View Full Version : Advice for CA redwood dayhike
I will be with my family on a vacation to CA this Christmas season. We will be flying into LA and driving to Monterey for several days and then to San Francisco to fly home. I Have always wanted to see the coastal redwoods, but never have.
I am asking WB for recommended day hikes within a couple of hours of our route from La to SF. That will give me a chance to enjoy the coastal redwood trees. There are so many listed but which spots would be the best experience?
Big Basin Redwood State Park has been mentioned as a good place, any others that are better?
Thanks for the help WB!
Big Basin is excellent! There is everything from flat half mile walks around some of the tallest/largest trees to 18 mile loops up and over waterfalls or a 31 mile backpacking trip on Skyline to the Sea trail.
I don't know how old your family/children are. My son loved the "Creeping Forest" loop trail when he was 6 or 8 or something like that. I actually like it, too. Tiny sections of the "trail" are downed redwood trees that are 6-8 ft wide which my son loved. There were "tracks" cut into the trees for traction that look a little like railroad tracks (my son was train obsessed for a few years).
There are other State parks in the Santa Cruz mountains, but most of them are second growth redwoods. Actually, most of Big Basin is second growth, too. But there are many of the original 2000 year old trees.
Of course, there is always Muir Woods, but that is probably more than 2 hours from Monterey. And a redwood tree is a redwood tree. Big Basin is bigger and better and less crowded.
The CA coast is incredible. Enjoy!
EDIT: Creeping Forest dayhike: http://www.protrails.com/trail/404/san-francisco-marin-headlands-mt-tamalpais-point-reyes-dool-trail-creeping-forest-trail-loop
Muir Woods north of San Francisco is pretty nice.
RE: Driving Logistics
List of Redwood hikes : http://www.redwoodhikes.com/
Henry Cowell Redwoods is also a very nice park.
Henry Cowell is super easy to get to from Either Hwy 1 or Hwy 17. It would be really easy to get on Hwy 17, go to Henry Cowell, get back on 17 and take hwy 280 from San Jose to San Francisco.
Big Basin is bigger with more day hikes. But it is also a harder, longer drive.
Depending on the weather on the day you are coming thru, and your patience, motivation, time available and the other multitude of issues that crop up on family vacations... you might want to choose one park over another. If you are up for it, go to Big Basin. But Henry Cowell is also an excellent option. Big Basin, Henry Cowell, Muir Woods, etc... all have short half mile "See the Redwoods!" little trail loops. And honestly, all of these little trails are nearly identical. Hard to know what park you are in, really. IF if it is pouring buckets or something... any will do.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is right off of Hwy 1, south of Monterey. If you are driving from LA to Monterey via Hwy 1, Pfeffer is also a good option for seeing California Redwoods.
Julia Pfeiffer is also a lovely park, right off of Hwy 1 and convenient if you are taking Hwy 1 from LA.
If you are not taking Hwy 1 north... Big Basin or Henry Cowell are probably better.
Armstrong Redwoods is quite a bit North of San Fransisco and out of your way. However, I think that it has the "best" redwoods and one of my favorites.
It is said that the Armstrong redwood grove is so dark and creepy that the Native Americans avoided it. Even deer avoid it. That was totally my experience. :)
Of course, in December... you may have that experience in any and all of the Redwood State Parks.
Time to get off the computer and live in the "real" world for awhile. Not that you all aren't real... :)
For viewing the largest concentrations of the oldest and tallest Redwoods I've always preferred the nortrhern Cali SP's - Del Norte Coast, Prairie Creek, Jeddediah Smith, Humboldt, etc
www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24723 (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24723)
Try to squeeze in a lighthouse visit to Pt Reyes National Seashore.
Park the car and walk across the Golden Gate too. That's how I'd want my family to remember the last things we did in the area.
Sarcasm the elf
11-02-2014, 23:08
Armstrong Redwoods is quite a bit North of San Fransisco and out of your way. However, I think that it has the "best" redwoods and one of my favorites.
It is said that the Armstrong redwood grove is so dark and creepy that the Native Americans avoided it. Even deer avoid it. That was totally my experience. :)
Of course, in December... you may have that experience in any and all of the Redwood State Parks.
Time to get off the computer and live in the "real" world for awhile. Not that you all aren't real... :)
My Wife and I stopped by Armstrong park during our honeymoon last year. I highly recommend it.
So many Redwoods... so little time!
Park the car and walk across the Golden Gate too. That's how I'd want my family to remember the last things we did in the area. I'd turn in your rental car and not even bother with a car in SF. BART goes to both the SF and Oakland airports.
Taking the ferry to Sausalito and going to Muir Woods is also an option. Or you can walk over the GG Bridge to Muir Woods, but it is about 11 or 12 miles (EACH WAY) of road walking from the SF side of the bridge. Or you can walk one way and take Ferry the other. OR... you can rent bikes and ride across the bridge and to Muir Woods. Or you can rent bikes and take them on the Ferry. Or you can take a bus across the bridge and the ferry back. A multitude of options.
Personally, I do not care for walking across the GG Bridge. I find it loud and noisy, like walking next to a freeway (which it literally is). I also knew a kid who committed suicide off the bridge and I find all of the suicide prevention signs really depressing. I also have a friend who is a Girl Scout troop leader and she and a dozen tween girls witnessed somebody jump. :( While statistically, your family won't see somebody jump... I just find the bridge terribly depressing. And it is a very unpleasant road walk, IMO.
And Muir Woods isn't my favorite, either. It is without a doubt the most crowded Redwood grove in all of California. But it is spectacular, IF it is the only redwood grove you can visit. They are all spectacular. Just more or less crowded...
Thanks everyone for the advice. I really do appreciate it and I am looking closely at all the suggestions to see which will work out best for us.
Try to squeeze in a lighthouse visit to Pt Reyes National Seashore. I was just out there for 6 days. I've been to Pt Reyes many times, but finally made it out to the lighthouse for the first time. :) The whole Pt Reyes area really is spectacular.
Shuttle bus service to the lighthouse is starting to accommodate whale and elephant seal migration season. Signs posted said that shuttles are starting on Dec 1, but website is saying Dec 26. http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/shuttle.htm
Was thinking about this... What did you end up doing? :)