easy
After your hike, continue driving the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway until you rejoin Highway 101. Take the one-way Coastal Drive Loop to the High Bluff Overlook. This has a lovely picnic area that would make a great place to stop to eat the lunch you packed. There are no restaurants in the park, so make sure to pack food.
Driving Time: 1 hour
Afternoon
Continue driving north to the Howland Hill Road. This is a fun two-way road to drive as it has several one-lane areas. So just keep a look out for oncoming traffic before driving through the narrowest sections of the road. There are two stops along this drive that both are great hikes.
Driving Time: 1 hour
First, is the Grove of Titans. This grove takes you through the forest and along a raised footpath to see titans among the redwoods.
Distance: 1 mile | Elevation Gain: moderate | Time: 45 minutes | Difficulty: easy
Your second stop will be Stout Grove. This is an impressive grove and probably the best place for pictures along our Redwood National Park itinerary. This grove is in a floodplain where other smaller trees can’t grow. So the redwoods really stand out as giants here. Keep in mind this is a popular photography spot so it is very busy at dusk and dawn. However, it is beautiful at this time as well, which is why we’ve set this Redwood National Park itinerary to end here (hopefully at dusk).
Distance: .5 miles | Elevation Gain: minimal | Time: 45 minutes | Difficulty: easy
Continue on to Hiouchi Visitor Center. From here, you’ll loop around the north end of the park on Highway 199 until you reconnect with Highway 101. You may then continue on to your overnight accommodations.
Two Day Redwood National Park Itinerary
First, follow the one day Redwood National Park itinerary above. Stay overnight south of the park or in the southern-most section of the park.
Morning
Start your morning hiking the Tall Trees Grove Loop. Make sure to get a permit for this hike ahead of time. You will want to log in and get your permit at 8 AM the day prior to doing this hike. Due to the increasing popularity of this hike (thanks to social media), permits are required to ensure that the parking lot does not overflow. This is a beautiful hike through the old growth forest. However, you will see similar things here as on day one (so not worth all the hype in our opinion). However, this is a fun hike with a walk-through tree and one of few more strenuous hikes in the park. Since we like hiking, and think you may too, we are recommending this one.
Distance: 3.5 miles | Elevation Gain: moderate | Time: 3 hours | Difficulty: moderate
If you cannot get a permit for this hike, consider other half day hike like the Fern Canyon Loop (advance permit/fee required) or the Boy Scout Tree Trail.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, leave the Redwood National Park area and head south one hour to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Here the main attraction is driving the Avenue of the Giants. Stop at the frequent pull-outs to see impressive trees or just enjoy the drive.
Lastly, take the time to drive through a living tree. There are three redwood tree that you can currently drive through. The Shrine tree is along the Avenue of the Giants and fits well into this section of the Redwood itinerary. The Chandelier tree is located south of the Avenue of the Giants and is a great option if you are driving south along a Highway 101 road trip. This is the tree we went to. We drove through once for the experience, and once for the gram. There is also the Klamath tree near the north section of Redwood National Park. This would be a great option if you are heading north after this visit or to fit into your day on day one.
Head back to your accommodations for another night, or head south on Highway 101 on a road trip or towards San Fransisco to catch your flight home.
Want to Adjust the Itinerary?
This itinerary assumes your staying in the Eureka area. If you are staying north of town, or driving through the park on a Highway 101 road trip, you’ll need to rearrange the stops, which is why we’ve included the amount of time we’ve spent at each stop if it is a stop or a side drive.
If you have less time, you probably could fit everything in our one day Redwood itinerary into 6 hours. So you could spend even less than one day in the park and still see the best of it. However, it would be rushed.
If you have more time, you can fill your days with extra hiking and plenty of ocean views. Our itinerary only stops at a few ocean views because we were on a longer Highway 101 road trip and had our fill of ocean views. For hiking, the Fern Canyon trail is a popular half day trail that you could add in.
Distance: 7 miles | Elevation Gain: moderate | Time: 4 hours | Difficulty: moderate
What to Budget for Redwood National Park?
Because there is a hodgepodge of parks that comprise this area, there is no formal entrance station. This means they don’t charge an entrance fee. So this Redwood itinerary can actually be a very inexpensive vacation.
You will need to budget for a place to stay. Campsites are $35 within the park. Hotels in the nearby towns range from $100-400 dollars. Home rentals are also in this range and extend beyond it as well.
You will also need to budget for food. Packing a lunch when visiting the park is the best option for your budget and connivence as food within the park is scarce. There are grocery stores in both Eureka and Crescent City. There are also plenty of restaurants available in both towns, though they are frequently closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. However, keep in mind that many restaurants close earlier than you may expect (8-9 PM). So make sure to get food before then or cook at your accommodations. Food prices here were very close to the national average. Cooking two meals and eating one out cost us $35/person/day.
What To Pack For Redwood National Park?
Being close to the ocean, the weather in Redwood National Park is changeable (that’s the nice way of saying it rains a lot). And while the weather is changeable, the temperature is pretty consistent from day to day. So there are a few things to pack that will help you have a comfortable visit to the redwoods.
First, you’ll need a sensible pair of shoes. You can pack hiking shoes or just wear some comfortable walking shoes. None of the hikes in our Redwood National Park itinerary are very long so we didn’t feel the need to wear hiking shoes.
Second, you’ll want to wear some clothing that will stand up to any water you may encounter. First, make sure to wear wool socks to help keep your feet dry. Second, make sure to pack a rain layer. We love our outer shell rain jackets.
For clothing, you’ll want to pack in layers. While the temperatures are generally mild, they are also cool in the morning mist.
Lastly, don’t forget to pack a daypack for your belongings and plenty of water storage. Water in the park is quite spread out. We love our hydration backpack that with storage and hip straps. We’re able to store our camera gear and things like our rain jackets on all of our hikes.
Safety In The Park
Keep in mind that with all the hills and valleys in this area, cell service can be poor. Make sure to download maps beforehand or keep paper maps with you. We love using the amazing National Park maps that you can get at any of the Visitor Centers.
The towns in this area are small but did make us feel uncomfortable. They virtually shut down at 9 PM, yet people were still out and about in large numbers. It gave us a weird vibe. This was particularly true in Eureka where we saw a lot of open drug use. We have no particular event that made us feel unsafe, but we did feel unsafe in the nearby towns at night. We’re not sure if that’s a normal thing or if we were visiting at some strange time but it’s worth noting.
We hope this Redwood National Park itinerary and guide has helped you to plan your own visit to this unique National Park. If you have any further questions or comments, please leave them below and we’d be happy to get back to you.
