Redwood National and State Parks

A network of parks, not one forest stop

On California’s far northern coast, Redwood National and State Parks protect a connected landscape of towering trees, rivers, prairies and Pacific shoreline. The name describes a partnership: Redwood National Park sits alongside three California state parks—Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek Redwoods. Together they cover nearly 139,000 acres, running from the Oregon border toward the communities around Orick. Distances between trailheads and viewpoints are real, so a visit works better as a regional itinerary than as a single walk among trees.

The coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, is the tallest living tree species. Some rise above 350 feet and may live for centuries or even millennia. Cool ocean air and fog help keep this narrow coastal habitat moist; the forest floor is not a theme-park grove but a layered ecosystem of ferns, fungi, nurse logs and younger trees. UNESCO recognizes the parks for protecting one of the largest remaining contiguous ancient coast redwood forests in its original forest and stream setting.

The protected landscape reaches well beyond the redwood canopy. Its 37 miles of coastline, streams, wooded slopes and open prairies create habitats for species such as Roosevelt elk, salmon and marbled murrelets. A short drive can move from a shaded grove to an exposed bluff or beach. Fog, rain and wind are part of the coastal climate, and a route that looks easy on a map may take longer when the road is narrow, unpaved or temporarily closed.

Indigenous homelands and a history of logging

The Yurok, Tolowa and Chilula peoples have long-standing relationships with lands now within the parks, and Indigenous communities continue to live in the region. Their histories and cultural knowledge are not a preface to the forest but part of its present. Visitor centers and park interpretation include Native histories, while respectful travel means following access rules, not disturbing cultural places and recognizing that these are living homelands.

Commercial logging transformed the northern California coast after the mid-nineteenth-century rush for timber and gold. By the early twentieth century, conservation advocates were trying to protect remaining groves. California established Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in 1923, Del Norte Coast in 1925 and Jedediah Smith in 1929. Congress created Redwood National Park in 1968, then expanded it in 1978 to protect more of the Redwood Creek watershed after logging had already altered large areas.

The four parks began cooperative management in 1994, and UNESCO added the property to the World Heritage List in 1980. Protection now includes repairing watersheds and streams, restoring forests affected by past logging, controlling invasive plants and using prescribed fire to maintain prairie and forest conditions. The current scenery can therefore include both old-growth groves and younger stands recovering from industrial cutting. Restoration is ongoing work, not evidence that every acre has returned to its earlier state.

Choose a grove, coastal walk or scenic drive

Jedediah Smith Redwoods is known for old-growth forest along the Smith River and for the narrow, winding Howland Hill Road. Prairie Creek offers redwood trails, open meadows where Roosevelt elk may be seen at a distance, and the route of Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. In the south, access to the coast and viewpoints opens up near Orick and the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Check road restrictions before driving: some scenic routes are not suitable for large recreational vehicles or trailers.

Fern Canyon is a striking coastal ravine where walls of ferns rise beside a seasonal creek. It is also a popular, sensitive destination with limited parking. The current park guide requires reservations for Fern Canyon trailhead parking during summer and for the Tall Trees trailhead; rules and windows can change. Seasonal footbridges may be installed or removed according to water levels. A permit or parking reservation controls access to a specific area, not entry to every trail in the park.

Walking is the best way to notice how the forest changes from old-growth trunks to younger trees, prairie edges and wetland. Trails can be muddy, slippery or blocked by fallen trees after winter storms. Tide pools and beaches require attention to tides and surf; rivers can rise quickly. Carry food, water and layers, and download maps before leaving town. Campsites and backcountry areas follow separate rules, and some require reservations or free permits obtained in advance.

Plan around distance, weather and access

Five visitor centers help orient travelers across the long park corridor. The National Park Service provides a 2026 visitor guide, maps, current-condition notices and information about campground availability. Crescent City is a useful northern service base; Orick is near central and southern park facilities. Do not assume that a visitor center, café or fuel stop will be open when you arrive: hours vary, and the parks have large stretches without services.

At the time of writing, park guidance calls for online reservations at certain high-demand trailheads, and current road or trail closures are listed by the National Park Service. Check those pages shortly before travel, especially for Fern Canyon, Tall Trees and narrow scenic roads. State-park campgrounds and services may have their own fees and booking systems. The combined park has no single schedule or admission desk that covers every site.

Redwood country is most memorable when the itinerary leaves room for more than the tallest tree. Give a grove time to become quiet, then follow a river, prairie or ocean overlook to see how the coast shapes the forest. Learn whose homeland you are visiting, stay on marked paths and leave fallen wood and plants where they are. The redwoods’ scale is astonishing, but the larger story is how forest, water, people and restoration remain connected.