Redwood National Park, CA
A redwood ridge climb linking Hatton access to the Hiouchi Trail.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Redwood Tour Guide
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
Walker Road and Simpson-Reed Grove“You're approaching Walker Road, the access for Simpson-Reed Grove. The level, wheelchair-accessible loop is about eight-tenths of a mile; allow thirty to sixty minutes among redwoods, mossy hemlocks and ferns.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
The Hatton-Hiouchi Trail is a 1.2-mile one-way connector between the Hatton Trail and Hiouchi Trail forks in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Allow about 45–60 minutes for this segment. It climbs to a ridge, winds through redwood forest, then drops to river level at the Hiouchi Trail. The grades are non-level but not steep; this is not a loop. Use it to link trails, or walk it back the same way for an out-and-back.
The route runs through redwood forest. Dense canopy muffles nearby Highway 199, and occasional openings let flowers grow beside the tread. The river-level Hiouchi junction is the finish; to continue beside the Smith River, follow the Hiouchi Trail beyond this segment. The short Hatton Loop and the Lohse Grove spur are separate branches, so longer Hatton outings that include them describe a different walk.
Use the Hatton pullout on the south side of US 199; parking is limited and RVs or trailers are not advised. The mapped trail begins at the Hatton Trail fork, off the highway. The Hatton approach is listed separately at 0.3 mile, while the mapped path to that fork measures about 0.6 mile; check the current park map and budget extra distance. Pets are not allowed on park trails; service animals are permitted.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateLohse Grove Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayAn airy redwood grove rewards a noisy, rooty hillside climb.
EasyHatton Loop Trail0.3 mi · 20 min · 0.4 mi awayA tiny loop trades a short climb for a lush redwood hollow.
EasySimpson-Reed Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 0.5 mi awayFallen giants shape stream pools beneath the old-growth redwoods.
EasyPeterson Memorial Trail0.4 mi · 15 min · 0.5 mi awayA short redwood loop crosses a timber footbridge among ferns.
EasyMetcalf-Huntington Grove Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 0.6 mi awayA short, unmarked redwood walk ends at two memorial benches.
ModerateHiouchi Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayWalk the Smith River terrace through redwoods and two ravines.
EasyJedediah Smith Nature Loop0.6 mi · 30 min · 0.9 mi awayA short woodland loop with one small redwood grove.
EasyLeiffer Loop Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 1.4 mi awayQuiet forest, fire-scarred giants and a climb above the redwood flat.
Sight · 0.5 mi awaySimpson-Reed GroveAn easy, flat walk through lush old-growth redwoods and ferns.
Picnic area · 1.1 mi awayJedediah Smith Redwoods Day Use AreaA cobbled Smith River shore with a summer footbridge to Stout Grove.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayJedediah Smith CampgroundStay among old-growth redwoods beside the Smith River.
Visitor center · 1.1 mi awayJedediah Smith Visitor CenterFriendly staff help you pick a grove, trail, or quiet redwood road.
Visitor center · 1.3 mi awayHiouchi Visitor CenterPick up maps and ranger advice, then see Tolowa and redwood exhibits.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayStout Memorial GroveStand beneath redwoods that rise about 300 feet.
Sight · 2.1 mi awayGrove of TitansGet close to giants on a protected metal-mesh walkway.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayBoy Scout TreeA double redwood landmark beyond 2.5 miles of forest trail.Parkwolf’s Redwood ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
