Redwood National and State Parks
Crescent City, California · West
What the redwoods put in the air
Redwood is not one landscape. It runs about sixty miles down the far northern California coast, folding together open prairie, oak woodland, rivers, and a cool damp shoreline. But the reason people drive six or seven hours north from San Francisco is the forest: groves of coast redwood, the tallest living things on Earth, standing in low fog that rarely burns off.
Walking beneath that canopy is a quiet, close experience rather than a grand overlook. The trees hold the light down to a green dusk, the fog keeps the ground soft and the air heavy, and the loudest sound is often your own footsteps on the needles. This is dense old-growth conifer forest, and breathing that cool, resin-scented air is a real part of what the place does to a body.
None of it demands a hard climb. Many of the accessible groves are short and level, so the slow, easy walk delivers the same forest air as the long one. The reset here is less about a view you earn and more about the hours you spend inside the trees.
The science: In field research on forest bathing, people who took trips into the woods showed higher natural killer cell activity and more anti-cancer proteins, an immune effect still measurable more than a month later, while matched city trips produced nothing like it. Redwood's dense old-growth conifer groves, wrapped in fog that traps the forest air close to the ground, are exactly the kind of place that generates those aromatic compounds. The mechanism here is not the view; it is what you are breathing.
Li (2010) · Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
Seasonal guide
Crowd levels use NPS monthly visitation, averaged 2015–2025. Excludes 2020 (COVID anomaly) and 2026 (partial year). Temperatures are NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from a nearby representative station. Busy does not mean bad. If a peak month is your only window, the season notes below tell you how to work it.
This is the wettest and quietest stretch, with highs in the mid-50s, lows near the upper 30s, and more than a foot of rain in some months. The redwood groves stay open year-round and look dramatic in the mist, so bring real rain gear, dress in layers, and expect to get wet. Plan for the rain and the near-empty trails become the reward.
Rain tapers off steadily, from over ten inches in March to under four by May, while highs climb from the mid-50s into the low 60s. March and April stay quiet before May begins to fill up. Trails can be muddy early on, so waterproof footwear helps, and the returning green makes this an uncrowded window.
This is peak season, and the coast is often foggy with mild highs in the low-to-mid 60s and almost no rain in July and August. Book campgrounds and the free parking reservations for Tall Trees and Fern Canyon well ahead, and start popular trailheads early before the small lots fill. The fog is part of the experience, not a problem.
September and October stay warm and dry with highs in the low 60s, then rain returns in November as crowds thin out. Early fall is one of the most comfortable times to come, with summer's fog easing and lighter traffic. Pack layers for cool mornings and bring rain gear if you visit later in the season.
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Sleep nearby
Most visitors base in Crescent City, California, about 48 miles out. It offers significantly more motel rooms and amenities than tiny Orick, serving as the practical base for the park's northern sections. Staying in Orick puts you next door to the main entrance but with limited services and few rooms. The map opens on Crescent City, so pan toward the park to trade rooms and price for a shorter morning drive.
Camping inside the park books through Recreation.gov and is listed separately.
The map is provided by Stay22. If you book through it we may earn a commission at no cost to you, which helps keep Happier Outdoors running. It never changes what we recommend.
From the field
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Redwood?
Late spring through early fall brings the driest, mildest weather, with summer highs in the low-to-mid 60s and almost no rain in July and August. Summer is also the busiest stretch and often foggy along the coast, while the winter months are cool, quiet, and very wet, averaging well over a foot of rain in some months.
Is Redwood dog-friendly?
Leashed dogs are allowed only in developed areas, not on park trails, with one exception: the Hiouchi Flat Trail. Pets are welcome in campgrounds and picnic areas, on the gravel Cal Barrel and Walker Roads, and on Gold Bluffs, Freshwater, and Crescent Beaches, but must stay on a leash no longer than six feet.
What is the quietest trail in Redwood?
Hikers consistently point to the DeMartin section of the Coastal Trail, the Lieffer Loop in Jedediah Smith, and the Boy Scout Tree Trail as the parks' quietest walks. Most visitors stay within a mile of Highway 101 at spots like Fern Canyon and Lady Bird Johnson Grove, so trails that require more distance from pavement stay genuinely empty.
How crowded does Redwood get?
Redwood is busiest from June through August, its official high-use season, and drew nearly 2.5 million visitors in 2025. Crowds concentrate at Fern Canyon, Gold Bluffs Beach, and trailheads along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, while February is the quietest month. The park itself does not require timed-entry reservations, so you can arrive any time.
Is Redwood accessible for wheelchairs and strollers?
Yes, all three main visitor centers are wheelchair-accessible, and several paved or wide, level trails including Simpson-Reed Grove, Big-Tree Wayside, and the Elk Prairie Trail wind through old-growth. The parks also loan standard wheelchairs, beach wheelchairs, and an all-terrain track chair at certain centers for free, though the Lady Bird Johnson Trail and most natural-surface trails are not accessible.
Can you camp at Redwood?
Yes, four developed campgrounds run by California State Parks each cost $35 a night, and there are seven designated backcountry sites along the trails. Reserve the developed sites through ReserveCalifornia at least 48 hours ahead, and get a free permit at least 24 hours before your trip for backcountry camping.
Do you need a permit or reservation to visit Redwood?
No reservation is needed to enter the parks, which are free and open around the clock, but free timed permits are required to reach the Tall Trees Trailhead year-round and Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon from May 15 to September 15. You apply online up to 24 hours in advance.
Where do you park at Redwood?
Parking is limited at the major trailheads, and the small lots fill early in summer. Tall Trees needs a free reservation year-round and Fern Canyon and Gold Bluffs Beach need one from May 15 to September 15; without one, head for the roomier pullouts along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway or the Elk Meadow Day Use Area.