mikec81

I am heading to Redwood National Park at the weekend and wondered if anyone could recommend a few things to do while I am there? We are only going to be there for a few hours, as we are then heading down to Fort Bragg for the evening, so I am hoping to have a clear idea of where we are going and what we are going to do....
I have been living in Northern California for a few months and have decided that I need to explore the Northern coastline, been mainly travelling around the Bay area up til now.
Any tips would be great

another bloody yank

I was there once quite a few years ago. Like you I was only there for a few hours so I stopped at the visitors center and one of the Rngers recommended one of the shorter hiking trails. I really enjoyed it.

tonrob

My wife and I passed through - similarly with just a few hours to spare - just over a month ago.

We arrived from the northern end, stopping at the Park Info office in Crescent City to pick up a free map and ask advice from the rangers.

We ended up doing 2 things: First we detoured off Hwy 101 just south of Klamath and drove the narrow 'Coastal Drive'. There were frequent pull-outs to park and admire the dramatic coastal scenery - cliffs, rocks, crashing waves and eery mist, and we could even see a pod of whales quite clearly from one of the high overlooks.

The Coastal Drive deposits you onto the 'Newton B Drury Scenic Pwy' - essentially a loop off 101, and - continuing south - this goes past a parking lot marked 'Big Tree'. Essentially it is what it says - a bloody big tree - not the biggest redwood in the park (which apparently takes a bit more effort to get to) but not far off. There were a few hiking trails leading off the parking lot varying from 5 minutes to an hour or two that can be taken. Most lazy buggers didn't seem to stray more than 5 minutes from their cars so we found the trail we chose very tranquil!

Hope what I've described makes some sense - it probably will when you get the free park map in front of you.

Enjoy!

mikec81

Thanks for the advice.
I think that we are going to head up to Eureka and then drive south along 101, getting out to the coast when we can. We have the addresses of a few visitors centers, so we are planning to stop at those on the way.
Thanks again

Pony

The obligatory drive through the tree of course . . .
The signs make it sound grander than it is. On the Jeep I had to fold one mirrors in just to fit it through.
If you planning on staying away from home for the night I'll look up the address of a really cool place we stayed that sat right on the cliffs. It was log construction with 2 story suites (the bottom floor having a sunken tub). They have a few private trails that overlook the dramatic cliffs. Take a walk at sunset its breath-taking and very romantic.

mikec81

That sounds great but we are going to camp for both nights that we are going to be away, and have found a few sites right on the coast. The views are supposed to be amazing so really looking forward to that.
We have read about the tree that you can drive through, think we are going to try to pass by just for a photos if nothing else!

Pony

Surprisingly they didn't offer photographs (maybe a little business for someone on here). So kick your other half out and get them to take the picture for you.
This is me doing just that back in 2005 . . .

Maz

I thought you'd missed the "s" off from "trees" and were talking about going off-piste.

Yep a definite business venture there for someone!

scotch03

When you drive up the 101 to Eureka you will see lots of places to stop - there s a Redwood tree you can drive through! Eureka though isn't up to much, but a very short drive outside of Eureka is a little coastal town called Trinidad and another place worth a stop is Ferndale.

Since you're in the Bay Area I assume you made it to Tennessee Valley and Muir Beach as well as the Pelican Inn????

mikec81

Not made it to Tennessee Valley and Muir Beach yet. I live a bit further east, in Sacramento, and only recently bought a car so havent been able to venture too far until now.Thinking of heading that way in a few weeks time...

Pony

Eureka is worth a visit if only to see The Carson Mansion - see attached. It is amazing.
It is a private building, so you can only see the outside of it - but definitely worth a visit

Pony

no way! I don't believe you
(see previous post in this thread)

Ozzidoc

Ferndale is really pretty

scotch03

How was that Eureka trip?

mikec81

Turned out great, save for a few problems with the car!
We drove up to Fortuna and then headed down through the Humboldt Redwoods the next morning. Made our way down the coast (which was amazing) to Fort Bragg where we stayed the evening. The Brewhouse in Fort Bragg has a good selection of beers and enjoyed a few after a full day of driving.
That stretch of Route 1 after you hit the coast was really the highlight of the trip. We headed back home via Clear Lake although were slightly disappointed by it. I am not really sure what we expected, although we stumbled across the Clear Lake State Park which made up for it. The park was great with a few trails to walk and then a great beach with a swimming section.
Overall, and great trip and looking forward to the next one, maybe thinking Lassen Park to check that out