Redwoods
National & State Parks

Redwoods National & State Parks is one of six California parks in summer 2022. What better way to enter the Golden State that by witnessing the states’s iconic behemoths, the coastal redwoods? Redwoods is actually a combination of three state parks and one national park, all of which we intend to explore. This will involve a lot of hiking, including: Stout Grove, Simpson Reed Grove, the Boy Scout Tree Trail, and Lady Bird & Trillium Falls. We’ll also check out Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon. We’re planning to camp at both Mill Creek and Elk Prairie.

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Itinerary

We are presenting our itinerary as we lived it. Not the plan, but rather what we were actually able to accomplish. Naturally there are some missed goals and some serendipitous surprises. We always rolled with the punches and made the best out of our time in the national parks. Below we have included some notes that explain how the itinerary changed from what we had in mind.

It’s important to know that these plans were made to suit the abilities and interests of two young girls aged 10 and 12. We feel confident that any family on their “Every Kid Outdoors Summer” (4th grade) could handle this itinerary. For hikes, we have listed the distance, elevation gain, and time that we tracked, which may differ from published (or actual) measurements.

Day 1

Morning

  • Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

  • Hike: Boy Scout Tree Trail (5.2 miles RT, 750 feet, 3.5 hours)

  • Howland Road

  • Hiouchi Visitor Center

Afternoon

  • Hike: Stout Grove

  • Walker Road

  • Hike: Lieffer Loop Trail (1.5 mile RT, minimal gain, 60 minutes)

Evening

  • Overnight at Mill Creek Campground

Day 2

Morning

  • Enders Rd. & Crescent Beach Overlook

  • “Trees of Mystery” (outside the park)

Afternoon

  • Hike: Klamath Coastal Loop

  • Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway

Evening

  • Overnight at Elk Prairie Campground

Day 3

Morning

  • Elk viewing at Elk Meadow

  • Bald Hills Road

  • Hike: Lady Bird Johnson Grove (1.4 miles RT, 200 feet, 1 hour)

Afternoon

  • Kuchel Visitor Center (Junior Ranger badges)

  • Drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park

Notes

We divided our time between the northern and southern sections of the park, giving us a great sense of the diversity across the redwoods. On day one, we hiked the Boy Scout Tree Trail, which ended up being a family favorite—quiet, shaded, and full of giant trees. We added the Lieffler Loop at the last minute to cap off a full day.

Day two took us south along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. We stopped to admire the some ocean overlooks and visited “Trees of Mystery” — a non-NPS attraction that we had not planned on, but enjoyed quite a bit. We missed out on Gold Bluffs Beach Trail and Fern Canyon for lack of a permit.

On our third morning, we started with Elk viewing before making our way toward Lassen. We had originally planned to leave earlier, but the girls were enjoying the forest so much we lingered a bit longer. We added Lady Bird Johnson Grove and were glad we did—it offered one of the best educational trails we encountered on the whole trip.

 

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