The Redwood trees are some of the tallest and oldest trees on earth. We knew they would be big but I truly felt like I stepped into another world when we walked among these giants. In this blog, I have put together everything you will need to know to plan your next trip to the Redwood National Park!
Where to find the Redwoods/How to get there:
You can find Redwood Trees on the Pacific Coast from central California to southern Oregon. There are some beautiful pockets of Redwoods right outside of San Francisco, but if you want to go to the Redwood National and State Parks, you will need to drive 5.5 hours north of San Francisco a little past the town of Orick or take less than a 1 hour flight to the ACV Airport (aka Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport). From there you can rent a car and the Redwood National and State Parks is about 40 minutes north of the ACV Airport.
Since we are based in Atlanta, we flew to San Francisco and a had quick layover before getting on the plane to the ACV airport. The airport is very small but they do have a pretty good coffee shop right next to baggage claim and the car rental counter. We got our rental car and picked it up right in the parking lot of the airport, so everything is super convenient.
The Towns Around the Area:
Trinidad, CA. which is only a 15 minute drive from the ACV airport, this smaller coastal town is so charming and scenic! We stopped to take a short walk around the town admiring the cute houses while making our way to the overlook that looks out to the Pacific Ocean and beach below. We drove a couple of minutes to the Trinidad State beach and walked along the shore where there were huge rocks protruding from the ocean and the beach. You will likely see some dogs playing fetch with their owners, people having picnics, fishing, and possibly even some people surfing the waves.
Arcata is about 15-20 min south of Trinidad and it is more inland so you aren’t as close to the beaches. It is bigger than Trinidad so you will have more options as far as restaurants or grocery stores. We enjoyed walking around the Arcata Plaza. There you will find a lot of shops, some bars, coffee shops and restaurants.The town just south of Arcata is Eureka, which is also slightly bigger than Arcata.
Where to Stay:
One of the airbnb’s we stayed at was a nice shared airbnb space in Arcata. We had our own room and bathroom and shared a kitchen with another guest. We stayed there for two nights and had such a nice time. Joan (the owner) was so sweet and provided great recommendations and advice about the surrounding areas.
We also stayed at a really cute Airstream for one night that was located in Trinidad. The Airbnb owners of the Airstream also have 3 other cabins on their property and at each of them you will feel like you are tucked away in the Redwood Forest.
After our wedding, we stayed in a unique Treehouse airbnb that was one of the most memorable stays and even had an outdoor shower inside the stump of a redwood tree. I highly recommend booking this one if it’s available!
I personally recommend staying in Trinidad since you will be slightly closer to the National park and to the beautiful beaches. Plus the town of Trinidad has such a cozy and cute atmosphere. It felt like the perfect northern CA beach town to vacation in.
Arcata Shared Airbnb: https://abnb.me/zoO1bnvoKFb
Trinidad Airstream Airbnb: https://abnb.me/yqzHiugoKFb
Trinidad Treehouse Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/684177103575640815?source_impression_id=p3_1731017888_P33VVrC_rdaa5hjF
Where to Eat:
- Larrupin Cafe
- This restaurant is 5 minutes north of Trinidad. We went here for dinner the first time we came to Trinidad and had the best steak dinner. After we got married in the Redwoods we made it a point to come back here and will go back every time we are in the area, that how good their food is. Do note, the cell service is not good in this area and at the restaurant but it’s nice to not be distracted by our phones.
- Trinidad Eatery and Gallery
- Located right in the center of Trinidad. The food here is always good. This is the perfect spot for breakfast and lunch. They do also serve dinner but we have not yet tried their dinner menu. I would imagine it’s great though.
- Moonstone beach restaurant
- We were not too impressed with our meals here and it ended up being the most expensive dinners, so therefore we decided we probably wouldn’t come back. We also spoke to quite a few locals that also said they used to love it but it changed management and has not been as great since.
- The Alibi
- This restaurant is located in Arcata. We went here for cocktails and we were not disappointed. They also have a fun atmosphere.
Coffee Shops:
- Beachcomber in Trinidad is a must! Stop here for a great latte before heading to the Redwood National Park.
- The line at Beachcomber can get pretty long, so if you don’t want to wait, walk over to Trinidad Eatery & Gallery where they also have a really good coffee shop.
- Jitter Bean Coffee Co. has multiple locations and they are open slightly earlier. So this would be a better option if you are trying to be the first one on the trails.
