Wander Here: Exploring Beaches, Tidepools, Old Growth Forests and Native Villages at Redwoods National Park

Sep 23

Wander Here: Redwoods National Park, CA

To try and write a blog post about the Redwoods is exactly like John Steinbeck put it, “no one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable…”

On paper, in paint, through the lens…it’s all the same. The Redwoods are a feeling that just can’t be captured without actually being in them.

The Redwoods are a respite

After spending the previous week in San Francisco - Jon working and the kids and I living city life - we were primed + ready for the respite of nature.

That first walk into the trees was like discovering nature for the very first time all over again. The girls have been dedicated barefooters for the last several years, even on the rockiest of trails. And while Jon and I usually prefer the plushness of our hiking boots when out in the woods, within moments of stepping on that pillowy forest floor, we couldn’t resist ripping off our boots and socks.

It was so quiet. So still. So green. So vast. There were hardly any other people on the trail, and in a way it felt like we were the only ones in the whole forest, maybe even the world.

Redwoods basecamp in Trinidad, CA

The Redwoods are broken up into 3 different State Park areas, which can be super confusing at first. After a lot of deliberation and research we decided to base our 2 weeks in Trinidad, a tiny, quaint town that sits right on the cliffs of the Pacific Coast. In the morning, we could hear sea lions barking on our morning walk and at night the ink black sky was littered with stars. Far northern California is a whole different world, and you feel it deep inside when you’re there.

After that first forest walk on the Trillium Falls trail, I was already in love, but I had no idea what was all in store for us in the coming weeks. I’m stoked to share some of our favorite spots, although even with two weeks there we barely scratched the surface.

Fern Canyon. The only 1.1 mile trail that could take us 2 hours to complete. It’s exactly what it sounds like and so epic that scenes from The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed there. I was a little worried that I had hyped this spot so much in my head that the reality would never live up, but the reality was far better than any picture or description. Fern covered walls, skip hopping over rocks through the creek, downed trees to climb over, up and through and a massive elk just off the trail. Just don’t forget to snag a permit ahead of time for this one. The kids were in heaven here, and we could have literally stayed all day. Many people just do the part of the trail that is down in the canyon, but I highly recommend doing the entire loop! The last half is like an entirely different trail experience, and it’s also where we saw our first elk. It was so huge and so close to the trail that we were actually a bit startled (they can be aggressive), so I didn’t even get a picture.

Trillium Falls Trail. Short + sweet (just 2.7 miles) with massive, old growth Redwoods, waterfalls, bridges and creeks, this trail was the perfect meet and greet to kick off our time in the park. Seeing these beautiful giants for the first time was surreal, especially the old growth Redwoods that are thousands of years old. Before hitting the trail, we stopped in the nearby Thomas H. Kuchel visitor center to watch the park film (it’s a good one!), learn more about the tribes that first lived in the area and talk to the park rangers.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The northernmost section of the park, we did a day trip to explore this area, and it was not even close to being enough time. We drove Howland Hill Road, one of the most scenic roads in the park. Winding deep within the old growth and second growth redwoods, this gravel road is just barely wide enough to squeeze our van through in some places. You truly feel like you’re driving deep in the forest, far away from civilization, and it’s quite magical. We stopped off and hiked Boy Scout Trail (5.2 miles/ 950 feet elevation gain), which meanders through the massive old growth forest, stunning moss covered rocks, mushrooms and ferns to Fern Falls, a beautiful waterfall deep in the forest. It was long and took us the better part of the afternoon into the evening, but it was 1000x worth it.

Next time we go back to the Redwoods, I will fast-track our booties back to this part of the park for one epic reason - the Smith River. It’s not only the longest, free-flowing river in California, it’s also the clearest, most spectacularly beautiful river I’ve ever seen. And after exploring over 25 National Parks, I think that says something.

Sue-meg State Park. It would be tragic to talk about the area and not emote about this spot. We were lucky to camp just down the road from the entrance to this park, so we actually frequented it more than we did the actual Redwoods National/State parks. The tidepools were some of the most breathtaking we’d ever experienced, and we couldn’t get over the views on the short (but steep!) path down to them (think rocky cliffs, sea stacks, seals and sea lions). Agate Beach had us smitten from the moment we laid eyes on it and provided hours of fun agate and sea glass hunting.

Almost most special of all was the life-sized recreated Yurok village free to be explored. Because we were in the middle of reading Island of the Blue Dolphins, we felt an even deeper connection with this cultural gem, and we learned so much about the history of the Yurok people who originally lived in this area and many of which still do.

And last, the stunning Patrick’s Point Trail, a .2 mile steep and rocky path that leads down to some of the most incredible tide pools we’ve ever experienced. The trail is a bit washed out toward the bottom, and we had to scramble down some steep rocks to reach the tide pools, but it’s worth the effort if you can make it down at low tide (super important!). We saw a vast amount of different colored ochre sea stars, hermit crabs, snails, giant green anemones, gooseneck barnacles, shore crabs…it was the best natural playground imaginable. Even just climbing around on the giant rocks was super fun for all of us.

Trinidad State Beach. Just outside of the park, in the quiet seaside town is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen. College Cove is like a calm, beautiful, salty-air paradise, and it’s just inconvenient enough to get to that there weren’t many other people there. Make sure you walk to the end of the beach to find the hidden tidepools.

Well there I go trying to capture it in words and photos...but at the end of the day, Steinbeck got it right. You really have to go there to experience the magic.