Trip · 3-day backpacking trip
For · Friends and first-time backpackers
Vibe · Moderate and fun
Distance · 16 miles round trip and 692 feet of elevation gain
Permits · Yes, apply online for a Redwood Creek Gravel Bar permit and a Tall Trees Day Use Permit (during the summer)
Drive · 6.5 hours from SF
Ideal dates · June to September
Pets · Welcome at certain campgrounds, but not on trails
Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) preserves some of the most majestic forests on Earth. It's home to ancient coast redwoods which can grow up to 360+ feet tall (imagine a 35-story skyscraper!) and live up to 2,500 years old. These towering beauties are why Redwood National Park is designated as a UN World Heritage Site. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park are also part of the joint national-state park partnership. Thank the Save the Redwoods League; they're a big reason why we have 133,000 acres of redwood groves to camp and frolic in today.
Official Redwood Creek Camping Guide
Main image credit: N/A
The CA Department of Parks and Recreation partnered with the National Park Service in 1994 to preserve RNSP: the four-park ecosystem we have today
Thousands of years ago, the Tolowa, Yurok, Chilula, Wiyot, and Karok tribes lived in the North Coast region. The Yurok had around 55 villages and 2500+ inhabitants at one point
When logging began in the 1850s, there were over 2 million acres of redwood forests, but by the 1960s, nearly 90% of all original redwoods were gone
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.