Parking
The marked start is in the Big Tree Wayside parking area on Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway (mile marker 127.96). The finish is at the Parkway access across from Prairie Creek Visitor Center; parking is available at the Visitor Center end.
Overview
About Cathedral Trees Trail
Why go
- Old-growth redwoods, nursery logs, ferns and trailside berries on a short walk
- The gentle grade suits children who want a close forest walk
Heads up
- Point-to-point logistics; returning to Big Tree doubles the walk to about 2.8 miles
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Redwood map
Full mapElevation155–321 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Redwood alerts
- CautionU.S. 101 construction traffic controlsExpect construction-related traffic stops and one-way controlled traffic on U.S. 101; allow extra time and drive cautiously. - NPS reports multiple stops between Orick and Crescent City; delays vary.Official details
- CautionU.S. 199 construction traffic controlsExpect 24/7 one-way controlled traffic on three U.S. 199 segments because of construction. - 6–6.2 miles north of Gasquet: through 6:00 p.m. December 15, 2026; delays up to 10 minutes. - 9.6–9.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Redwood Tour Guide
Your drive to Cathedral Trees 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
Big Tree Wayside0:00 / 0:26
“Up ahead is Big Tree Wayside, an easy stop for a close look at a redwood estimated to be more than fifteen hundred years old.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cal Barrel Road and Foothill Trail
- Corkscrew Tree
- Prairie Creek Visitor Center and Elk Prairie
- Find the Wren by Ear
- 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 Cathedral Trees Trail
A short point-to-point redwood walkCathedral Trees Trail is a 1.
Cathedral Trees Trail is a 1.4-mile point-to-point walk from Big Tree Wayside to the Parkway access across from Prairie Creek Visitor Center. It follows old-growth redwoods on the slopes and finishes at the connected trail access by the Visitor Center. Allow about an hour one way. The grade is described as gentle, though the route is rated moderate. The posted 1.4-mile figure does not say whether it includes a return; the mapped line between the two access points is 1.4 miles one way. Retracing it makes a roughly 2.8-mile walk.
Look for the family groupsThe name refers to groups of redwoods growing together on the slopes.
The name refers to groups of redwoods growing together on the slopes. Fallen mother trees become nursery logs for younger trees and ferns, and herbs and berries grow along the path. Slow down for those details: the pleasure here is being among the trunks and forest floor, not reaching a far-off viewpoint.
Keep the route variants straightThis is the shorter Cathedral Trees line from Big Tree Wayside to the Parkway access.
This is the shorter Cathedral Trees line from Big Tree Wayside to the Parkway access. The nearby Big Tree Loop is a separate, longer circuit that combines other named trails, around 3.1 miles. The Visitor Center also connects to Elk Prairie Trail on a separate 0.42-mile accessible segment; that description does not establish that the full Cathedral Trees route is wheelchair-accessible.
Make the finish workThe marked trailhead is at Big Tree Wayside.
The marked trailhead is at Big Tree Wayside. For a one-way walk, arrange a pickup or leave a car at the Visitor Center end. If your car stays at Big Tree, walk back the same way and plan on about 2.8 miles. Pets 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.
