Grove of Titans Trail

Grove of Titans Trail is a 1.8-mile return walk from Howland Hill Road to an old-growth redwood grove, with a loop along the elevated boardwalk before you head back on the same Mill Creek approach. The park lists it at 1.5 miles; the complete mapped route measures 1.81 miles, and a detailed route account also puts the walk at 1.8. Allow one to two hours. It is a short hike, but it is not a flat boardwalk stroll: there are rooted stretches, a climb, and metal stairs. If you want to see the grove without walking off trail among its shallow roots, this is the right way in.

From the marked trailhead on the east side of Howland Hill Road, the Mill Creek Trail climbs gradually for about half a mile, gaining roughly 100 feet. The route is mostly compacted gravel, dirt, and forest duff, with roots along and across the tread. A metal stair section is the steepest short pitch. Past it, the trail rises gently beside the road before dropping toward Mill Creek and the grove. A sharp switchback comes less than two tenths of a mile before the elevated boardwalk.

The return follows the same approach, so save some energy for the uphill sections on the way back. At the Mill Creek overlook, take a moment for the creek, then turn left at the next junction for the grove. Mill Creek Trail continues beyond that turn; following it takes you onto a much longer hike.

The payoff is a 1,500-foot elevated metal boardwalk through a lush grove of massive coast redwoods. It winds close to trunks with unusual shapes and burls, over ferns and the forest floor rather than through them. Take the full boardwalk loop, including its steps, before returning to the approach trail. On a photo, keep a little of the metal walkway in the lower frame; it helps show the scale of the trees.

This is a carefully built route, not a remote wilderness tread. The boardwalk protects the shallow redwood roots and the understory from foot traffic. Stay on it even where older tracks look tempting. The route has many steps and uneven surfaces, and it is not ADA accessible despite the nearby accessible parking.

The grove was known to Indigenous people for thousands of years before botanists Stephen Sillett and Michael Taylor brought it to wider public attention in the late 1990s. As GPS locations spread online, visitors made informal paths that damaged the soil and shallow roots. The boardwalk opened in 2022 as part of a restoration project; crews spent more than 23,000 hours on it and carried close to 128 tons of materials and tools into the site by hand. The interpretation along the route was developed with the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, whose ancestral territory includes the grove and whose people describe themselves as its original stewards.

Parking is very limited in summer beside the trailhead on Howland Hill Road. Arrive early if you can; the road is narrow, and RVs and vehicles towing trailers are not allowed on it. Pets are prohibited on the trail. Nearby accessible parking and restrooms are listed, but visitors have reported inconsistent restroom availability, so do not count on a usable toilet without checking. No food or drinking-water stop is listed along the route, so plan those separately. There is no reservation or separate activity fee; general park entrance fees may apply.