Redwood National Park, situated on the Pacific coast of northwest California in the western United States, is a World Natural Heritage Site under the jurisdiction of the U.S. National Park Service and was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1980.
The park is renowned for its primary forest of redwood trees, which are the world's tallest plants, reaching heights of up to 350 feet. With more than 170 square kilometers of 100-year-old forests, it has the largest remaining redwood forest in the world. The mild and humid climate and the proximity to the ocean create extremely favorable conditions for the growth of redwoods.
The redwoods in the park are not just tall, but jaw-droppingly huge, with the tallest of them reaching 379 feet/116 meters, taller than a 35-story building. To visit the grove, you must obtain a free permit from the Kuchel Visitor Center, and then drive the 45-minute journey to the grove trailhead. The road to the grove is narrow, so the park administration limits the number of vehicles entering the park to keep the number of visitors in check.
From the trailhead, follow the trail downhill for 1.3 miles/2.1 km to the woods, which are on a wet floodplain bordered by Sequoia Creek. All the trees in the grove are very tall, with the Libby Tree being the most notable, standing at 368 feet/112 meters tall and once thought to be the tallest tree in the world. However, in 2006, a 379-foot/116-meter tall redwood was discovered, whose location has been kept under wraps, but it must be somewhere within this watershed. There are several side roads in the woods that lead to the gravel banks of Sequoia Creek, where you can relax with a book in the summertime.
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, located northeast of Crescent City, offers redwoods in the shade, where you can pitch your tent. The campground is well developed, with 86 campsites in a swampy area of ferns and primeval trees along the Smith River. The 340-foot/104-meter tall Stout Tree and Mammoth can be visited on foot from the campsite, or you can drive the 10-mile/16-kilometer dirt road along Howland Hill Road through a pristine redwood forest with beautiful views.
Further south, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park near Orrick offers camping opportunities on the windy golden bluff beach or the well-developed elk meadow. You may even spot a giant Roosevelt horse deer walking by your tent. Only 26 campsites are available at Golden Cliffs Beach on a first-come, first-served basis, while 75 campsites are available at Elk Meadow and can be reserved in advance. Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park is located a few miles south of Crescent City, and its campground is nestled in a replanted redwood alder forest near Mill Creek, with 145 campsites. Private campsites are also available locally.
If you prefer a campground with bathrooms, flush toilets, and other amenities, the State Park campground is the best choice. For a more intimate atmosphere, Sequoia National Park offers a large number of backpacker campsites within three miles of walking distance of the campground. These campsites are more rustic, so you must bring your own drinking water and take your trash with you.
