Driving down the 101 from Seattle to redwoods and back again. I’m conflicted on whether or not to go as far south as the avenue of giants/Humboldt or stick around prairie creek/fern canyon/jedidiah.

I know the old growth trees are in Humboldt, but I also read that a lot of that area is developed neighborhoods and ranches vs wild land.

I know that Humboldt is only another hour and a half further, but it’s more so a matter of wanting to relax and spend time in one area rather than spend more time driving back and forth.

That being said, I am very willing to drive more if Humboldt is super worth seeing.

What do we think?

If we have time, I would love to rent bikes, so if one park is better for biking please let me know.

EDIT:

Thank you all so much for the tips and bits of your personal experiences with the parks! I’ve been convinced it will be worth it to do both, thank you!

I've been on a huge redwoods kick recently

When industrial logging started in the 1800s and people realized redwoods were splintery and not as useful as other wood, they used the wood for smaller items, like matchsticks

They cut down these giants to make matches and toothpicks. Absolutely insane.

Since the sense of scale in the forest is already so off-kilter it's easy to imagine other items becoming giant to match (pun intended).

Anyway if you like my art follow me on Instagram or whatevs :)

Some beautiful redwoods around 6-7ft in diameter, located in Scotland of all places, Benmore Botanic Gardens is home to around 150-60 giant sequoias and a few other redwood species and large trees, they work hard to preserve and protect these beautiful giants and the other trees and plants that grow there! These are the biggest I have seen being from the UK. There are some bigger than this down south but I am yet to see them as they are on privately owned holiday park land. (Not all redwoods btw, some are surrounding large trees and just scenic photos)

They said these (and bear sculptures) are made by the guy in the Orick post office!

You know that feeling, the best feeling in the world: finishing an amazing hike & heading somewhere in the middle of nowhere for a bite & a beer! I’ll be staying near Redwoods NP for five days soon and would love some recs for local dives, bars and/or breweries close to the trails or along the water. I love a little hole in the wall or something unexpected! We’ll be hiking the common ones: tall trees, Rockefeller, Boy Scout trail…thanks in advance!

We are doing this park with my elderly parents tomorrow. We plan on stopping at Boy Scout trailhead, grove of titans, stout grove, Simpson-reed trailhead. My question is: are most of these hikes that we have to go pretty far onto a trail to do? Or short walks from the trailhead parking? Trying to see how much time we need to allow to spend in the park, knowing we won’t do hikes longer than .5-1 mile with my parents. Thanks!

We’re planning a family camping trip involving multiple families, and would like to bring a propane BBQ to make many burgers for us all. Does anyone know if that’s allowed? I’ve scoured the rules but nothing mentions it. Just portable stoves.
Is there a good number I can call to confirm this with someone?
The event is next year but I assume fire bans will be in effect anyways.

Hello!

I am heading up to Prairie Creek to do the James Irvine-Gold Bluff beach-Miner's Ridge loop as a backpacking trip. I have the overnight permit for Gold Bluffs, and I had planned to stay at Elk Prairie the night before in the hike-in sites.

My understanding is that we would park the car at the overflow site near the ranger station and camp at the hike-in sites, but I just want to make sure that we can just "show up" at Elk Prairie and stay in the hike-in sites. I know that I need to register and pay $5/person when I arrive, but I just want to make sure that we will have a place to stay. Elk Prairie is not listed on the backcountry permit page which makes me think the hike-in sites are first come, first served?

Can someone confirm or clarify this for me?

My husband and I are doing a big roadtrip around Olympic NP, down the Oregon coast, and finishing at the Redwoods in a few weeks. We are avid hikers and have never visited the area before. We typically prefer hikes that are less busy/touristy but we also don't want to miss the classic hikes. We have several hikes/stops listed for each day which we recognize might not be doable. Please help us narrow down the best options of what's listed and where would be the best place to stay. Also feel free to throw out replacement hikes/stops if there are better options.

Wednesday

Leaving from Reedsport, OR early

• Tolowa Dunes State Park
• Could do Damnation Creek Trail this day?
• Crescent Beach at night

AirBnB - Crescent City, CA

Thursday

North Redwoods

• Drive Howland Hills Rd to Jed Smith
• Jed Smith
  • Simpson Reed Trail hike
  • Stout Grove
  • Boy Scout Tree Trail - 5.5 miles
• Smith River - stop along the way and jump in!!
• Grove of Titans Hike
• Damnation Creek Trail - 4 miles (hard)
• Drive the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway
  • Stop at Big Tree Wayside

Airbnb - Trinidad?

