Redwood National and State Parks: The Tallest Trees on Earth

The tallest trees on earth. Four parks pretending to be one. Ninety-five percent of the original forest already gone. Redwood is park #31 of 63 on the McSenderson map, and it is the only one where the headline number is a loss.

Coast redwoods once covered two million acres of the California coast. Logging started in 1850, and today about five percent of that ancient forest is left standing. Redwood National and State Parks protects roughly 130,000 acres, and inside it grows about 45 percent of every old-growth coast redwood remaining on the planet. That is the whole story in one sentence: what you walk through here is most of what is left.

The trees themselves reach up to 380 feet, go 26 feet thick, and live past 2,000 years, all of it fed by fog off the Pacific. And here is the turn. The tallest known tree, Hyperion, sits off-trail in a closed area, and the Park Service will tell you plainly that it is not worth the trip: skinny trunk, no view of the crown from the ground, and hiking into the closure can earn you a fine. The best trees here are all on maintained trail.

What do I need to know before visiting Redwood National and State Parks?

There are no entrance stations and no entrance fee at Redwood, which is unusual enough that the park does not even sell America the Beautiful passes. Day-use fees apply at three spots (Jedediah Smith, Gold Bluffs Beach, and Elk Prairie Picnic Area), they are cash only on site, and federal or California State Parks pass holders skip them. Reservations are required for exactly three things: Fern Canyon trailhead parking and the Gold Bluffs Beach day-use area between May 15 and September 15, and Tall Trees trailhead parking year-round, all online only. Everything else, including the four scenic drives and over 100 miles of trail, you just show up for.

How does access work, and what should I book?

Book the three reservations first, because they are the only hard gates. Fern Canyon in summer is one vehicle permit per car, and Tall Trees Grove needs a trailhead reservation every day of the year. Both come from the park's website, not from a kiosk you can talk your way past.

Then think about roads, because the good ones are not the highway. Howland Hill Road is ten miles of mostly unpaved lane through Jedediah Smith, about 45 minutes and not advised for RVs or trailers. Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is ten paved miles through the heart of Prairie Creek and the single best half hour of driving in the park. Bald Hills Road climbs 17 steep miles from US 101 into open prairie. Coastal Drive Loop runs nine miles with a one-way northbound section and no motor homes at all. Davison Road, the way to Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon, has two stream crossings and a high-clearance vehicle is the smart call after rain.

Camping is four developed campgrounds run through ReserveCalifornia: Jedediah Smith, Mill Creek, Elk Prairie, and Gold Bluffs Beach, at $35 a night as of 2026, bookable from 48 hours to six months out. Backcountry camps need a free online permit, and those permits are not issued at visitor centers anymore.

What is it actually like out there?

Quiet in a way that is hard to prepare for. Fog sits in the canopy, everything drips, and sound goes flat. The forest floor is sorrel and sword fern, and the trunks disappear upward before you can see where they end.

Stout Grove is the half-mile loop everyone should walk, flat and dense and unreasonable. Grove of Titans is 1.7 miles out and back on an elevated boardwalk the park built specifically to stop people from trampling the ferns, and it is the most impressive short walk in the parks. Boy Scout Tree Trail is 5.5 miles and 900 feet for people who want the forest to themselves.

South of the Klamath, Lady Bird Johnson Grove is a 1.5-mile ridgeline loop with a small lot that fills fast on busy days. Karl Knapp is a 2.5-mile accessible loop from the Prairie Creek Visitor Center. Trillium Falls is 2.75 miles with a waterfall, or half a mile if you just want the falls. And Fern Canyon is the one that shows up in everybody's photos: 50-foot walls covered in ferns, and you should expect to walk through ankle to knee-deep water to see it.

Tall Trees Grove is the deep cut. It is a reserved trailhead, a gravel access road, and a 4.5-mile round trip down into a grove on Redwood Creek. Do that one if you have the day.

Can I do this with a dog?

