Two relaxed days that sample the best of California's redwood coast: a misty grove walk, the fern-draped walls of Fern Canyon, elk in the prairie, and the dirt-road groves near Crescent City. One easy base in Klamath keeps the driving sane.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove loop
Fern Canyon on Gold Bluffs Beach
Roosevelt elk at Elk Prairie
Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway
Grove of Titans boardwalk and Stout Grove
Sea stacks and harbor views from Crescent Beach Overlook
The story
Redwood National and State Parks is a 50-mile string of old-growth groves, prairies and wild beaches, and the biggest mistake is trying to see it all at a sprint. This plan uses one base, the Historic Requa Inn at the mouth of the Klamath River, and splits the parks into a southern day and a northern day, each with a single short walk or two at a time and long gaps for driving, picnicking and simply standing under the trees.
Day one heads south for the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, then bumps down gravel Davison Road to Fern Canyon, where you wade a cobbled creek between walls of dripping ferns. The afternoon is slow on purpose: Roosevelt elk on the Elk Prairie meadow and the length of the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway on the way home, with a Klamath dinner after a real rest.
Day two goes north to the quiet side near Crescent City: the narrow dirt of Howland Hill Road, the boardwalk through the Grove of Titans, Stout Grove beside the Smith River, a brewpub lunch, and sea stacks from Crescent Beach Overlook. Fog is part of the deal here; pack layers and treat it as atmosphere. Nothing in the plan is strenuous, and the Tall Trees Grove permit hike is left as a bonus for anyone who adds a day.
Day by day
1
Day 1 · 6 stops
Southern groves, Fern Canyon and the elk meadow
A short grove walk, a creek-wading canyon, then a slow afternoon with elk and the Drury Parkway before dinner in Klamath. Most of the day is driving and picnicking, not hiking.
Stay8:00 AM · 1 h
Historic Requa Inn (recommended base)
A 1914 inn in Klamath where the Klamath River meets the Pacific, within the parks region. Rooms are individually furnished with private bathrooms, and the cooked breakfast (8-10 am April to October) is the day's fuel. Klamath puts both the Orick and Crescent City ends of the parks within roughly an hour. Check rates and room types on the inn's site.
The classic first walk among old-growth redwoods: a 1.5-mile loop off Bald Hills Road, with a short bridge over the road and interpretive stops. Allow 45-60 minutes. The roughly 3-mile drive up Bald Hills Road is narrow and winding, parking is small and fills by late morning in summer, so arrive early. Mist often hangs in the trees here.
Photo: NPS / John Chao
Distance
1.5 mi
Time
45-60 min; 1.5-mile loop; about 36 min drive from Requa Inn
Best time
Morning, before the lot fills
Fee
Free
Route type
loop
Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail
Bald Hills Road, Orick, CA 95555
Hours: Open daily
Season: Typically open year-round; check current conditions
A 1-mile lollipop loop through a mini-canyon whose walls are covered in dripping ferns, reached by gravel Davison Road with two stream crossings (not for RVs or trailers). You walk and wade up Home Creek, climbing over logs, so bring waterproof shoes and dry ones for after. Picnic tables and vault toilets at the parking area make it the lunch stop; budget about 75 minutes total, bring food with you.
Photo: NPS / Steve Olson
Distance
1 mi
Elevation gain
150 ft
Route
Loop
Difficulty
Easy
Dogs allowed
No
Trailhead
Fern Canyon parking area, end of Davison Road
Fern Canyon Loop Trail
Davison Road, Gold Bluffs Beach, Orick, CA 95555
Hours: Open daily
Season: Typically a free parking reservation is required for vehicles in summer and seasonal footbridges are installed in summer; check current dates
Roosevelt elk graze the open meadow beside the visitor center and campground most days, and the 1930s cabin holds exhibits, maps and a bookstore. Watch from the roadside and picnic area rather than on foot, keeping at least 25 yards back. Allow a half hour to watch and pick up a trail map.
Photo: NPS Photo
Time
30-40 min; elk are on the meadow most days
Best time
Morning or evening for elk
Fee
Free
Prairie Creek Visitor Center
127011 Newton B. Drury Parkway, Orick, CA 95555
Hours: Summer 9 am-5 pm daily; winter 10 am-4 pm Wednesday-Sunday; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day
Season: Hours change seasonally; check current hours
Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway (with Big Tree Wayside)
Ten miles of narrow, paved road through Prairie Creek's old-growth forest, parallel to Highway 101 so there is no backtracking. Allow at least 20 minutes without stopping. Add the Big Tree Wayside, an accessible 75-yard walk to a viewing platform about three-quarters of a mile north of the visitor center, then drive north toward Klamath.
A full-service bar and grill inside the Yurok-owned Redwood Hotel & Casino in Klamath, with Yurok-owned microbrewery beer on the menu. It serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday only, so on Sunday and Monday plan dinner elsewhere (the inn's breakfast room serves mornings only). Arriving around 6 pm leaves a real rest between the parkway and dinner.
Dirt-road redwoods near Hiouchi, a river grove, a proper lunch, and an ocean overlook, finished by mid-afternoon. All walks are short and flat to gently graded.
Must do
Activity9:45 AM · 1 h 30 min
Grove of Titans via Howland Hill Road
The 1.5-mile loop includes about 1,500 feet of elevated boardwalk with steps, built to protect the roots of some of the biggest redwoods in the parks. The trailhead is on Howland Hill Road, a narrow, dusty road that squeezes between trunks; allow an hour to drive its length and expect limited parking. Not suitable for RVs or trailers.