The Redwood National Park:
Get ready for a stunning scenic drive along the coast when you drive into the Redwood Park. The first time we made our way to the entrance of the National Park, we drove through Elk prairie and saw two huge elk laying in the grass. As we got to the entrance we noticed that there was a huge gate blocking us from driving in. Luckily a park ranger was close by and he explained that on the first Saturday of month during the off-season (October through May), it is walk and bike day. So they do not allow any cars to drive through the park. We were stoked that it wasn’t closed and that we were still able to hike but now we just had to walk to all our trailheads. Even though we had to do more walking than we originally planned, it was a really cool experience walking though the street because it gave us more time to appreciate the beauty of the trees towering over the road. It also made for some cool pictures.
We ended up hiking/walking a total of 8 miles and all we could do was keep saying “wow” (insert Owen Wilson’s voice) as we looked up to the enormous trees. These magnificent giants captivated us the whole time we were there. It was also super peaceful since we barely saw anyone else on the trails. The Redwood national Park is one of the least visited National Parks. So one benefit of going in the off-season is that you will have a lot of trails completely to yourself.
One important thing to note is that we did not have any cell service while we were in the park, so I highly recommend having an offline trail map downloaded. We use AllTrails+ to make sure we always knew where we were on the trail.
The next morning we woke up early again to get to the Redwoods and as we drove through the town of Orick we got stopped by a herd of elk crossing the street. It was so cool to see them up close and I even got a few pictures from the car window! November is a great time to visit the Redwood National park if you are wanting to see lots of wildlife like elk.
Specific Trails to Check Out:
Now in all honesty, I don’t think you could go wrong with any trail here. You will be absolutely amazed by each one but here are the ones we did, as well as some notable mentions that we were not able to squeeze into our time there:
Cathedral Trees Trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/cathedral-trees-trail–2?sh=cv7yf9
Big Tree via Circle Trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/big-tree-via-circle-trail?sh=cv7yf9
Ah-Pah Interpretive Trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/ah-pah-interpretive-trail?sh=cv7yf9
South Fork to Rhododendron to Cathedral to Foothill Loop https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/south-fork-to-rhododendron-to-cathedral-to-foothill-loop?sh=cv7yf9
Fern Canyon Loop https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/fern-canyon-loop-trail?sh=cv7yf9
Trillium Falls Trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/trillium-falls-trail?sh=cv7yf9
Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/lady-bird-grove-trail?sh=cv7yf9
When to Visit:
We have been to the Redwoods twice now, once in November and once in May. If you are looking for slightly warmer (average temperatures range between 60-70 degrees) and more sunny weather, than May-July is going to be your best bet, but there will be more crowds.
When we went in November we thought it was an awesome time to visit here. The weather was mainly in the 60’s, so it was perfect hiking weather. Just make sure you bring a jacket at night when it gets a little colder and a rain jacket since you will likely get a few sporadic rain showers. However the rain brings a very moody vibe that I honestly think I prefer for this National park. If you are lucky, you might even catch the sun rays going through the fog and trees early in the morning like we did. The other really great thing about going in November is that there were no crowds, so you will likely have most trails to yourself.
Other Things To Do In The Area:
If you get bored with hiking, you’re still in luck! There are so many other things to do in this area:
- Rent bikes and bike through the Redwood National and State Parks https://www.wildtrailtours.com/bikerentals
- Horseback Riding through the Redwoods https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/redwood-creek-buckarettes-horseback-rides/407/
- Kayaking in the Bay and in the Ocean https://kayaktrinidad.com
- Surfing at Moonstone Beach (we surfed in May and rented our boards/wetsuits through the Cal Poly Humboldt University https://www.humboldt.edu/campus-recreation/equipment-rentals)
- The Redwood Skywalk https://redwoodskywalk.com
Don’t Forget the Beaches:
There are so many beautiful beaches around this area, here are some that I recommend checking out while you are there.
- Trinidad State Beach
2. Moonstone Beach
- Luffenholtz Beach
There are so many fun activities and beautiful sights to see from the gorgeous coast line to the towering trees. A trip to the Redwoods will be unforgettable! Get out there and explore the beauty that our earth has to offer but as always, remember to respect the land that you are and follow the Leave No Trace principles. We did see some carving into the trees and not only does it look bad but it hurts the bark of the tree and can lead to infection. So always ALWAYS leave no trace. It is our duty to keep these places beautiful for generations to come! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments and Happy Travels!
Annalise Adventuring 
Leave a comment