Redwood National and State Parks

The old-growth-with-kids stop on the federal side: a 1.4-mile loop on a mostly flat path at about 2,000 feet, reached off Bald Hills Road. Old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) that a tired kid or a stroller can manage. The grove was dedicated in 1969, with President Nixon presiding and the Johnsons and Governor Reagan attending. The marine layer sits in these trees most mornings, so the loop is usually misty and a rain layer earns its place in the pack even in July. This is Yurok (Oohl) homeland; the upland old-growth here is part of the territory the NPS co-manages with the Yurok Tribe today.

Walls 30 to 80 feet high, draped in seven fern species fed by year-round seep water, with the canyon floor a creek you walk through. Kids get wet feet here, so pack waterproof shoes. A free reservation is required May 15 to September 15, and a $12 Gold Bluffs Beach day-use fee applies, both through the Redwood Parks Conservancy; America the Beautiful passes are accepted in place of the day-use fee. Davison Road in is generally open May to September and closed in winter. The canyon stood in for prehistoric jungle in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which older kids may recognize. This stop sits in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

A 0.5-mile loop, essentially flat, on the Smith River flat in the north of the joint park. It holds some of the largest trees by volume in the system, packed into a short walk. Good for families based near Crescent City who do not want to drive the full 50-mile length to the southern groves. The grove can flood in high water on the Smith River, so check conditions in winter and spring. This is Tolowa (Dee-ni') homeland, Smith River basin, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Holds the former world-champion Howard Libbey Tree, recorded at 367.8 feet by the 1963 National Geographic survey that put the park on the national map. The Yurok and their neighbors lived among these trees for thousands of years before that measurement. Reached by a free, daily-capped permit booked through the Redwood Parks Conservancy, capped at 65 reservations a day, so book a few days out. The hike down to the grove and back is the longest of the marquee stops. Plan it as an older-kids half-day, not a quick look. Redwood Creek runs through Yurok and Chilula homeland.

A high bluff above the mouth of the Klamath, where the river meets the Pacific. It is one of the few places in the parks that trades forest interior for ocean and river in a single view. Gray whales pass offshore in migration season, roughly November to December heading south and March to April heading north. A drive-up overlook with a short walk. The river mouth is central to Yurok (Oohl) life: a fishery and travel corridor in active use today.

125 acres near Orick, at the south end of the park, being returned to the Yurok Tribe: the first land of its kind transferred back inside this joint park. The March 2024 Memorandum of Understanding among the Yurok Tribe, the Save the Redwoods League, the NPS, and California State Parks set conveyance for 2026, after the Redwoods Gateway and Prairie Creek restoration finishes. The planned Yurok-built gateway will interpret the parks from a Yurok perspective. This is changing ground, not a finished stop: as of mid-2026 the site is still under construction, so confirm whether it is open before routing a day around it. (NPR covered the agreement.)

Sits at the south end of the Newton B. Drury Parkway, beside Elk Prairie, where Roosevelt elk graze morning and evening within sight of the sites. An old-growth campground reservable through ReserveCalifornia. This is the campground that puts a family closest to the Prairie Creek groves, Big Tree, and the elk meadow without a drive. It sits in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

On the Smith River in the north of the joint park, the base camp for Stout Grove and the Crescent City side. The Smith is the largest free-flowing river in California, and the campground sits in Tolowa (Dee-ni') territory. Best for families who want the northern groves and a swimmable river bar in warm weather. Reservable through ReserveCalifornia, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

A drive-up coastal pullout south of Crescent City on Enderts Beach Road, looking down the shoreline. It faces the sunset and gives a quick ocean stop on the north end without a hike, the counterpart to the Klamath River Overlook farther south. This is the federal park.

An easy old-growth loop on the federal side: 1.4 miles, near level along an upland bench, crossing a footbridge to start. Flat enough for a stroller on the firm sections and usually misty in the marine layer. Trailhead off Bald Hills Road, no fee, in Yurok (Oohl) homeland. The federal side carries no entrance fee.

About a mile, looping along and through the canyon creek between fern-covered walls. The grade is easy but the footing is wet: the route crosses the creek again and again, so waterproof shoes are not optional and kids will get wet feet. A free reservation is required May 15 to September 15, plus the $12 Gold Bluffs Beach day-use fee, both through the Redwood Parks Conservancy. Davison Road in is gravel and seasonal. This loop is in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

There is no in-park concessioner dining and no lodge restaurant anywhere in Redwood National and State Parks. All sit-down food is in the gateway towns: Crescent City in the north, Klamath in the middle, Orick in the south, or further south in Trinidad and Eureka. Crescent City has the diners, chowder houses, and casual seafood; Klamath and Orick are thin. The honest planning note is to fill the cooler in Crescent City or Eureka, because services thin out fast and US 101 has limited gas and food after dark between Eureka and Crescent City.

Drive-up wildlife viewing at Elk Prairie (Prairie Creek) and the Elk Meadow area, the dependable big-animal sighting here, with no hike required. Roosevelt elk are large; the NPS asks visitors to stay 50-plus yards back and never come between a cow and a calf. Dawn and dusk are the windows; the fall rut is the loudest stretch.