In the spring of ’25, we decided to travel north along the Pacific Coast along the 101. Not only was this a beautiful drive, but it also gave us a chance to tour Redwood National and State Parks in California.
Redwood National and State Parks are very unique in that they’re not one park surrounding a feature, like Black Canyon of the Gunnison or Hot Springs. Redwood NP and SP are a continuous network of three state parks and one national park, merged over time into one administrative system. In addition to this, the park covers two distinct areas: ocean beaches on the west side, and the forests on the east. These areas hug the 101 with multiple access points, trail heads, and visitor centers.
We only explored a little bit of this park, mostly the Trillium Falls trail and the Thomas H Kuchel Visitor Center on the beach. One of the interesting sites along our hike was the number of memorial groves and benches. These are possibly due to the dual state/national park, or an artifact of the “Save the Redwoods” campaigns of the 1920s.
We try to do the Junior Ranger programs when we can. It’s a great and free way to help the kids get more involved in the parks. They also learn more about conservation, ecology, geology, and history than they would just by walking the trails and visitors’ centers. The Jr Ranger books for Redwood State and National Park are a bit of a mishmash. They cover both forest and beach eco systems. This worked well for us as we toured both. It could be difficult to complete them for a family just visiting one or the other side for a day trip.
The visitor center we visited wasn’t that great, compared to others we’ve seen across the nation. It didn’t have much more than a few signs and a gift shop. The beach it was adjacent to was nice though; broad and sandy with easy access to the water. This is the exception to a lot of the Pacific coast we saw along 101, which was composed of sheer cliffs and rocky beaches. Trillium Falls, on the other hand, is a beautiful, low-impact hike that is accessible to hikers of all skill levels. The beauty of the blooming trillium flowers and peaceful waterways was marred only by the people going off-trail to play in the water and take their pictures.
Conservation Comes First, No Matter Where You Are
Remember, soil is alive and easily damaged. When we walk off-trail, we compress the ground, killing microbes, invertebrates, and plant roots. Delicate ecosystems, whether desert, rainforest, stream, grassland, or others, are thrown off-balance when we disturb them. We can track invasive species on our shoes and introduce foreign particles. Far better to keep to the trails, where we can at least be cleaned up after.
Whether you’re a local, passing through, or trying to see them all, Redwood State and National Parks are not to be missed!