Parking
Start at the Redwood Creek Trailhead off Bald Hills Road, about 11 miles from the Highway 101 turnoff. This is the Redwood Creek access, not the separate Tall Trees Trailhead. The park says the lot accommodates RVs and trailers.
Overview
About Redwood Creek Trail
Why go
- A long walk through a varied creek valley to towering old-growth redwoods
- Mostly low-gradient terrain compared with the separate Tall Trees Trail
Heads up
- The 16-mile return trip takes most of a day
- Seasonal creek crossings can limit how far you can safely go
Redwood Creek Trail is an out-and-back from the marked trailhead on Bald Hills Road, following the creek valley toward Tall Trees Grove and back. It’s about 16 miles round trip, using the park’s listed 8 miles to Tall Trees Grove Trail, and a full trip usually takes 7–8 hours. The route stays mostly in the valley, but the distance and creek crossings make it a serious day. I’d choose it for the long walk through Redwood Creek’s changing landscape. If your main goal is the old-growth trees, the separate Tall Trees Trail is shorter at 4.5 miles round trip, though it’s much steeper and needs a free reservation to reach its gated trailhead.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs the distance worth it?Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Redwood alerts
- ClosureBald Hills Road, Mill Creek and 44 Creek restrictionsMentions this trailUse caution on damaged Bald Hills Road and plan around Mill Creek and 44 Creek access restrictions.Official details
- ClosureJames Irvine, Miners Ridge and Dolason Prairie trail restrictionsMentions this trailConstruction, downed trees and a bridge failure restrict three trails; plan alternate routes and obey closures.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Redwood Tour Guide
Your drive to Redwood Creek 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
Redwood Creek Trailhead0:00 / 0:27
“You're nearing Redwood Creek Trailhead, the start of a valley walk toward Tall Trees Grove.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Redwood Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Plant That Folds in Sunlight
- Skunk Cabbage Trail
- Lady Bird Johnson Grove
- When Redwood Creek Opens to the Sea
- 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 Creek Trail
Start on the alluvial flatThe first mile and a half follows a broad, gravelly flat through red alder, Douglas-fir, maple,…
The first mile and a half follows a broad, gravelly flat through red alder, Douglas-fir, maple, mossy spruce and occasional old-growth redwoods. Openings in the brambles let you see the forested hillsides. You’ll often hear Redwood Creek before you get a clear look at it. A seasonal footbridge crosses the creek at about 1.7 miles; beyond it the path narrows and is less maintained.
Elam Camp and the ravinesA side branch reaches Elam Camp around mile 2.6; stay on the main corridor for Tall Trees Grove.
A side branch reaches Elam Camp around mile 2.6; stay on the main corridor for Tall Trees Grove. Farther on, the trail climbs a little above the river, drops into Bond Creek ravine, then climbs out of the fern-lined 44 Creek ravine. These crossings are part of what makes the route feel like a backcountry walk rather than a simple forest stroll.
Redwood Creek can run high and fast in winter, and the park removes the seasonal footbridges until summer. Check with park staff about current crossing conditions before committing to the full out-and-back.
A valley still recoveringThis valley’s story includes both old growth and logging.
This valley’s story includes both old growth and logging. Large-scale timber harvesting and road building began on the surrounding slopes in the early 1950s, causing erosion and landslides. A 1964 storm sent about 20 feet of sediment into the creek channel near its headwaters. That sediment has been moving downstream slowly as the watershed recovers.
Tall Trees GroveThe trail reaches the Tall Trees Grove area at its southern end, where redwoods rise above 350…
The trail reaches the Tall Trees Grove area at its southern end, where redwoods rise above 350 feet. The famed Libby Tree once held the height record; after its top died back in 1994, it fell far down the rankings. The separate Tall Trees Trail offers a shorter 4.5-mile round trip to the grove, but it climbs and descends about 1,600 feet and requires a free reservation for the gated access road. Dogs aren’t allowed on park trails. If you camp along Redwood Creek, get the required backcountry permit.
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.
