John R Soares - Hike the Parks: Redwood National & State Parks: Best Day Hikes, Walks, and Sights

Many trails in these parks are broad and flat.

You never forget the first time you stand among giant redwoods: the broad trunks rising higher and higher in the still air up to a dark green canopy. Perhaps the cool mist of fog envelops the forest, or perhaps you spot tiny patches of sunlight on the forest floor. Redwoods invoke a sense of the slow passage of time, an awareness that these trees were here for centuries before you were born and that they will remain long after you are gone.

The worlds largest redwoods and the most extensive old-growth redwood forests are in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties along the Pacific coast in the far north of California, the home of Redwood National and State Parks. This book is your guide to all the best places in the parks, along with adjacent state and federal lands.

Beyond the magnificent redwoods, the region also has one of the most rugged and beautiful stretches of coast in the entire United States. For much of it, steep slopes drop directly to the water, interspersed with small beaches. Other portions contain long and broad stretches of sand.

This book not only takes you to the best places to walk in this wild region, it also describes other activities that visitors can enjoy in the parks, from mountain biking to kayaking. Plus, it shares the logistical details you need to plan a trip: campgrounds, nearby towns, and options for services such as motels, restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations. Whatever you want to do in and near Redwood National and State Parks, from gentle strolls in redwood groves to challenging hikes down to isolated beaches or to observe the fascinating marine life of tide pools, youll find just what you need in these pages.

This combination of one national park and three state parks stands apart from its peers. Redwood National Park contains diverse and extensive holdings, from high ridges on nearby mountains on down to the coast. Its redwood groves, open prairies, and coastal areas often border the three state parks with which it is jointly managed.

The southernmost of these state parks, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, just west of US Highway 101, has a large number of redwood hikes, several trails that reach the coast, and an extensive prairie populated with Roosevelt elk.

Farther north, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park spans redwood slopes on both sides of US 101 south of Crescent City. It holds trails that traverse redwood forests and lead steeply down to the coast.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, home to major groves of large redwoods, lies east and north of Crescent City and is accessed by US Highway 199 and Howland Hill Road. The Smith River traverses the park, and several trails access its banks.

In addition, other nearby government lands offer excellent hiking opportunities and outdoor activities, from Trinidad and Patricks Point State Park in the south to Humboldt Lagoons State Park, Lake Earl Wildlife Area, and the Smith River National Recreation Area farther north.

Bisecting the entire region, US 101 is the main route for accessing the parks. See the US 101 road log () for distances to important roads, natural features, viewpoints, activities, and roadside trailheads.