Two Days in Redwoods National Park

Home of the tallest trees on Earth, Redwoods National Park feels like a different world. Hiking through the park makes you feel like a kid again amongst these giants. If you get the chance to spend even a few hours, take the opportunity to experience one of the most amazing national parks in the USA. Use our guide below to help plan out your time in the park.

How do you get to the park?

The park is located in northern California, roughly 6 hours from San Francisco or Sacramento, California and almost 7 hours from Portland Oregon. The drive from all three cities is scenic, but the drive from San Francisco includes an optional scenic drive down a road called Avenue of the Giants. The road weaves through miles of towering trees, and makes for great photo opportunities along the way. The optional drive runs along US Highway 101.

If given the choice, we highly recommend the drive from San Francisco, so you can take the Avenue of the Giants. The road is definitely worth the extra time and stops.

Where to stay in and around the park?

There are no actual lodges within the national park itself, but there are some campgrounds. If you are a big camper, this is a great and affordable way to see the park. Check out the national park website here for campground information.

There are some lodges in the nearby state campgrounds – Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and Jedediah Smith Redwoods National Park. The cabins book up months in advance, so plan ahead.

For our trip, we stayed in an Airbnb in Eureka. There are tons of Airbnb options in the area and these are really great options for finding a reasonably priced alternative to a cabin or fancy hotel room. We chose an Airbnb in Eureka to be walking distance to dinner and breakfast options. If you are new to Airbnb, sign up here.

Day 1 – Exploring the Park

Assuming your driving in to the area on day 1, most of your day is lost to getting here. If you start early, you can be in the park by early afternoon. If you are coming from San Francisco, don’t miss the scenic route along US Highway 101.

Start your first afternoon head over to the Elk Meadow for the Trillium Falls Trail. This is an easy hike, and you get a to see a lot of huge trees up close. The trail has some great spots for taking pictures and is good for all levels of hikers. The trail should take you around 1-2 hours depending on how quickly you walk it.

After your first hike, stop at the Prairie Creek Visitors Center to get park information and ask a park ranger about elk or bear sightings in the area. Elk come out more around sunrise and sunset around the visitor’s center, but ask the park ranger where they have been seen recently.

Spend the rest of your day either driving the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway and stopping at your leisure, or take Davidson Road to Golds Bluff Beach and Fern Canyon. Trailers and RVs are not allowed on Davidson Road and you should only drive down the dirt road if you have a vehicle that can handle the rough road.

After exploring the park, head back to your lodging for a nice dinner and relaxing. Get a good nights rest for the next day so you can do the Tall Trees Grove hike.

Day 2 – Hiking through the Trees

Start your second day by heading to the Kuchel Information Center to pick up a permit to the Tall Trees Grove. The park only allows 50 permits per day, so get there early to make sure you get one. Bring a packed lunch to eat once you finish the trail or during your hiking.

Once you have your permit, head for the Bald Hills Road turnoff. The Tall Trees Grove turnoff is a dirt road, so make sure your vehicle can handle the dirt road. At the end of the dirt road is small parking lot and the starting point for the hike.

The hike will take roughly 4 hours from leaving the welcome center to hiking the loop. The moderate trail is four miles round trip and fairly steep at times. The return trip will take much longer and harder than the trip down to the grove of trees. At the base of the grove there is a trail that runs along the creek. If you have extra time or want to take a break, this is a nice place to relax or enjoy another part of the park.

After making back to your car, head back to Bald Hills Road. Take a left onto Bald Hills Road you can drive all the way to the top of Schoolhouse Peak. The views from the top of the peak area are amazing and definitely worth the visit.

Head back down Bald Hills Road after enjoying the sites. Check out the Lady Bird Johnson Grove near the beginning of Bald Hills Road for another easy but worthwhile hike. The hike is around a mile and very easy. The Lady Bird Johnson Grove is the dedication site of the national park.

If you are not too tired, check out some of the other hikes or check out one of the nearby state parks.

Other Activities around Redwoods

There are a number of activities around the national park. If you are interested in kayaking, biking, fishing, backpacking or even whale watching, there are definitely options for everyone.

There are also ranger led programs and talks that are held in or around the park. Ask the park ranger at any of the visitors centers for a list of programs and topics for talks.

Additionally the infamous drive through tree is located just off of US Hwy 101 along the way back to San Francisco. The tree attraction does cost $10, but you get the chance to take that picture of your car in the middle of a tree. We saw some pretty large vehicles make it through, but to be safe, stick to a smaller SUV or car.

Hopefully this helps plan your trip to Redwoods National Park, but feel free to contact us with questions or comment below.