Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is the northernmost of California’s major redwood parks and contains several titanic redwoods. Its forest giants are heavily saturated throughout the winter by frequent rainstorms, and temperatures are kept mild by fog through the summer, both of which greatly impact growth. The park contains a number of the top 10 largest specimens publicized, and three of the best giant redwood hikes—the Mill Creek Trail, Boy Scout Trail, and Stout Grove—all profiled below.

Mill Creek Trail & The Grove of Titans

As its name implies, the Mill Creek Trail follows the meandering path of a small river that drains into the much larger Smith River and whose steep cliffs protect huge trees from windstorms. As rainwater filters downhill, it nourishes the giants that live below. The trail climbs a few small hills through its nearly 9-mile round-trip length but is generally an easy, pleasant stroll.

No description of the trail, or Jedediah Smith Redwoods in general, would be complete without mentioning the Grove of Titans. This incredible collection of old-growth trees adjacent to the main trail is home to ten of the world's largest trees and was discovered as recently as 1998.

Some notable trees include the incredibly wide Chesty Puller; Del Norte Titan; a massive fusion tree named Screaming Titans; and a cathedral tree, also known as a ring tree, whose combined trunks fuse into a wide wall of wood. Nowhere else in Cascadia does a small area boast such a collection of huge trees.

Boy Scout Trail

Mile for mile, the Boy Scout Trail is perhaps the finest hike through old-growth giant redwood forests in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. For five (round-trip) miles, this spectacular trek introduces hikers to the park’s rich interior and the enormous redwoods that grow above its lush underbrush. The trail is known for having particularly dense groves of huge trees that rise hundreds of feet into the sky and provide a cathedral-like experience when walking among them. The trail crosses various hillside sections that provide elevated, distant views into the trees down the valleys. Approximately halfway, it crosses the stout Boy Scout Tree, a double-stem redwood with an unusually dense amount of moss clinging to its face. The trail then terminates at Fern Falls, a small waterfall near the state park boundary.

The aforementioned Boy Scout Tree is part of the pristine Metcalf Grove, a small section of Jedediah Smith Redwoods rich in dense vegetation bypassed by the trail. Because it has never been logged and the topography allows for maximum tree growth, the grove is well positioned to contain record-breaking trees. Indeed, the grove is home to one of the largest known and publicized single-stem coast redwoods: Grogan’s Fault. This monstrous tree is one of the biggest in the world, meaning its girth and size rival the biggest sequoias of central California. Estimated to be thousands of years old, this astonishing giant is over 309 feet tall and 27.37 feet wide, with a volume of nearly 42,200 ft³.

Stout Grove

Though brief at a modest half-mile in length, Stout Grove is one of Jedediah Smith Redwoods’ main attractions. For those seeking a shorter alternative to the longer treks into the park’s forested interior, Stout Grove provides an excellent small sample of old-growth beauty. The loop path is easily traversed and requires virtually no elevation change. The redwoods located here have benefited from their position on a water-rich floodplain where Mill Creek meets the Smith River. Appropriately, Stout Tree, pictured below, is the largest found here, but the grove is teeming with climax forest trees.

The Simpson–Reed Trail

Accessed off Highway 199, the Simpson-Reed Trail and the adjacent Peterson Memorial Trail are part of a brief, 1-mile loop through a stunningly lush environment punctuated by huge redwoods. Despite its proximity to Stout Grove and the Boy Scout Trail, the Simpson-Reed Trail is much more jungle-like and dense than those trails. Blessed with an abundance of moss and ferns, the verdant trail is rich in plant diversity and color. The trees here are surprisingly large and, in my opinion, more impressive than those in Stout Grove.

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Of the four parks that constitute Redwood National and State Parks, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park boasts some of the best and most diverse hiking paths. Indeed, some of the trails discussed below traverse a variety of lowland and upland terrain, exposing hikers to a range of environments where giant trees grow. The park occupies a middle ground between the lush, jungle feel of redwood parks to the north and the open understory of redwood parks farther south. Though the Drury Parkway intersects the center of the park and provides access to sections of the trails, the best way to experience the richness of Prairie Creek is to strap on hiking boots and explore it on foot.

Prairie Creek Trail & West Ridge Trail (Zig Zag Trails)

The Prairie Creek Trail and West Ridge Trail are parallel trails connected by two shorter access 'Zig Zag' paths that are best completed as an 8-mile figure-eight hike. Starting at the park headquarters and traveling west of the Parkway, these trails are a perfect day hike introduction to the park’s various ecosystems.

As its name implies, the Prairie Creek Trail follows the creek’s meander and crosses huge trees in the process. Here, from ground level, the redwoods truly display their great size. The calming sound of the water is always nearby, and thankfully, often drowns out the noise of cars traveling the Parkway. The southern half of the trail, in particular (south of Zig Zag Trail #1), is especially rich in megaflora and highlighted by grove after grove of old-growth giants. Yet two of the trail’s largest single-stem redwoods grow in the northern half, on hillsides close to the water: the Newton B. Drury tree and Sir Isaac Newton tree. Hemlocks, Sitka spruces, and other varieties of trees also grow interspersed along the banks and contribute interesting variety to this dense forest.

