Redwood National Park has been on my bucket list FOREVER. This year for spring break I decided to take a break from the Southern Utah desert and head for the coast to check it out. After doing a lot of research online I knew I had three things that were must-dos: Tall Trees Grove, Avenue of the Giants, and Trillium Falls.
First, we started with the official Redwood National Park and did Tall Trees Grove & Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Tall Trees Grove was amazing. You have to go to the Information Center for a permit to hike on this trail. Don't panic! They don't usually run out, but it is better to get there earlier. They do this to prevent a lot of traffic in the area at the same time. It is a limited amount of parking and a dirt road takes you to the trailhead. We went on a Thursday in March and didn’t see anyone on the trail until we were down into the Tall Trees Grove. You really got to experience how massive the trees are and hear all of the wildlife. I was SO excited to see a little frog on the trail. You can barely see him in the photo below, but he was adorable. Nature blows my mind! He camouflages so perfectly.
You can also walk through fallen trees on the trail and into trees that have survived many wildfires but are still standing. Redwoods are amazing. They hold their water in a different way than most trees, this helps them repel the flames. One tree in Lady Bird Johnson Grove has survived 5 major fires and is still standing. It is kind of eerie to walk into these hollowed out trees, you feel like you are walking into an animals home.
This hike can be joined with the Redwood Creek Trail but since we were there in March the bridges were taken down so you couldn’t cross. You still can go to the creek’s edge and take it all in. It was a weird feeling to go from a dense forest to an open area. It gives you a sense of how impressive this forest really is.
Next was Lady Bird Johnson Grove. This wasn’t as wild of a trail. But after our over stimulation in Tall Trees Grove, this was a great change of pace. You can grab a guide at the beginning of the trail and take yourself on a self-guided tour. This is how we learned about the tree that had survived all of the fires. It was a very short loop with some impressive trees. It isn’t a must-do, but it’s a quick hike if you have time and I would recommend it. It’s a much more populated trail so this is a great place to ask someone to take a photo of your group.
The last hike we did for the day was Trillium Falls. This is in the Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, just up the road from the two hikes we did that morning. This is a VERY quick hike if you just want to see the falls. We were pretty tired from the two straight days of exploring, so just hiking to the waterfall was great for us, but you can do the loop which is 2 miles if you have the time.
The best part about this area is the wildlife. We saw two huge herds of elk right off the highway. I had never seen a wild elk before and I was so spoiled to see them so close, close enough I could smell them! They reminded me of horses. We heard them calling to each other and running through the creek. It was so magical. I could have watched them forever.
Sadly, our vacation was coming to an end, but the adventure wasn’t over. We still had a lovely drive through the Avenue of the Giants. It was unbelievable to drive through the trees in the early morning. We were so distracted by looking at them we totally missed the turn-off for Drive-Thru Tree. Oops. This was still an amazing experience and I would recommend taking the scenic route, ALWAYS.
What You Want to Know
Take Me There!
Tall Trees Grove & Lady Bird Johnson Grove
We drove from Trinidad to the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center, which is a 20 minute drive, a beautiful drive along the coast. Once you arrive at the visitor center you can get the access code to open the gate to the Tall Trees Road that takes you to the trailhead. On the way to Tall Trees Road you will pass the Lady Bird Johnson trailhead. We wanted to hike the Tall Trees Grove first so we did that on the way back down.
Trillium Falls
The trailhead is about 10 minutes from the Kuchel Visitor Center. We left Lady Bird Johnson and went straight over to this trail. I was loving the scenery as we drove from trail to trail, so gorgeous!
Avenue of the Giants
As you drive along Highway 101 look for signs that let you know when to hop onto Avenue of the Giants. From there follow the road alongside the Highway 101 and it will pop you back on once its done. Totally worth it! Even if you don't stop, it is so amazing to drive through these giants.
How long is the hike?
Tall Trees Grove
Tall Trees Grove is a 4 mile loop hike. The loop it quite large at the bottom and takes you along the Redwood Creek. In the summer months bridges are put up to connect the Tall Trees Grove and Redwood Creek Trails together, this would make it about 9 miles.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
This is a one mile loop trail, a self-guided tour brochure is available at the start of the hike.
Trillium Falls
This is a 2.5 mile out and back trail. To get to the falls was much shorter, probably about a mile out and back, so if you want to cut it short you can and still still a smaller waterfall.
What Do I Wear?!
Layers were my best friend. We started hiking pretty early and it was a little chilly. I wore a tank top and a heavy plaid jacket. Chris wore a nano puffy jacket from Patagonia and was content. I knew I wouldn't want to deal with something like that when it got hot. I wanted something to tie around my waist easily. I wore my Ahnu Montara's, as always. I'd heard there were ticks so I wore high socks and long pants to make sure I was protected.
Can I bring my dog?
There are certain trails that dogs are allowed on. But they must be leashed. I would check-in at the visitor center and ask a Park Ranger what trails they are allowed on before you head out.
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