A weekend trip in the Redwoods — She Walks On Dirt

Oh The Redwoods, spending a few days in this area of Northern California was unforgettable. There are endless things to do and see, trails to find and trees to admire. We did this trip in early April, which meant lots of sun and a little bit of rain, perfect weather in my opinion. The long weekend consisted of lots of hiking, eating and exploring!

We drove from Vancouver, Washington down highway 101 to our first destination, the Samuel H. Boardman corridor in Brookings, Oregon, which is right on the border of California. Driving down the coast is beautiful, highway 101 has so many great beach views and places to visit, one spot I knew I had to see was the Natural Bridges.

Length: 0.9 Miles

Elevation: 59 Ft.

Difficulty: Easy

The color of the water here is unreal, looking back at the photos and videos I still believe this is where mermaids would live if they were real! It’s a quick trail down to the arches with beautiful scenery everywhere you look.

Once we crossed from Oregon to California we made our way to the Airbnb in Gasquet, a small forest-y town along Highway 199 where you will see the Smith River. The cabin was instantly just right, I abosolutely fell in love. From the cowhide rug to the loft made bedroom to the wood ceilings, it was exactly what I was hoping for.

The following day, we drove about an hour following the coast south to the Trees of Mystery, a tourist attraction where you can walk through a small theme park full of massive trees. There is a gondola you can ride to the top of the park and an area where you can walk across suspension bridges through the trees. It is pretty quick to get through but a fun way to experience Redwoods.

On our way back from the Trees of Mystery, we stopped near Crescent City at the Jedidiah Smith Redwood State Park, which is one of the best roads I have ever been on, it is truly magical driving through these trees. We hiked the Grove of The Titans trail.

Length: 1.7 Miles

Elevation: 137 Ft.

Difficulty: Easy

This trail is great for someone that wants to experience the Redwoods without it being too difficult, the path goes from dirt to a very well thought out elevated walkway, it compliments the forest nicely while still making it feel like you are on a real hike.

On the 3rd day staying in the Redwoods there was a rain storm, so we decided to spend the day at the cabin relaxing and listening to the rain. There is something about stormy days spent quietly in a forest with someone you love, eating good snacks and taking naps!

The last full day of this trip was my favorite. It was one great place after the next! We started by driving a couple hours south to hike the Fern Canyon loop.

Length: 1.1 Miles

Elevation: 127 Ft.

Difficulty: Easy

The road getting to this trail is rough, we had to drive through a creek! When we were just coming up on the trailhead to the right of us was a herd of Elk, it was amazing! I saw more elk during our time in the Redwoods than in my entire life. The trail is close to the beach so we made our way from sand, to dirt, finally to the creek surrounded by ferns and trees, basically Jurassic Park.

After our morning in the jungle, we fueled up on snacks and headed back up to the Jedidiah Smith Redwoods and hiked the Boyscout Tree Trail, which happened to be my favorite of them all!

Length: 5.5 Miles

Elevation: 951 Ft.

Difficulty: Moderate

This trail is enchanting, everything about it feels like a fairy tale. We did happen to do this in the afternoon, so the sun was peaking through the trees perfectly, along with sounds of water and birds. Boyscout Tree was also the longest hike we did on our trip, most of the trails in this area are fairly short with very mild elevation making it an easy, effortless adventure. The entire Jedidiah Smith Redwoods was such a pleasant surprise, and we only did 2 of the hikes out of the many this specific area of the forest has to offer.

Ending our trip, there was one last trail to complete. We left the forest, headed to the coast grabbing some cheesecake in town and made our way to Endert’s Beach.

Length: 1.3 Miles

Elevation: 173 Ft.

Difficulty: Easy

This was another huge highlight of the trip, running down the trail to catch the sunset, we made it to the beach! Sitting on the rocks, taking in the view, eating our cake and watching the sun go down. The parking lot here was full but once we made our way to the end of the trail it was secluded and looked like it could be straight out of a movie. I could not have imagined a better way to complete our long weekend.

Summary

The Redwoods is the perfect trip for anyone looking to experience lots of different aspects of nature while taking it easy. Coming from Washington, having trees everywhere is normal, but the Redwoods are truly a gift. Being able to hike through lush forests full of 200 plus foot trees then being at the beach within half an hour was one of the best parts, you get a little bit of everything here! I am already looking forward to spending more time in Northern California.

Fun Fact: This was one of the first full adventure itineraries I created… which is a new found love.

The Redwoods

Tulum

She walks on dirt