Four Great Redwood Hikes in Northern California

If you have a big birthday, I think you should celebrate big! I had been thinking about a BIG trip for my recent BIG birthday for several years.  Chris and I love to hike, so I was planning a week each in Dominica and St. Lucia to “hike the Caribbean.” I had been saving houses on Airbnb and researching hikes. Let me tell you there are some great houses on both islands! Its always interesting how things can change so quickly.

How We Went Ended up in the Trees

Lat summer, I had a skin cancer scare that put me out of commission for 4-6 weeks. Everything went well and the doctor gave me a clean bill of health along with some very strict instructions about sunscreen, hats, long sleeves, sunscreen, staying out of the sun in general, and more sunscreen.

One day after it was all over, out of the blue I asked Chris how he felt about going to Northern California to hike among the redwoods instead of going to the Caribbean. To his credit, he was open, and after my explanation about not wanting to have to worry about the sun and sunscreen in the Caribbean he was all for it. So, I started planning out trip to hike in the shade of the big trees.

 We just got back last week from out trip and I have to say it was magical! The trees are HUGE in every sense of the word and there’s not just one or two. Thanks to the dedicated work of many volunteers who wanted to preserve these magnificent trees, there are thousands of acres of these beautiful trees, many more than 300 feet tall. Think about that.  The trees are as tall as a football field is long!

We flew into San Francisco and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway into Oregon which is an incredible trip in its own right. Today, though, I want to share with you four hikes in the redwoods that you might want to add to your list if you happen to be in the area.

1. Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail, Redwood National Forest

This trail is an easy, fairly level, 1.3 mile loop located close to Orick, California in the Redwood National Forest. It is supposed to get pretty busy in high season, but at the end of May there were only a handful of other hikers on the trail with us.

From the parking lot you take the pedestrian bridge over the road to the start of the loop. They have a box with educational pamphlets that are free if you return them after your hike.  We took one and were glad we did. The 10-12 numbered stops along the trail explain how redwoods grow, how they withstand forest fires, and other interesting facts about these magnificent trees. It was a thoroughly pleasant walk through the woods.

2. Founders Grove and Mahan Plaque Trail, Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Located on the spectacular Avenue of the Giants, these two trails can be done separately, or together to form a 1.5 mile figure eight trail. The Avenue of the Giants is worth the drive and runs parallel to the main highway. You spend 30+ miles driving through a magnificent redwood forest.  These trails are not so well marked, but with the road never too far away you don’t worry so much about getting lost.

It is so quiet in the forest, the pine needles making for a cushioned walk and everyone talking quietly (even the kids) and in awe of the trees.  Two things that surprised us. The first being that there is clover growing everywhere under the trees. When there’s no clover, there are ferns. Different varieties, different leaves, different sizes. With the trees being so tall, you start to understand what it must be like to be an ant.

Again, the trail is mostly level and we didn’t see a huge number of people, but they say this trail does get busy the later you get into the summer.

3. Tall Trees Grove Trail, Redwood National Park

If you want a quiet trail, guaranteed not to be crowded, the Tall Trees Grove Trail is the one for you.  Each day, only fifty people are allowed on the trail minimizing human impact to the trees. Before going to the trailhead, go to the Kuchel Visitor’s Center to get a pass (and the combination to the gate lock) and register. It is free, but done on a first come, first served basis.

From the visitor’s center, you drive about 7 miles to the gate. They change the combination frequently so don’t think you can save it and use it another day. After going through the gate, its another 6 mile drive on a well-graded gravel road.

The hike itself is 3.3 miles total out and back trail. Going out you’re going down (the elevation change is just under 750 feet) which means that coming back its uphill all the way. Every corner you come around you’re convinced that you’ve seen the tallest tree, until you go around the next corner. We lucked out and the sun came out right after we started and gave us some gorgeous lighting and blue sky filtered through the trees.

The actual Tall Trees Grove is at the end of the trail which forms a small loop that goes through the grove.  The ferns are spectacular and cover the forest floor. Some of them approaching six feet tall there are some benches and fallen trees that are great spots to sit and take in the majesty of the trees.

4. Arcata Community Forest

This is not one specific hike, but rather a whole forest located adjacent to Humboldt State University. It’s home to a series of trails. I just think this is a cool spot because it is the result of the community of Arcata coming together to buy hundreds of acres of redwood forest to protect it from developers.

We spent an afternoon roaming from trail to trail enjoying the quiet. Every now and then you could here the kids on the playground next to the forest, but for the most part its just you and the trees. While the trails are well marked, the map of the trails (online and on the board at the start of the trails) is not so easily deciphered.

We also found a great example of a fairy ring of mature redwoods which was very cool to see. A fairy ring is one of the ways a redwood regenerates. We saw several “baby” fairy rings of very young trees around a still living tree. This one had more mature trees that formed an almost perfect circle and the “mother” tree was long gone.

We did many more hikes during our week in northern California. There are several other parks – state and national – in the area. Some are off the beaten path making the drive as much fun as the hike. Some take you past wineries (great to stop off after a hike😊). I think you really can’t go wrong hiking anywhere amongst the redwoods. It was a moving experience for us.

Have you hiked the redwoods? What are some of your favorite hikes?