Redwoods planning help (sumer 2024)

[wsp_scott]

I am in the process of planning a summer 2024 (early July) road trip to see the Redwoods with the family (me, wife and three kids 11, 13, 15). The basic plan is fly into San Francisco and head north while taking our time. My wife isn't much of a camper, so we will be staying in hotels or AirBnBs.

I'm thinking of a couple nights in multiple locations to enjoy the coast and State Parks (beaches, tidepools, wildlife, forests, ...). Potential stopping points are Point Reyes, Bodega Bay, Mendocino, Shelter Cove, and Orick. The original thought was to go up the coast and then back down over about 12 - 14 days, but now my wife says she would like to check out Lassen NP (we spent a day there in 2006). So maybe 8 - 10 days up the coast and 4ish through Lassen and then to SFO.

Is there anything we should absolutely not miss between SFO and Redwoods NP? What about Lassen?

[c9h13no3]

Add Sculptured Beach & the Point Reyes Crater to your list in Point Reyes, accessible at low tide, in addition to the usual suspects you'll find in your research.

The headlands around Jenner are full of short, scenic hikes. The Kortum trail is a good example.

I've only ever been to Lassen in the winter. Burney Falls and Heart Lake (via Castle Lake) are also easy spots to bring the kids & non-hikers in that general area.

[Wandering Daisy]

Lost Coast! It is a fairly long drive off 101, but there are many vacation houses with ocean views you can rent for a night or two in Shelter Cove. Black Sands beach to the north is a great beach walk. Nice day-trip into Sinkyone State Park where you can see a big elk herd and some seals.

If you are into "new age" unique there is an off-road route from 101 that goes to Honeydew and then a back road to Fortuna which has a lot of historic buildings. It may be too much in the car for kids. This route is a well-regarded motorcycle route with a very narrow road through redwoods.

McKerracher State Park is also very nice, with tide pools and beach walking. Pretty kid friendly. Plenty of motels, in Fort Bragg. Mendocino headlands hikes are scenic and quite civilized. Kids may like lighthouse tours.

[dave54]

The Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City is interesting. Access is only at low tide. You can skip the aquarium in Crescent City. Pretty small, not a very good collection.

Directly across the river from Jedediah Smith Campground is the Stout Grove of Redwoods. Many of the Star Wars scenes were filmed there (the Forest Moon of Endor.) Maybe you will see an Ewok?

Fern Canyon should not be missed. A short hike up a creek (not a maintained trail, it washes out every winter. Boulder and log hopping, shallow stream to negotiate), loop back. Vertical walls covered different fern species. Jurrasic Park filmed there.

There are several drive-thru trees. You can take the requisite photo if you wish.

The fastest route (and easiest drive) from Crescent City to Lassen Volcanic NP is up Highway 199 to Grant's Pass, Oregon then south on I-5. Highway 299 is very curvy and not a pleasant drive. Highway 36 is worse than 299. If you have time, Oregon Cave National Monument is not far off 199. Stalactites, stalagmites, and the usual limestone cave features.

From Redding, the normal route to Lassen is Highway 44. The main park road (highway 89) has the usual scenic turnouts and interpretive signs. Everything east of the Park Road burned in the 2021 Dixie Fire. Things to do include the trail to the Peak and Bumpass Hell geothermal area. If you want to see more of the Park than the main road, head east on 44 to Butte Lake. Dirt road access from the highway. Trail to Cinder Cone -- one of the best hikes for a surreal view of bizarre colors and shapes of the Fantastic Lava Beds and Painted Dunes. Subway Cave at the small community of Old Station is a lava tube, about 1/3 mile in length. Stairs at each end for access and interpretive signs inside. Give each of the kids a flashlight and let them run amok inside, they cannot get lost. You can start the hike with the old native legend of evil spirits living in the cave, which is why the natives didn't use it. Hat Creek is a famous and popular spot for fly fishing.

