Parking
Access is via Mill Creek Campground Trail near the campground entrance off Highway 101. A separate parking area for this trail was not confirmed.
Overview
About Alder Basin Trail
Why go
- A compact walk through lush second-growth redwoods and ravines
- A more varied, steeper forest route than its short length suggests
Heads up
- Steep grades make the short walk feel more strenuous
- Published descriptions disagree about the route and distance
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Redwood map
Full mapElevation361–471 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Redwood alerts
- ClosureBald Hills Road, Mill Creek and 44 Creek restrictionsMentions Mill Creek, referenced in this guideUse caution on damaged Bald Hills Road and plan around Mill Creek and 44 Creek access restrictions.Official details
- ClosureBoy Scout, Alder Basin and Lyon’s Ranch trail restrictionsMentions this trailPlan around closures and blocked sections on Boy Scout Tree, Alder Basin and Lyon’s Ranch trails. - Boy Scout Tree Trail is partially open; a fallen tree blocks the trail 1.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Redwood Tour Guide
Your drive to Alder Basin Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Redwood National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Redwood audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Mill Creek Campground0:00 / 0:35
“You're approaching Mill Creek Campground, a seasonal camping base in a leafy creek valley. Come for a night in the forest rather than a quick look at a famous giant.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Coho's Last Journey
- How a Giant Stays Upright
- The Spruce Beside the Sea
- Crescent Beach Overlook and Enderts Beach
- 85 audio storiesacross Redwood’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, California Condor, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 83 trails, 48 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Alder Basin Trail
What this short route isAlder Basin Trail is a steep, point-to-point walk through the second-growth redwoods behind…
Alder Basin Trail is a steep, point-to-point walk through the second-growth redwoods behind Mill Creek Campground. The mapped trail is about 0.6 mile one way and takes roughly 30 minutes; retracing it to the same access makes about 1.2 miles. Its small size hides a good deal of climbing, so take your time on the slopes.
Through the ravinesThe dirt path climbs into lush second-growth redwoods, winds through small ravines, then…
The dirt path climbs into lush second-growth redwoods, winds through small ravines, then descends toward the campground. The changing grade and ferny forest floor are the payoff; there is no single overlook or creekside destination to aim for. Watch your footing on the steep, uneven sections.
Finding the right pathAccess is via Mill Creek Campground Trail near the campground entrance off Highway 101.
Access is via Mill Creek Campground Trail near the campground entrance off Highway 101. Several trails share this campground network, and published descriptions disagree about Alder Basin's distance and terrain. The campground map lists 0.6 mile as round trip, while the mapped Alder Basin line runs about 0.58 mile between its ends; other descriptions give longer totals. Confirm the named trail at the junctions and use the local map if you need to return to your starting access. Dogs are not allowed on park trails except service animals.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Redwood
256 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
2,389 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
62 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 1 PMSighting map
60 sightingsCalifornia Sea LionMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
216 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
13 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Redwood. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
