Walking through a redwood grove on a fog-shrouded morning can be an unforgettable experience. Sounds are reduced to the musical gurgle of water trickling amongst ferns and mossy rocks. Light ebbs with the somber mist and shafts of sun hang like cobwebs. Stillness and peace weave their spells upon the respectful traveler. More than 200 miles of trails weave through a variety of environments, including prairies, old-growth redwood forests, and beaches. In this section, we offer you just a few of the many exceptional hikes possible at RNSP. Be sure to pick up a map at the visitor center and chat with the rangers.

Elevations at RNSP range from sea level to just over 3,000 feet (1,000 m). Consistently mild temperatures make year-round exploration a possibility. Be aware that trails in the redwoods are often wet and slippery, so bring raingear and good boots for your hike. In winter, the Redwood Creek and Trestle Trails may be difficult or impossible to use. Temporary bridges open these trails in summer but are removed for the rainy season. Fern Canyon bridges are removed as well. You can hike the 1/4-mile canyon but it will be a chilly experience; bring water shoes. Access to Stout Grove from Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park campground exists only in the summer via seasonal bridges.

Top of the Page

Middle Section

• Damnation Creek: Strenuous 4½ mile (7-km) round trip hike through redwoods. Located just north of False Klamath Cove on Highway 101 at mile marker 16.0. This is a steep trail that descends 1,000 feet (330 m) through an ancient forest of redwoods, Sitka spruce, red alder, and all the forest has to offer, traversing all the way to the ocean. Used in the past by Tolowa Indians for food gathering at the ocean, the trail offers excellent photo opportunities of both the forest and the ocean. Expect at least three hours to complete. Bring your own water.
• Nature Loop: Easy 1-mile (1½ km) loop through redwood forest. Access trailhead right across from the Mill Creek campground entrance station in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. This easy 20-minute stroll allows visitors to learn about the redwood forest through interpretive signs along the path.
• Hope Creek-Ten Taypo: Moderate 4-mile loop follows a creek through streamside habitat and old-growth redwood forest to a ridge. Access along Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway at milepost 132.74. Fern laden trail has some colossal redwoods that are  burned half way through yet still stand tall.

Top of Page

Southern Section

• Miners Ridge/James Irvine: Moderate 11-mile (18-km) round trip hike through varied environments. Begin at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor Center. This trail follows an old trail used by gold miners in the 1800s. James Irvine is relatively flat, passes through spectacular old-growth redwood forests, crosses creeks, and ends at the 30-foot walls of Fern Canyon. Continue along Coastal Trail at Gold Bluffs Beach and pick up Miners Ridge. This trail follows a ridgeline that allows the heart to pump. Backpacking is possible with a stay at the Miners Ridge camp. Bring your own water.
• Dolason Prairie: Moderate 10-mile (16-km) round trip hike through prairie. Take the Bald Hills Road about three miles past the Tall Trees Access Road to the Dolason Prairie Picnic Area. This is an all-day hike with some steep grades and switchbacks through open prairie country. Check out a historic Dolason sheep barn along the way. The trail gradually descends into the Redwood Creek drainage through old-growth and second-growth redwood forests. This trail connects with the Tall Trees Trail. Bring your own water.
• Lady Bird Johnson Nature Loop: Easy 1-mile (1½-km) loop through ridgetop redwoods. Take the Bald Hills Road (trailers and motorhomes not recommended) off Highway 101 2½ miles to the parking lot. This is a 1-hour flat stroll through an old-growth redwood grove.

Top of Page

Walking along a coastal bluff, gulls and sea lions cry amidst the sound of crashing breakers. A gray whale spouts occasionally in the vast blue waters below and wind whistles through the alders. Trails lead down to secluded beaches where the driftwood piles and ancient rocks hide crabs and sea stars.

Although RNSP is best known for its redwoods, the 70 miles (142 km) of Coastal Trail in the parks offers the adventurous hiker a different experience. Tidepool creatures, wet forests, and the Pacific coast await your exploration.

Day hikes and longer backpack trips may be done on the Coastal Trail. Permits are required at some backcountry camps and are available at the park visitor centers.

The Coastal Trail is nearly continuous in the parks; the one major detour is the Highway 101 bridge over the Klamath River. Several access points and five backcountry camps are within an easy day's walk of each other.

Coastal Trail sections north to south (mileages one-way)

• Last Chance section: 6-mile trail starts out strenuous and then levels off on the old coast highway road. Trailhead located at the end of Enderts Beach Road. Ocean vistas greet you in the first mile; side route to Enderts Beach allows tidepool exploration. Trail ascends through red alder and Sitka spruce and meets old-growth redwood forest. Junction with Damnation Creek Trail exists at milepost 16.0; continue west to Coastal Trail junction (look for signs marked CT ) at highway milepost 15.6.
• DeMartin section: Some steep grades begin and end on this 6-mile hike through grand old-growth spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and redwoods. Trailhead on Highway 101 at milepost 15.6, look for signs marked CT. Climb through the forest to 10 backcountry sites with toilets. Descend to prairie bald spots and sweeping ocean panoramas. With all the berries, look out for bears! Continue down and south where you will end up at the Redwood Hostel. If you want to start at the south trailhead at milepost 12.8, park at the Wilson Creek day use area on the west side of the highway.
• Klamath section: 5½ miles total. From the Redwood Hostel, take the easy 2-mile trail that follows an old road paralleling Highway 101. Cross the highway at Trees of Mystery and take the short spur to Hidden Beach and tidepools. Go back to the main trail and ramble up to Klamath River Overlook where whale watching is famous. Along the way experience far-reaching ocean views along a spruce-alder forest path. Check out the off-shore seastacks covered with thousands of seabirds: murres, cormorants, pigeon guillemots, and more! You can do this hike starting from the south at Klamath River Overlook and end up at Lagoon Creek. You would then need to walk the beach and cross the highway to the Redwood Hostel less than a ¼ mile away.
• Flint Ridge section: Strenuous 4½-mile trip hike starts at a pond and climbs through redwoods to ocean vistas. Access to both trailheads starts on Klamath Beach Road, off Highway 101. This eastern access is by the junction of Alder Camp Road and the Coastal Drive. The western trailhead is on the Coastal Drive; follow Klamath Beach Road to Coastal Drive. For those interested in backpacking, the Flint Ridge camp is available ¼ mile in from Coastal Drive on the western side. Expect solitude and a steep climb through one of the finest old-growth redwood forests in the parks. Marshall Pond was actually a mill pond during the logging days, but the birds don't mind!
• Gold Beach section: Easy 4-mile section begins at Coastal Trail on Coastal Drive and traverses downhill to Carruthers Cove at the ocean. Flat stroll alongside Sitka spruce takes you past Ossagon backpack site. Discover 30-foot walls of ferns at Fern Canyon, a ¼-mile walk (seasonal bridges available only in the summer). Beyond Fern Canyon is a short saunter to the trailhead on Davison Road. Walk the road to Gold Bluffs Beach campground.
• Skunk Cabbage section: Moderate 5-mile hike with some switchbacks. Trailheads located off Highway 101 at milepost 122.69 or drive along Davison Road to Gold Bluffs Beach entrance station. From Highway 101, thick Sitka spruce forest with some old growth opens up into dense streamside vegetation. Check out the skunk cabbage bogs and scads of ferns! Walk beside the Pacific with haunting clifftop alder stands. Look for the old Union Gold Bluff mine site.

Top of Page