Enjoy 3 days of a coast full of Redwoods

3 day itinerary

The beautiful northern Californian coastline hosts thousands of towering Redwood trees. By spending three days in Redwood National Park, you can enjoy the beaches and rocky shorelines, the mist shrouded forests, and view it all from above at Redwood Creek Overlook!

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Day 1

Many visitors to San Francisco enjoy travelling just north to Muir Woods National Monument, a small group of Coastal Redwoods. But for those looking for the full Redwood experience - with all the scale and beauty that comes with it - then the full national park is the place to visit! At around 300 miles, or a 5 hour drive from San Fran, spending three days in Redwood NP is a great amount of time to make the trip up worthwhile.

Therefore, it's best to start at the south of the park. Interestingly what is typically named 'Redwood' is actually a series of small state parks and one larger national park. These come together to be classed as Redwood National and State Parks. Spend your first day in the actual main park itself. Pass Big & Stone Lagoons on your journey in, with the first stop being Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Consisting of a 1.5 mile loop-around walk, the trail is accessible year-round, and in the summer months has very well led ranger-hosted educational walks too. There is a well-loved plaque dedicated to Lady Bird Johnson who actively promoted the protection and creation of natural habitats in her role as First Lady. Such apt tribute to commemorate her work!

To conclude your day, Redwood Creek is located back close to Lady Bird Johnson Grove and is an unbeatable spot on lucky days when a spectacular cloud inversion mixes amongst the Redwood tree tops. Even without this, any decent weather will allow for a brilliant view to end your first day! With the long length of Redwood NP making it a little tiresome to traverse every day, consider staying within the park at one of the campsites relatively close by, such as Elk Prairie, or further off the beaten track at the dunes of Gold Bluffs Beach. To access Gold Bluffs take the unpaved Davison Road off of U.S. 101. Reservations are recommended if you are camping in the park, and almost certainly needed in the peak season of summer.

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Day 2

A coastal drive is todays recommendation! Stretched out along the coastline of California, this is a great way to explore Redwood NP and the surrounding areas which border it. The coastal Redwood trees make up 45% of the world’s remaining Redwoods, and line this drive throughout. Steller’s sea lions might also be seen today, so make sure to look out for them! Some days they can be seen playing or feeding, and others they can be very evasive!

There are plenty of great picnic site options along the route. Gold Bluffs Beach hosts a beautiful sandy bay with fishing possible if you didn't camp here the night before. Day use does also require a permit reservation between mid-May and mid-September nowadays, so plan ahead if you can. Use the beach to slow down the pace of your day if you would like. Farther up Gold Bluffs Beach is an easy 3/4 of a mile, 20-30-minute trail that loops through a steep, 50-foot-high canyon with walls covered by lush ferns. You might need to wear waterproof boots for the Fern Canyon Trail if there has been recent rain which often lingers in the small canyon.

Another good spot to spend time at today is the Klamath River area. Requa Road takes you to the river overlook, and just north of here are some nice small trails, including Yurok Loop Trail at Lagoon Creek.

Finish your journey along U.S. Route 101 in the evening, with plenty of viewpoints to stop at - displaying cliffs, beaches and rocky outcrops jutting out into the Pacific Ocean. One of the best is Crescent Beach Overlook where your eyes will follow the curved coastline all the way to the small distant sea stacks around Crescent City & Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge. Access this viewpoint via Enderts Beach Road, with a quick stop at Vista Point nearby. Mill Creek is the closest campsite for the night, or venture just outside the park to Crescent City itself for more structured accommodation if you fancy.

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Day 3

Your final day in Redwood consists of two more of the smaller state parks, in the northern reaches - Del Norte Coast & Jedediah Smith. Return close to the previous evenings location, with Enderts Beach a rugged landscape that is a half-mile descent. It's also a great place for tidepooling to see some of the small creatures hosted by the Pacific.

Our second pick of the day is the road through Jeddiah Smith, where you can almost brush redwoods as you slowly drive past. Howland Hill Road will take about an hour, ending up near Hiouchi which hosts a visitor centre. Much of the road is narrow and muddy, even in summer, with part of the 10 mile road being a former stage coach road. This should give you an idea what parts of the road may look like! Once you reach Hiouchi, start the newly completed trail "Grove of Titans", which celebrates some of the parks most remarkably shaped and tall trees. A slightly elevated boardwalk protects the forest underneath from being trampled and damaged as you enjoy 1.5 miles of these incredible creatures and understand their adaptations which has enable them to thrive.

You can return towards the coast at your leisure via U.S. 199, with a stop off at Simpson-Reed Grove if you'd like, another short trail but one that is far more accessible, taking up very little time or energy. Important to consider after a busy few days! Meander back to Crescent City where you can watch sunset close to Battery Point Lighthouse. The historic structure makes for a stunning foreground if you get lucky with the weather and are blessed with a colourful sunset to end your Northern Californian adventure!

If you want to check out all that Redwood has to offer, then look over our complete Redwood National Park guide! Or visit this American classic as part of our Pacific Coast Flyer road trip itinerary!