Park's Arrangement - You may have noticed that Redwood National Park and California State Parks are now grouped together as "Redwood National and State Parks." This means that the three local state parks--Prairie Creek State Park, Del Norte S.P., and Jedediah Smith S.P.--as well as Redwood National Park are all one park now, administered and operated together. What this means to you is that you can obtain campground & trail information from almost any location or simply contact park headquarters in Crescent City. In addition, National Park Rangers like myself work alongside State Park Rangers in providing interpretive nature walks, campfire programs, tide pool exploration and other ranger-guided programs.

Southern Half of Park - When you are coming from the south just a few miles past the statue-smitten town of Orick, CA, make sure to turn off Highway 101 onto the "Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway." Originally this was the main highway, but because noisy trucks disturbed wandering wildlife and people, Caltrans decided to divert traffic. This alternative route is much more scenic too, so take it. Another wonderful drive is "Davidson Road" just south of the Scenic Parkway turn-off. Although this is a dirt road (with RV & trailer restrictions), it is well worth the dusty drive because it unfolds onto the Pacific Ocean and wandering herds of elk. In addition to this backdrop, at the end of the road lies Fern Canyon, a narrow box canyon draped with ferns and other lush plants splattered by rivulets of water. This half-mile loop is one of the more popular hikes.

Another popular drive is to the Tall Trees Grove, home of the tallest tree in the world. The tallest tree in the world is 367.8 feet tall. To see the Tall Trees grove, drivers must get a permit at Redwood Information Center, then drive down a windy dirt road off Bald Hills Road, after which you must hike to the bottom of Redwood Creek (about 1 mile in distance). This takes a lot of work and at least half of a day. So if you are limited on time and simply want to see tall trees, I suggest seeing the "Big Tree Wayside" off the Scenic Parkway instead. One last driving stop should be the "Klamath Overlook" via Requa Road, near the town of Klamath, CA off Highway 101. On this perched vista point overlooking the mouth of the mighty Klamath River, you can peer down upon the Klamath estuary swirling with a variety of birds and other wildlife, or peer onto the Pacific Ocean where you might see the barnacles of a humpback whale--even during the summer time. The Park Service, incidentally, offers Klamath estuary kayak trips during the summer.

Trails in the south - I recommend seeing Fern Canyon as mentioned earlier but by hiking into the backcountry from Prairie Creek Visitor Center toward it instead. (You can work your way from Fern Canyon inward toward the visitor center but there's no overnight parking.) Many trails fan out from this starting point, but the Irvine Finch trail is the most popular trail leading toward the ocean and Butler Creek Primitive Camp about eight (8) miles in. Many smaller trails also begin from the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, but overnight parking is also prohibited. The Tall Trees Trail is probably the next most popular backpacking trip, also about an eight mile hike into the Tall Trees Grove, which follows the silted streambed of Redwood Creek. If you are spending much time in the backcountry at all, I recommend just buying the $1.60 trail map & guide to get more details.

Northern Half of Park - Make sure to drive on a dirt road known as the Howland Hills Road accessible by passenger car but not by RV's and trailers. This old stage coach route once linked the remote recesses of Crescent City during its gold rush and early lumber boom to the coastal interior cities such as Grants Pass, Oregon. This rustic road still maintains its narrow and dusty path, and it is one of my favorite byways through the redwoods. Also make sure to visit Stout Grove, a short and easy amble through the enchanted forest. It contains the Stout Tree, one of the tallest redwood trees standing 345 feet tall, and daily ranger walks occur here in the summer.

Trails in the north - One of my favorite trails is the Boy Scout trail, located off the Howland Hills Road. It is about a 3 mile hike through virgin forest to a small cascading waterfall, with some ups and down, but well worth the effort for the solitude. Or instead, you might want to take a shorter hike along Mill Creek. It's very pretty in this area. Also along the Howland Hills Road, make sure to take a stroll through the Stout Grove within easy reach (mentioned earlier).

For the more adventurous, I like a steep trail called Damnation Creek located at "mile marker number16" along route 101 near Mill Creek C.G. (and not well marked otherwise). This is a breeze of a hike down to the ocean, descending through layers of fog mingling among mammoth trees. The tough part is getting back. If you are not in for this steep hike, just walk along old Hwy 101 that dissects this trail, which is also good for riding bikes. The road noise is a distraction, but the towering trees seems to take presence. For a shorter hike to the ocean & tide pools, try Enderts Beach just a few miles south of Crescent City. Ranger-guided tide pool explorations take place here at morning low-tide during the summer.

In the south, Elk Prairie Campground is virtually as popular as Jed Smith because it is well located within an old growth forests and near a myriad of trails and scenic wanderings. All campgrounds are usually FULL during the summer, so obtain advanced reservations (at least a six weeks ahead). Mill Creek C.G., however, usually had a few camping spots available early in the afternoon the day of arrival (except holidays).

A few other camping options are Gold Bluffs Beach (located on Davidson Road in the south), which has about 35 campsites on a first-come, first-serve basis or you could use the walk-in campsites, probably the least-used resource. I recommend walking into Nickel Creek in the north (only 1/2 mile) and Flint Ridge in the south (only several hundred yards) or DeMartin which is a couple miles hike. There is no fee for these campsites! One last car camping option is a stretch of highway along the coast that is also free--actually more like a "free for all" --located south of Orick, CA and the Redwood Information Center. This stretch is about a mile long where RV's fill this stretch. The southern portion is for tent camping and rest for RV's.

Public campgrounds are expensive for my pocketbook, around $15 (or more) per night plus a reservation fee, but admittedly this service provides a secure camping spot. To reserve your spot (recommended at least 6 weeks in advance), call the automated service called MISTIX at 1 (800) 444-7275. Otherwise try the walk-in sites. The redwoods area has many alternative accommodations too, such as numerous private campgrounds, a youth hostel near Wilson Creek (midway in the park), and lots of motels near Crescent City. There are accomodations in Klamath and Orick, CA too.