Alert: Road Closures: Davison Road, Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway & Howland Hill Road are closed due to predicted storms the week of November 18, 2024. This closure will be re-evaluated after the storms pass. All trails along these roads are closed for visitor safety as well.
National and State Parks
Redwood
The redwood forest is a complicated and beautiful series of habitats. NPS Photo / Steve Olson
Overview
Renowned for the world’s tallest trees, Redwood’s landscapes span from open prairies and oak woodlands to pristine rivers and untamed coastline. This ancient home has supported people for thousands of years. The National Park Service and California State Parks now work to safeguard and rejuvenate these lands for everyone’s enjoyment, learning, and inspiration.
Walk the Karl Knapp (Prairie Creek) to Foothill Trail Loop
Free
Description
Located in the southern third of the parks, this family-friendly loop trail takes you under some of the tallest trees in the world and follows along a beautiful creek. There is parking, restrooms, and picnic tables located near Prairie Creek Visitor Center.
Follow a 19-mile loop through old-growth redwood forests to the Pacific coast and back. The route combines Ossagon Trail, Coastal Trail (Gold Beach Section), Davison Road and Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.
Lost Man Creek flows through a landscape greatly changed from the 1960s when much of this area was clearcut logged. What used to be a logging road has been converted into a hike and bike trail. Lost Man Creek trail is now a narrow single-track mountain-biking trail. The first couple of miles is in old-growth redwood groves.
An iconic redwood grove in the southern end of the parks that is easy to walk. RVs and trailers are not advised on the narrow mountain road leading to this trailhead.
View from forest floor looking straight up. Ferns as seen close up and redwood trunks meet.Redwood trees line a narrow dirt road.Two visitors looking at tidepools.Five young women read the park map.Visitors chatting with a ranger above a river mouth.Three people stand on a walkway in the trees. It is foggy.A ranger helps a father and son learn about being a junior ranger.Visitors pose with one of the widest Redwood trees.Rocks, rockpools and wavesA tree stump is covered with plants.A small waterfall cascades past different treesThree adults stand and look curiously toward the tree topsFour adults stand on a trail surrounded by redwood treesFog surrounds tall redwoods on a trail. A park ranger stands in the distance.Gray cobbles on the foreground and 300foot redwoods behind.A footbridge with people crosses a road on a foggy dayA trail meanders into a grove of tall trees. A family is seen at the far end of the trail.Waves run-up on a beach, and sea stack rocks are seen in the distance.Green ferns cover two natural walls cut by a creek. A calm creek is covered with grey cobbles.Reddy-brown colored redwoodsA circle of redwood trees with black fire scars.Young redwood sprouts grow off a horizontal redwood logA trail and bridge crosses a tree-line gully.A visitor stands next to a forest of enormous red and brown colored trees.Orange and red leaves on maple trees.Rugged coastal cliffs drop to blue ocean and waves. Pink flowers in the foreground.