Above Prairie Creek, the West Ridge Trail provides a glimpse into the ancient redwoods from a unique, elevated perspective. The path straddles the ridge for its entire duration, which means that hikers can frequently look downward to either the James Irvine Trail westward or the creek eastward. The trees here are generally smaller than those in the lowlands, but there are clusters of ancient candelabra-branched specimens. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the elevation is seeing truly how tall some of the trees are. The heights of the trees are typically obscured on lowland trails, but the canopy is fully visible from the West Ridge.

Valley of the Lost Groves

Before the James Irvine Trail was redirected to protect the fragile environment around Godwood Creek, it used to cross by some of Prairie Creek’s most unique redwoods. This old trail is increasingly overgrown but still very easy to follow and leads into what is now the Valley of the Lost Groves. The steep decline in foot traffic has allowed vegetation to recover, and the valley now has a wilderness character to it.

Though hikers can only expect an approximately 30-minute walk before the trail unceremoniously ends at a marsh, the short path is one of the best experiences in the park. After initially passing by three big trees (the West Ridge Giant, James Irvine Giant, and Godwood Creek Giant), the trail arrives at a slender tree with many interesting burls named Knotty Lady. This tree, along with Mutant Redwood, located a few paces further on, is absolutely iconic in its strangeness. Near the trail's end, there are at least three groupings of cathedral trees (also known as fairy ring trees), including the huge Titanic Cathedral, which developed when the trunk of a large parent tree disintegrated and newer redwoods spawned in a circular formation.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Though not officially part of the Redwood National and State Parks network, Humboldt Redwoods is similarly characterized by the incredible giant trees and old-growth redwood forest of those parks. Its location farther south and in a relatively more arid environment gives the forest a more open and less jungle-like appearance. As such, its trees are more visible, and sightlines are clearer. From a landscape perspective, this park is the most scenic and photogenic, as the breadth of its forests can be fully appreciated. But perhaps most importantly, because of its size, Humboldt Redwoods protects the world's largest remaining contiguous tract of old-growth forest of coast redwoods, which makes it a must-see for that reason alone.

Traversing the area is the Bull Creek Flats Trail, an absolute classic redwood hike and one of the greatest in any of the California parks. At approximately 10 miles round-trip, this easy day-long walk alternates between ground-level and hillside views of the ancient forest. It passes a few notable groves, including the Big Tree area, where dense stands of large redwoods grow in close proximity. Fire-scarred trees with huge burls and bizarre growths rise in beautiful (relatively) open areas. Approximately two miles further east, hikers willing to explore off-trail encounter the giants of the Patriarch Forest/Patriarch Grove, which is anchored by the Bull Creek Giant, one of the largest known in the park.

Rockefeller Forest Loop

The Rockefeller Forest is situated on Lower Bull Creek Flats, an alluvial floodplain where Bull Creek feeds into the larger Eel River. This nutrient-rich patch of land provides ideal conditions for large trees. And indeed, some of the largest trees in the Bull Creek area and the entire park are located here. Huge redwoods are scenically distributed around the even terrain. Unlike redwood parks further north, a lack of dense understory affords easy views into the woods. The easy stroll around this spectacular forest is less than a mile in length and recommended for all visitors.

Founders Grove

Founders Grove is located south of the redwood sorrel-rich Grieg-French-Bell Grove, where the Eel River splits into various forks. It is an exceptional stand of ancient redwoods, both standing and fallen, and the canopy here is incredibly tall. In fact, the Dyerville Giant, which lies here, was retroactively designated the tallest tree in the world after its collapse in 1991 revealed it to have stood 362 feet high. This redwood’s fall shook the ground so much that it registered on a nearby seismograph, and one local, who heard the impact from half a mile away, thought a train had crashed. The same forces that felled the great Dyerville also took down a number of other giants in Founders Grove, revealing their massive undersides.

Most hikers turn around at Founders Grove’s southernmost point, but there is a connection to a smaller, less-explored trail called the Mahan Loop. This trail is more overgrown, wild, and carpeted (in sections) by redwood sorrel. It’s a recommended addition to the Founders Grove Loop, at least to escape the crowds.

Avenue of the Giants

In addition to Founders Grove and Rockefeller Grove, there are a number of other stunning redwood groves off the famed Avenue of the Giants. This drive, along with Howland Hill Road and the Newton B. Drury Parkway farther north, are the most spectacular drives in redwood country. The Avenue may be the best of the three, however, with its easy roadside access to incredible groves throughout its length. Pull-offs include the Gould Grove Nature Loop Trail, Kent-Mather Loop Trail, High Rock River Trail, and Stephens Grove, among others. Farther south on Highway 101, Richardson Grove State Park provides an additional taste of Humboldt Redwoods’ scenic forests.

redwood National Park

tall trees grove

Redwood National Park is the only federally owned land within the Redwood National and State Parks system covered in this report. The Redwood Creek Basin is central to the national park’s old-growth region. It contains the iconic Tall Trees Grove, including Melkor, the second-largest multi-stem redwood, which is an example of an awesomely wide 'fusion tree'—essentially, two or more trees that have fused their trunks into one over many years. The park is also home to the Howard Libbey Tree, which was the world’s tallest known tree in the 1960s, a fact that helped motivate the creation of the park. Although taller trees were later found in other parks, the Redwood Creek Basin once again became the site of the record holder in 2006 when the 379-foot-tall 'Hyperion' tree was discovered.

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