Redwood National Park
There’s something humbling about standing beneath a tree that’s been alive for over a thousand years. Redwood National and State Parks offer a serene, almost sacred experience among the tallest trees on Earth. Our May visit was a perfect time of the year for hiking and exploration of this large and intertwined National/State Park geography. We experienced mild weather and coastal fog in the early morning that gave way to sunlight by mid-morning. Basically, perfect hiking weather.
Our first day in the park included stops at some of the visitor centers to get a good lay of the land, park maps (we always plan with National Geographic Maps, but the park maps are always the best). Two short hikes were on the agenda for the day as well: 1) the Stout Grove Trail to see a grove of giant Redwoods and 2) the Yurok Trail which took us along the coastline with great views of the Pacific Ocean. Pictures below for both hikes.
On day two we hiked the Tall Trees Trail, which offered a quieter, more intimate experience to experience a special grove of Redwoods since it’s by permit only and only 50 permits are issued each day. You can walk for miles under the towering canopy and hear nothing but birdsong, the rustle of leaves, and your own footsteps on the soft forest floor. We went off trail a bit and explored the Redwood Creek (seemed more like a river). A little over 3 miles in total but a highly recommend hike.
The next hike for day two was the Trillium Falls Trail. We hiked a short distance to Trillium Falls which was super cool. After the Falls we continued onto the remainder of the looped trail and we were glad we did. The Trees, Ferns and Scenery was outstanding. The overall hike was about 4 miles but it was well worth the effort.
The last hike for the day was on the Coastal Trail. We stared the hike on a bluff/cliff facing and went straight down about one mile and then onto the beach where the trail followed the beach and coastline. You just cannot beat a beach trailer with zero people. We saw no one on the beach part of the trail. One person was on the trail on the way back to the top. We have posted below some super pictures of the Pacific Ocean and beach for this hike.
Overall, the Redwood National Park and State Park are well worth the effort to make the trip to this somewhat remote area. The hikes are great and peaceful along with the beautiful coastline of the Pacific Ocean. We did see Elk near the Prairie Creek Visitor Center and pictures are posed below.
