Parking
Tall Trees Grove Trailhead Parking, reached by Tall Trees Access Road from Bald Hills Road. A free advance reservation is required. The lot is small; RVs and trailers are not allowed.
Overview
About Emerald Ridge and Tall Trees Loop
Why go
- The creek-level route offers a different view of the old-growth redwoods.
- Tall Trees Grove and its streamside maples make a memorable midpoint.
Heads up
- Loose gravel and repeated fords make the creek leg slow and tiring.
- The loop depends on low water and a free Tall Trees access reservation.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Redwood map
Full mapElevation108–789 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Redwood alerts
- ClosureBald Hills Road, Mill Creek and 44 Creek restrictionsMentions Bald Hills Road, referenced in this guideUse caution on damaged Bald Hills Road and plan around Mill Creek and 44 Creek access restrictions.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Redwood Tour Guide
Your drive to Emerald Ridge and Tall Trees Loop, 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
Tall Trees Grove0:00 / 0:25
“You're approaching the access road for Tall Trees Grove, a half-day outing with a long drive and a steep hike. You'll need an online reservation for the locked gate.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How Redwoods Catch Fog
- A Giant from a Tiny Cone
- Dolason Prairie Picnic Area
- Soil in the Treetops
- 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 Emerald Ridge and Tall Trees Loop
The loopThis is a 4.
This is a 4.3-mile loop from Tall Trees Grove Trailhead Parking: descend Emerald Ridge, follow about 1.5 miles of Redwood Creek's gravel bed, then climb back out on Tall Trees Trail. Plan about four hours on the trail; the creekbed and return climb slow this down. The 2.8-mile figure listed for Emerald Ridge fits the outward ridge-and-creek leg, while the full trip includes the Tall Trees return.
Check the water firstThis route only works at low water, generally in summer.
This route only works at low water, generally in summer. The creek section has no dependable single tread: gravel bars and crossing points can shift after storms. Rocks are smooth and loose, and the water can range from a few shallow steps to deep pools that require much deeper wading. Check current park conditions before setting out. If the creek is fast or high, take the Tall Trees Trail out and back instead.
Start at Tall TreesA free advance reservation is required to use the Tall Trees access road.
A free advance reservation is required to use the Tall Trees access road. The parking area is small and does not take RVs or trailers. Dogs are not allowed on park trails.
Down Emerald RidgeFrom the parking access, turn onto Emerald Ridge.
From the parking access, turn onto Emerald Ridge. The trail drops about 580 feet through forest, with loose dirt and gravel on the steeper grade. The route passes a patch that narrowly escaped logging in the late 1960s.
Redwood Creek and the groveAt the creek, turn downstream and cross along the broad gravel bars toward Tall Trees Grove.
At the creek, turn downstream and cross along the broad gravel bars toward Tall Trees Grove. The smooth, fist-sized stones make walking tiring even where the water is shallow; expect several fords. Tall Trees Grove sits beside the creek, with huge redwoods on one part of its separate loop and streamside maples on the other. The mapped 4.3-mile route reaches the grove connection and returns on Tall Trees Trail; adding the grove circuit makes the walk longer.
A recovering watershedThe wide gravel channel is part of Redwood Creek's logging history.
The wide gravel channel is part of Redwood Creek's logging history. Logging and road building in the early 1950s caused erosion and landslides in the watershed. A 1964 storm sent about 20 feet of sediment into the creek channel near its headwaters, and the valley is still recovering. The route gives you a close look at both the old-growth forest and the stream that shaped its lowland.
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.