Not on the trails, and that is the whole answer. Leashed dogs on a six-foot maximum leash are allowed in developed campgrounds, at picnic areas, on public roads and parking areas, and on beaches with road access, which means Crescent, Gold Bluffs, and Freshwater. Trails, ranger programs, and buildings are off limits. Service animals go everywhere.

The workaround the rangers themselves recommend is walking the roads. Walker Road and Cal Barrel Road both run through genuine old-growth and both allow leashed pets, so you get the same trees at walking pace. Visitor centers also run a Bark Ranger program, which is a good consolation prize for a dog that just spent a day in the car.

Bringing kids?

Redwood rewards short legs. Big Tree Wayside is a half-mile loop off the Drury Parkway. Revelation Trail is a 0.3-mile loop built for visually impaired visitors and works beautifully for small kids. Fern Canyon is a wading trip through a green slot canyon, which is about as good as a family hike gets, so bring shoes you do not mind soaking.

The wildlife does the rest. Roosevelt elk graze at Elk Prairie, Elk Meadow, and Gold Bluffs Beach, often right beside the road. Stay 75 feet back, and further during the fall rut and spring calving when they get genuinely aggressive.

Stay safe

The ocean is the real hazard. Sneaker waves arrive without warning and pull people in, rising tides can trap you against a cliff with no way out, and the coastline sits in a tsunami hazard zone, so if you feel an earthquake, head for high ground. Check tide tables before any beach walk and never turn your back on the water.

In the forest, watch for falling limbs in high wind, stay off crumbling bluff edges, and expect wet, foggy roads with wildlife on them. Poison oak and ticks are common, so long sleeves and staying on trail earn their keep. Climbing redwoods is illegal without a research permit, and drones are prohibited across the entire park.

FAQs

Is Redwood National Park free to visit?

Yes. Redwood National Park has no entrance stations and charges no entrance fee, and it does not sell federal America the Beautiful passes. Three day-use areas do charge a fee, payable in cash on site, and holders of federal or California State Parks passes are exempt. Camping and some parking reservations are separate costs.

Do you need a reservation for Fern Canyon?

Yes, between May 15 and September 15. Each vehicle driving to the Fern Canyon trailhead and the Gold Bluffs Beach day-use area needs an online reservation during that window, and reservations are not required the rest of the year. Expect to hike through ankle to knee-deep water once you are in the canyon.

Where can you see the tallest trees at Redwood National and State Parks?

Tall Trees Grove holds some of the largest trees accessible to visitors, reached by a 4.5-mile round-trip hike from a trailhead that requires a free year-round reservation. Grove of Titans, Stout Grove, and Lady Bird Johnson Grove all deliver massive old-growth with much less effort. Hyperion, the tallest known tree, sits inside a closed area with no trail and the park asks visitors not to seek it out.

Can you bring dogs to Redwood National and State Parks?

Only off the trails. Leashed dogs on a leash of six feet or less are allowed in developed campgrounds, picnic areas, parking areas, public roads, and beaches with road access such as Crescent, Gold Bluffs, and Freshwater. Dogs are not permitted on park trails, at ranger programs, or inside buildings. Walker Road and Cal Barrel Road are the best old-growth walks you can do with a dog.

What is the best time of year to visit Redwood National Park?

Late spring through early fall gives you the driest trails, the seasonal footbridges in place, and the most reliable road conditions, though it also brings the Fern Canyon reservation window and the crowds. Fog is normal all summer and rain is normal all winter, so pack layers regardless. Winter visits are quiet, green, and completely viable if you accept wet weather.

Put it on the map

Redwood is park #31 of 63 on the McSenderson US National Parks Map, and it is one of the easiest to underestimate from the scratch-off before you go. Plan the rest of the run with the full 63-park guide, and if big trees are the reason you are going, pair it with Sequoia for the widest trunks on earth and Olympic for more temperate rainforest up the same coast.

Ryan Laboy — Co-founder, McSenderson. Single-digit handicap golfer and ten-year skier based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Researches and designs every McSenderson map. hello@mcsenderson.com