OliverB

I'd greatly appreciate some feedback on the following itinerary, driving from SF to Redwood N.P. and back in mid November. A few points to note: this is an old itin that I put together a couple of years ago. I left it as is so that others can offer suggestions for adjusting certain aspects based on points of interest. Namely the camping portion. Please ignore the Elk Prairie and Mill Creek Campgrounds as there's no way we'll be camping in Nov! Hopefully these areas can be easily accessed from either Eureka or Crescent City. Does this mean that we need to add on significant number of days at either end - if so, which would be better situated to spend time in Redwood N.P.? I'd especially welcome input re. the amount of time devoted to each destination, ie. number of nights and whether it seems appropriate for the sights and outdoor activities; whether I've chosen reasonable bases for hikes, etc. My wife is admittedly not a big hiker. She's in great shape (yoga/pilates) and very active but I've never done a full day hike with her as of yet; I think around 5 hrs was the max. Is there anything that stands out that should be of concern ~ requiring multi-day hikes or overnight camping? I'd really like to get deep into the forests and wilderness, see wildlife, etc. It's probably more difficult to pull off when not staying inside of the park. Also, if anyone could offer recommendations and highlight the most noteworthy of areas within the park, the must-do hikes, regional beaches and state parks to visit - either on my list or not - it would be immensely helpful! I doubt we'll have time to do it all since we won't be camping, we'll be adding plenty of driving and days are short in November. Thanks for any input and feedback!



US-101 from San Francisco to Scenic Redwood Hwy and Avenue of the Giants
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- Drive-Thru Tree Park

- Richardson Grove State Park

- Humbolt Redwoods State Park

- Pacific Lumber Company

- Fort Humbolt State Historic Park




EUREKA, CA
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• Eagle House Victorian Inn / Abigail's / The Daly Inn - (2 Nights at Start and End)


- Old Town Eureka

- Eureka Theater

- The Carson Mansion

- Eureka Boardwalk

- Humboldt Bay

- Sequoia Park Garden and Zoo

- Clarke Historical Museum

- Lost Coast Trail

- Ferndale and Golden Gate Mercantile


* Dinner at Samoa Cookhouse, Eureka

* Dinner at VI Restaurant and Bar at Victoria Inn, Ferndale

* Drinks at The Hotel Ivanhoe Saloon, Ferndale

* Brunch at Poppa Joe's, Ferndale




Continue along 101 Redwood Hwy Coastal Route to Redwood National Park Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center
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- Clam Beach State Park

- Trinidad and Memorial Lighthouse

- College Cove

- Patrick's Point State Park

- Humboldt Lagoons State Park




• Elk Prairie Campground, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - (2 Nights)


- Gold Bluffs Beach

- The Miners' Ridge and James Irvine Loop

- Fern Canyon

- West Ridge and Prairie Creek Trail

- The Big Tree Loop

- Brown Creek Loop

- West Ridge and Rhododendron Loop

- The Friendship Ridge




Continue along 101 Redwood Hwy to Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
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- Trees of Mystery (!!)




• Mill Creek Campground, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park - (1 Night)


- The Damnation Creek Trail

- The Coastal Trail (?)




Continue along 101 Redwood Hwy to Crescent City and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
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* Lunch at Historic Hiouchi Cafe


- Battery Point Lighthouse

- Del Norte County History Museum




• Curly Redwood Lodge, Crescent City - (1 Night)

• Alternate Options - BnB Hiouchi on the Smith River / Jedediah Smith Campground, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park


- Stout Grove Trail

- The Boy Scout Tree Trail

- The Mill Creek Trail

- The Hatton Trail

- The Simpson-Reed Trail




Returning along US-101 to Garberville
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• Benbow Historic Inn, Garberville - Queen Balcony, Historic Building - (2 Nights)


* Dinner at Benbow Inn

* Breakfast at Eel River Cafe


- Richardson Grove State Park

- One Log House

- Shelter Cove

OliverB

Also feel free to dismiss anything that you feel is non-essential. Ideally, I'd like to shave a night off since we won't be camping. The Elk Prairie Campground area was a focal point so I'm going to look into alternate lodging. If anyone could make note of what you feel are "must-see" from the above listed sights and offer reasonable lengths of time that should be allocated for them (ie. morning at abc cove, 2 hrs xyz creek trail, entire afternoon hike through pqr grove, etc) it'd really be helpful to make sense of everything. Finally, any tips for weather and clothing mid-to-late November?