I live near Lassen Park. Go there often. Depending on how time you want to spend there and how much hiking you want to do, there are some really beautiful and off-the-beaten-path spots. You want to do 10 miles of dirt road, a three mile hike, then a bit of off-trail cross country to an unmapped and unnamed 80 foot waterfall?

[Jim F]

Suggested First Stop on your Family Trip:

Last Friday morning, I picked up my daughter and her fiance at SFO. (They flew to San Francisco from Pittsburg.) We headed directly north to the Muir Woods National Monument located 6 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Starting at the Visitor Center, one walks though a canyon of redwoods which was never logged. If you stop here, be sure to get reserved parking far in advance. (Or maybe hike in on the Dipsea Trail?)

BTW, just 25 miles directly east of Muir Woods is Muir's Ranch in Martinez (the John Muir Historic site). Next to his residence is a majestic redwood. The ranch merits a visit, perhaps as you return to SFO down from the North.

Enjoy,

Jim

[wildhiker]

If you really want to see redwoods and not just the coast, spend a day or two at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which has the largest area of virgin redwood forest. I was particularly impressed by the Rockefeller Forest short nature trail and the longer Bull Creek trail beyond it, which runs for miles through a forest of giants.

For photos and descriptions of trails in all the redwood parks, check out
http://redwoodhikes.com/
-Phil

[LMBSGV]

All of the suggestions provided by others are all great and present a lot of excellent and difficult choices to make. I’ve lived near Point Reyes for about 40 years so here are suggestions if you go there.

I do not know about the numerous AIRBnBs. They are now quite prevalent and I know enough to know the quality can vary quite a bit. The ownership of the commercial BandBs in the area has changed over the years so I no longer know those well enough to recommend one. In terms of location, the ones on Tomales Bay put you on the water with great views, but as I said, the owners of the three I was familiar with have all changed. Take any reviews on Yelp with a lot of grains of salt since the owners of one establishment will write a bad review of their rivals.

The best beaches to go to are Limantour, which you can drive to on Limantour Road and Kehoe which is off Pierce Point Road and an easy half mile hike. The end of Pierce Point Road is the parking lot for McClure’s Beach and the hike to Pierce Point, which is the elk preserve. You usually can see the elk pretty early in the hike and the trail itself is gorgeous. I really like McClure’s Beach, but the hike back up from the beach can be annoying, especially for kids. The hike to Kehoe is level and the beach itself spectacular. Limantour is more popular and since it’s on Drake’s Bay it is swimmable, though one still needs to pay attention.

In terms of places to eat, I recommend the Station House in Point Reyes Station. It’s kid friendly and the food is good. Also the Bovine Bakery and Toby’s Coffee Bar are long-time local institutions with great sweet snacks.

I second Wildhiker’s recommendation of Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the Rockefeller Forest. One can hike for miles in old growth forest. There’s something spiritually magical walking in a forest of 300 foot trees. The other place where one can walk for miles in old growth forest is Prairie Creek State Park by Orick. That’s where Fern Canyon is, which you can either drive to or hike to (it’s a long hike so it depends on how old and adventurous your kids are as to whether you drive or hike to Fern Canyon).

Wherever you go will be wonderful. There really is not a bad choice.

[wsp_scott]

Thanks for all of that info, I need to digest it and I will probably have some questions.

Bonus, my wife is encouraging me to take a couple days by myself and hike the Lost Coast Trail from Mattole to Shelter Cove. This has been on my bucket list for years.

[Wandering Daisy]

You are probably already aware of this. The coast is often foggy in the summer. That can be viewed as an advantage if you are escaping 100+ inland temperatures but is a disadvantage if you would like to get blue-sky coastal photographs. Mattole to Shelter Cove can be done in 2 days if you hit the tides right. At low tide you can walk the inter-tidal zone on firm sand. There are a few pinch points that you need a moderate if not low tide, otherwise you have to camp and do it next day. I always really study the tide tables before I go.