Parking
Use the day-use lot by the picnic grove and restroom building; the trail starts across the access road. There is a small paved lot and additional dirt riverbank parking. Lot capacity was not found.
Overview
About Jedediah Smith Nature Loop
Why go
- A short dirt loop with a pocket of mature redwoods.
Heads up
- Most of the route is dense woodland with limited views.
Map & elevation
The route
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 Jedediah Smith Nature 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
Jedediah Smith River Day Use Area0:00 / 0:32
“Jedediah Smith's river day-use area is ahead, with old-growth redwoods beside a broad, cobbled bank of the Smith River.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hiouchi Trail
- Hiouchi Visitor Center
- Jedediah Smith Campground
- Stout Memorial Grove
- 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 Jedediah Smith Nature Loop
What the loop isJedediah Smith Nature Loop follows the named Self-Guided Nature Trail in Jedediah Smith…
Jedediah Smith Nature Loop follows the named Self-Guided Nature Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. It is a 0.64-mile loop from the day-use picnic area and back; allow about 30 minutes for the walk and a look around. The dirt path circles an alluvial flat between the campground and picnic area. Published descriptions give different lengths, from about 0.5 to 0.8 mile; this mapped route follows the named short loop and leaves out the separate River Beach Trail.
Along the pathMost of the walk passes dense woodland with few views through the undergrowth.
Most of the walk passes dense woodland with few views through the undergrowth. Near the campground, the trail slips through a small grove with a few larger redwoods. The old-growth picnic grove and its benches are at the day-use area, while the broad gravel-and-sand Smith River beach is a nearby stop beyond the mapped loop.
Getting there and staying on itPark in the day-use area by the picnic grove and restrooms.
Park in the day-use area by the picnic grove and restrooms. The trail starts across the access road. At the next two junctions, turn right to stay on the Nature Trail; its tread fades near the picnic parking area. Day use is from sunrise to sunset, and dogs 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.
