Parking
For the south access, park at Wilson Creek Picnic Area, then cross US 101 cautiously to the signed mile-12.8 trailhead. The north trailhead is signed at mile 15.6; a designated lot there was not confirmed.
Overview
About Coastal Trail: DeMartin Section
Why go
- Old-growth forest, prairie and ocean views in one hike
- DeMartin Camp adds a memorable backcountry waypoint
Heads up
- A south-access day hike becomes a 12-mile-plus out-and-back
- Steep switchbacks and a careful Highway 101 crossing add work
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Redwood map
Full mapElevation38–1,040 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 Coastal Trail: DeMartin Section, 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
Wilson Creek and the DeMartin Coastal Trail0:00 / 0:23
“Wilson Creek is coming up, with access to the DeMartin section of the Coastal Trail. Choose this for old-growth forest opening onto grassy hillsides and ocean views, with steep grades and switchbacks along the way.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lagoon Creek and Hidden Beach
- Trees of Mystery
- Ocean Floor Beneath the Forest
- Damnation Creek Trail
- 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 Coastal Trail: DeMartin Section
The hikeThe DeMartin Section is a six-mile one-way point-to-point walk on the California Coastal Trail,…
The DeMartin Section is a six-mile one-way point-to-point walk on the California Coastal Trail, between Highway 101 mile markers 12.8 and 15.6. Starting at the Wilson Creek access, it climbs through old-growth Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Douglas-fir and redwoods, passes DeMartin Camp, then opens into prairie bald spots and broad ocean views. It is rated moderate, but the steep grades and switchbacks make it a real half-day hike.
Plan the returnUse Wilson Creek Picnic Area for the south access and cross US 101 carefully to the signed…
Use Wilson Creek Picnic Area for the south access and cross US 101 carefully to the signed mile-12.8 trailhead. The section ends at the north trailhead at mile 15.6; a designated lot there wasn't confirmed, so arrange a ride if you plan to hike one way. From Wilson Creek, the straightforward day-hike plan is to turn around and retrace the route: about 12.3 to 12.6 miles and six to seven hours. Allow roughly three to four hours for the one-way section.
DeMartin CampThe route passes a backcountry camp with ten sites, toilets and fire rings among the firs.
The route passes a backcountry camp with ten sites, toilets and fire rings among the firs. There is no drinking water, and overnight campers need a backcountry permit. For a day hike, treat the camp as a waypoint, not a resupply stop. Dogs, bikes and horses aren't allowed.
Prairie and coastGrassy prairie openings bring long ocean views toward False Klamath Cove and False Klamath Rock.
Grassy prairie openings bring long ocean views toward False Klamath Cove and False Klamath Rock. Look back through the Douglas-firs to frame the shoreline; the trees give the coast some scale. Shaded ravines add old-growth redwood, ferns and redwood sorrel. Bears forage among the berries, so give wildlife room.
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.