Thanks again!!

darthbimmer

If I read your notation right you've got 10 nights. That's a heck of a lot of time to spend in the area. If it were my trip I'd spread out for a bit more variety... even with only 5 nights. At a minimum, drive State Route 1 one way and US-101 the other. Maybe shift one of your nights to Mendocino or somewhere on the Sonoma Coast. Consider spending a day or two in Marin County at Point Reyes National Seashore, Muir Woods National Monument, Mount Tamalpais, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, etc.

OliverB

I definitely want to cut the trip down to 4-5 nights since we won't be camping, but I'd like the far Northern Coast and Redwoods to be the focus. We spend a lot of time in Marin and Point Reyes. We'll be around Mt Tam for a long weekend next month and we've been to the Tamales Bay/Point Reyes Seashore at least 3 times in the past couple of years. Likewise Mendocino, though it hasn't been as recent. Sonoma isn't my first pick. Anyhow, we'll definitely be taking the US-1 part way but I'd like to plan exclusively for the Redwoods and figure out the ideal length of time, where to plant ourselves and for how long for various sections of the NP and coast, what to focus on, etc. The above needs some heavy refinement!

Reindeerflame

I see substantial detail in the proposed itinerary, including a number of secondary items, but I did not see specific references to two key highlights that are a must:

First, the Founders Grove Trail in Humboldt Redwoods SP north of Weott, and second, the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail near Orick in Redwood National Park (located on the Bald Hills Road). These two mile-long trails should be part of any visit to the northern redwoods.

OliverB

Thanks Reindeer, I will make note of them!

I'm actually thinking of rescheduling this trip for Memorial Day or July Fourth weekend next year, which would possibly allow us to overnight inside the park. Are either preferable in terms of weather and climate, crowds, wildlife, etc? Anyone care to help me reorganize the trip into a shorter time span focusing on the highlights and areas to base ourselves in order to access them?

Thanks!

epi231

We are planning a 3-day trip up to Humboldt Redwoods, Eureka, and (perhaps) farther North from San Francisco. This thread has a lot of great suggestions, but any more recent experiences or recommendations would be most appreciated.

We are mainly looking to experience the redwoods and the coast with light to moderate hiking (on this trip).

darthbimmer

Recent recommendations? Well, the coast, the trees, and the mountains haven't changed much since this thread was started in 2015. The main change I've noticed visiting the area every year or two for umpteen years is that many towns, roads, and parks are much more crowded now. That doesn't really change what I recommend seeing, just how much the motels cost and how much time it takes to get from A to B.

Speaking of time, definitely make time for Avenue of the Giants along the way. Drive the scenic road slowly & hop out for at least one short walk.

Doc Savage

If you go in the fall/winter/spring, check for road closures. They were stuck behind "The Redwood Curtain" in Eureka for a while this last winter with nearly all routes out closed.

Reindeerflame

Please review my earlier post.

Founder's Grove Trail north of Weott (Humboldt Redwoods SP)
Lady Bird Johnson Trail north of Orick (Redwood NP)

Added: Great coastal view on top of bluff at Patrick's Point SP north of Trinidad.

Boraxo

Great suggestions here, particularly for a socially-distanced outdoor-based vacation. Alas won’t be able to enjoy any of the restaurants listed in the itinerary above.

Any hotel recommendations?

looks like there are a few Airbnb’s In Ft Bragg/Mendocino that permit pets.

Anybody stay at Lucky Seven casino\hotel? Normally I avoid this type of place but it looks to be the closest to one of the trails above. However no dogs so that may be a deal killer. Then again my dog doesn’t do car travel well...

Reindeerflame

A good hotel recommendation close to the Redwood National and State Parks is the fairly new Holiday Inn Express in Klamath, CA. This is centrally-located, as compared with staying in either Eureka or Crescent City.