Parking
Park at Prairie Creek Visitor Center; the trailhead connection is beside the visitor center.
Overview
About West Ridge and Karl Knapp Loop
This 5.7-mile visitor-center loop climbs West Ridge, descends Zigzag #1, and returns beside Prairie Creek on Karl Knapp. Allow about three hours. The full circuit gains roughly 830–850 feet, with repeated rises on the ridge before the steeper drop to the valley. It is a moderate hike, not a flat stroll, and the mapped line includes a short shared access stretch by the Nature Trail.
Why go
- Combines upland redwood forest, a ridge descent, and creekside old-growth groves.
- Makes a complete loop from the Prairie Creek Visitor Center trailhead.
Heads up
- Repeated climbs on West Ridge and the steep drop from Zigzag #1 make the distance feel harder than a flat 5.7 miles.
- The seasonal footbridge on the Nature Trail access may be removed, changing the creek crossing.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Redwood map
Full mapElevation276–863 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 West Ridge and Karl Knapp 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
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 West Ridge and Karl Knapp Loop
Climb through the upland forestFrom the visitor-center side, the route joins West Ridge and climbs through ferns into older…
From the visitor-center side, the route joins West Ridge and climbs through ferns into older redwood forest. The early switchbacks offer glimpses across the canopy. Higher up, the trail rolls through tall trees and a broad saddle; the grade eases in places but the short climbs keep adding up. This is the part to take steadily and save energy for the descent and return.
Descend Zigzag #1Zigzag 1 leaves the ridge and drops toward the valley floor.
Zigzag #1 leaves the ridge and drops toward the valley floor. The forest changes as the trail loses elevation. A small creekside flat opens among large redwoods, then the route continues into the greener lower grove. Notice the Zigzag #1 junction: it marks the descent toward the valley and avoids continuing north along the longer West Ridge Trail. The grove is a good pause before the walk back along the creek corridor.
Return beside Prairie CreekKarl Knapp follows the low ground beside Prairie Creek through dense redwoods, ferns, and…
Karl Knapp follows the low ground beside Prairie Creek through dense redwoods, ferns, and maples. In autumn, the big-leaf maples can turn yellow against the darker evergreen forest. The park also notes spawning salmon and steelhead along Karl Knapp in winter and early spring; watch the clear creek pools as you pass. This shady creekside stretch feels markedly different from the upland ridge, making the loop a varied redwood walk rather than a single forest scene.
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.
