Parking
Start at Prairie Creek Visitor Center; accessible parking and restrooms are there.
Overview
About Redwood Access Trail
Redwood Access Trail is a 0.53-mile one-way accessible walk from Prairie Creek Visitor Center to the Campfire Center in Elk Prairie Campground. It is an easy, mostly level forest path; allow about 20 minutes to the far end. Walk back the same way if you are returning to your car.
Why go
- A short, accessible way to spend time among coast redwoods.
Heads up
- It is point to point, so returning to your car doubles the distance.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Redwood map
Full mapElevation115–156 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 Redwood Access Trail, 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
Prairie Creek Visitor Center and Elk Prairie0:00 / 0:35
“You're coming up on Prairie Creek Visitor Center and Elk Prairie, a good stop for forest history and a chance to see Roosevelt elk grazing in the meadow.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cal Barrel Road and Foothill Trail
- Big Tree Wayside
- Corkscrew Tree
- Find the Wren by Ear
- 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 Redwood Access Trail
Through the redwoodsCoast redwoods shade the route.
Coast redwoods shade the route. The creekside stretch is also called the Nature Trail in some park material; listen for the water, and look for ferns and salmonberry in late spring. This is a close-up forest walk, not a viewpoint hike.
Keep going to Elk PrairieFollow the marked access route to the Campfire Center and campground.
Follow the marked access route to the Campfire Center and campground. The full connection is point to point: walking back to the visitor center makes it about 1.06 miles round trip.
Access and footingAccessible parking and restrooms are at the visitor center.
Accessible parking and restrooms are at the visitor center. The route is generally below 5% slope, with intermittent sections reaching 5–8%; regular pets are not allowed on park trails, though service animals are permitted.
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.