Photo: NPS (record lists no individual credit)
Distance
1.5 mi
Time
1-2 hours; 1.5-mile loop; about 48 min drive from Requa Inn via Crescent City
Best time
Morning, for parking
Fee
Free
Route type
loop
Grove of Titans Trailhead
Howland Hill Road, Crescent City, CA 95531
Hours: Open daily
Season: Typically open year-round; road may be partially closed after storms
A 44-acre grove of 300-foot redwoods beside the Smith River, reached by a 0.5-mile trail from the trailhead further along Howland Hill Road (about 7 minutes past the Grove of Titans). A spur trail drops about 20 feet to the river. It is quieter in the shoulder seasons and a pleasant place to slow down.
Photo: NPS / John Chao
Distance
0.5 mi
Time
45-60 min on site; 0.5-mile trail
Best time
Morning
Fee
Free
Route type
out_and_back
Stout Memorial Grove
Howland Hill Road, Crescent City, CA 95531
Hours: Open daily
Season: Typically accessible by car from Howland Hill Road year-round; a summer footbridge links to the campground day-use area
A craft brewpub in Crescent City serving brick-oven pizzas, local grass-fed burgers, locally caught fish dishes and cheese curds, plus house beer and kombucha. It is roughly 27 minutes from Stout Grove and sits close to the harbor, so it breaks up the drive back toward the coast.
A short paved path to a platform over miles of beach, Crescent City harbor and offshore sea stacks, with three picnic tables and two interpretive signs. Views depend on fog, which often lifts in the afternoon. It is a 14-minute drive from town, followed by about 35 minutes back to Klamath.
Photo: NPS / B. Marciniec
Time
20-30 min
Best time
Afternoon or sunset when clear
Fee
Free
Crescent Beach Overlook
Enderts Beach Road, Crescent City, CA 95531
Hours: Open daily
Season: Typically open year-round; limited parking
A Yurok-owned Holiday Inn Express in Klamath with single king, double queen and executive king rooms, complimentary hot breakfast, an indoor pool and fitness center. Dinner is on site at Abalone Bar & Grill (Tuesday to Saturday). Check current rates.
Stay
Redwood Hotel & Casino
A Yurok-owned Holiday Inn Express in Klamath with single king, double queen and executive king rooms, complimentary hot breakfast, an indoor pool and fitness center. Dinner is on site at Abalone Bar & Grill (Tuesday to Saturday). Check current rates.
A campground on the edge of the elk meadow in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, with cabins available. Reservations are made through Reserve California and are essential from May to October; check Reserve California for off-season rules. Handy for the southern day.
Stay
Elk Prairie Campground (cabins and sites)
A campground on the edge of the elk meadow in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, with cabins available. Reservations are made through Reserve California and are essential from May to October; check Reserve California for off-season rules. Handy for the southern day.
A year-round campground in an old-growth grove on the Smith River in the park's northern end, with cabins available. Reservations go through Reserve California; check current rules for off-season availability. Best if you shift to the northern side for both days.
Stay
Jedediah Smith Campground (cabins and sites)
A year-round campground in an old-growth grove on the Smith River in the park's northern end, with cabins available. Reservations go through Reserve California; check current rules for off-season availability. Best if you shift to the northern side for both days.
Fern Canyon: the vehicle parking reservation applies May 15 to Sept 15 only, so none is needed in mid-October. The seasonal footbridges are removed now (installed June to September); expect ankle-to-knee-deep water. Davison Road is gravel with two stream crossings; high clearance is recommended and it is not suited to RVs or trailers. The Gold Bluffs entrance station charges $12 per vehicle (federal and California passes honored); credit cards are not accepted, so bring cash.
Bald Hills Road (to Lady Bird Johnson Grove) is open but listed with hazard conditions from road damage; drive slowly. Prescribed burns in the Bald Hills area run Oct 14 to Oct 23, 2026 (smoke, intermittent Lyon's Ranch Trail closures); check the conditions page first.
Highway 101 has construction stops between Orick and Crescent City; add buffer time.
Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is closed to vehicles the first Saturday of each month, October through May (hike and bike day).
Historic Requa Inn is closed Oct 16-17, 2026 (private event) and Jan 4 to Feb 11, 2027 (maintenance). Abalone Bar & Grill serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday only.
Tall Trees Grove (not scheduled here) needs a free online reservation, limited to 50 parties a day and issued up to 24 hours ahead.
Practical
The parks have no food concessions inside; buy picnic food in Klamath, Orick or Crescent City ahead of the Fern Canyon lunch.
Dress in layers; summer is often foggy and October through April is the wet season.
Howland Hill Road and Davison Road are unpaved and unsuitable for RVs and trailers; use Simpson-Reed Trail or the campground day-use area for Stout Grove in an RV.
Stay at least 25 yards (75 feet) from elk at all times; bulls are especially irritable in the fall rut.
Visitor center hours vary by season; Prairie Creek, Hiouchi and Kuchel centers are the main ones.
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Good to know: distances and drive times are typical figures without live traffic, and where routes are shown the route data comes from OpenStreetMap contributors. Toll amounts are estimates and change often, so check them in the DriftKin planner or with the toll authority before you plan around them. Opening hours, fees, prices, permits and closures also change, so confirm with the park or business before you go.
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