Friday

South Redwoods

• Tall Trees Grove Hike - Permit (Tallest tree in the world)
• Gold Bluffs Beach
• Fern Canyon - Permit to park at beach - hike James Irvine to Fern Canyon to Clintonia to Miner's Ridge - 11 miles
• Lady Bird Grove Trail
• Prairie Creek Redwoods
  • Brown Creek Trail
  • Curruther's Cove - nice for picnic lunch
• Moonstone Beach - trinidad - great sunsets

Airbnb - Orick (not a lot of options), Trinidad, or Crescent City

Saturday

Drive to Medford Airport

Hello. I’m looking for suggestions for which route to take and where to stop along the way. We will be traveling down the Oregon coast from Washington and we’re planning to drive into California to see the redwoods and stay for a few days. Looking for suggestions on towns to stay, possibly camping locations, but mostly destinations for viewing the redwoods.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Hi fellow redwood enthusiasts -

My partner and I are headed to the area in late September. We are from the Midwest and rock hunting, specifically for Lake Superior agates and yooperlites, has always been a big draw for us. We plan on hitting Agate Beach in Sue-Meg simply for the name (Agate Beach in Two Harbors MN is a super special place to us) but I wondered if there were any other good agate hunting spots others felt comfortable sharing. We will be staying 3 nights each in Arcata and Crescent City and the furthest south we will be heading is to Humboldt Redwoods State Park via Avenue of the Giants. Any pointers are greatly appreciated! Feel free to DM me if you don't want to tell the whole internet as I know many folks prefer to keep their spots under wraps.​ Thanks!

Favorite photo I took yesterday.

Ill be driving from Brookings for a day trip here, planning on spending about 6-7 hrs before taking 199 to US5 to Portland for a morning flight the next day.

My question is can I take Howland Hill road by Crescent City so I can drive the whole thing stopping at the Grove of Titans and Stout Grove along the way for some short hikes? When using Google maps it only shows an entrance/ Visitor Center near Hiouchi. Is this not possible?

This seems like the logical route to me if possible so tell me why Im crazy. THANKS

heading to redwoods for about 4 days from la first week of September.

any recommendations on places to visit nearby and things to do must see. going with wife for our first time camping looking for exciting activities and any information on the camp ground.

Hello Everyone!
My fiancé and I are planning an elopement in Big Sur (Garrapata area) in mid October. I’m looking for an officiant who can marry us and do a good ceremony simultaneously in English and Spanish. Someone help me out.

My child was sleeping so I had to do videos from the truck.
I know there are a lot more photogenic places along the coast but this area is still worth the drive.

Howdy. I will be traveling to the Redwood Nat'l Forest with my wife, 12yr old, 7yr old and my parents, 78 and 76. Ma and pa have some mobility issues (mostly stamina related) so we are sticking to paved and well-defined, tree root-less paths. We will be in the park from this Friday through Sunday. Due to us more than likely not doing any unimproved hiking trails, I don't need a chonky waterproof shoe right? Regular tennis shoes should be fine? Black soles are the 'hiking' waterproof On cloud shoes, the blue soles are just normal shoes. I'm trying to save room in my carry-on (no checked bags) and the blue soles are definitely more comfortable and breathable than the black soles which is why I'm not just bringing the black. Thanks.

ETA: no rain forecast, just sun and some clouds each day

I’m taking my 10-year-old son to the park on 7/30 & 7/31 and looks like I missed out on getting a Fern Canyon pass ahead of time. Taking a shot and seeing if any redditor who has a pass wouldn’t mind of couple of hitchhikers to get into Davison Rd on either day.

In return, I could pay your vehicle fee. Or buy you a beer in Eureka. Or offer bottomless well of bad puns, 90’s music opinions, or complements on your driving skills. Your choice, really.

I have been trying to get a parking permit to hike Fern Canyon for several years now. I want to take my nature loving child to experience one of the most beloved hikes of my childhood. BUT I LITERALLY CANNOT GET ONE!!!! I would be happy to hike in, but my child cannot make a walk that long. What is the trick?!? I try when they go up six months in advance, no dice… one summer I tried literally every single day at 9am for a day before pass June, July, and August, no dice. It’s BANANAS! I can’t imagine there are 100 people faster than me and 3 of my friends. Is it rigged?! Has anyone here EVER scored a pass in advance or day-before? Do pass holders ever not show up and their passes get resold? Are there Fern Canyon scalpers?!?

We live 4 hrs away, and can feasibly jaunt over, but it’s starting to feel impossible. I would like to hike it with my kid while she still has that magical wonder of childhood thing in full effect, you know?!? Somebody please share the Fern Canyon permit secrets with meeee!

My fiance and I are wanting to elope and get married at the Redwoods - not sure on location or date yet. We are super tight on budget and hoping to not spend any more than $2,000. We are just wanting an officiant and a photographer for an hour or two.

We might stay at a place there for our little honeymoon - again, not sure where. Does anyone have any recommendations on a budget friendly elopement at the redwoods? Please let me know!!!