REDWOODS
NATIONAL FOREST
Places to Stay
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This was a stop on my summer 2018 road trip, while traveling in our rented campervan. We stayed right in the center of the forest, in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, near "Avenue of the Giants" at Hidden Springs Campground
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This was one of our favorite campsites because to be able to say you spent the night in the heart of Redwoods National Forest, is just an unbelievable and awesome experience.
This campsite was huge and luckily there were a ton of spots open for us to find one last minute, but I believe this campground does allow reservations in advance as well as first come first serve. Click on the link above to learn more!
Things To Do​
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• Check out Avenue of the Giants!
Must-see! If you're driving down the coast on highway 101 this is a perfect opportunity for you. It is a 31-mile scenic drive in California and runs parallel to highway 101 and is considered the "old highway 101". Aside from the road being "Avenue of the Giants" it is also known as highway 254. Click here to view a detailed map showing you everything you need to know! (The Avenue of the Giants scenic drive is represented by the brown road)
Just driving through it is an amazing site. The trees are unreal! So if you're in a rush and can't pull over to do some exploring, then definitely still at least drive through it if possible.
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• Do some hikes or simply just explore the grounds
We were only here for a partial day so had to limit ourselves on what we had time to do but we chose to head over to the "Giant Tree", which is 363 feet high, and 53 feet in circumference! To stand next to it was seriously awesome.
Pictures do not do this place justice. The trees are huge! I felt like I was in the movie "honey I shrunk the kids". It was like a giant playground and so much fun to walk around in all it's beauty, and climb on some of the largest tree trunks I've ever seen. Be sure to click on the map I linked you to above to get a better idea of where the "Giant Tree" is located. It's in the upper left corner in the big green area, with an image of a tree. Plus this map will show you all the other go-to spots to check out.
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• Visit the iconic "Shrine Drive Thru Tree"
We stopped here quick because when researching Avenue of the Giants, this was constantly coming up as one of "the spots" to check out. In all honesty, I wasn't too impressed. The idea of it is to be able to drive your car through a Redwood tree. Our campervan didn't fit so we just walked through. I guess maybe it's cool for some photo opportunities if your car does fit, however I felt being in the middle of the forest exploring on my own was much more thrilling and exciting! But, if you choose to check it out the address is: 13708 Avenue of the Giants, Myers Flat, CA 95554 - It's pretty much right here too, there's no extended drive or walk. Once you're there, the tree is pretty much right there, and there is a nice little gift shop as well.
Personally, I wish we had at least 1 more day to explore because Redwoods National Forest and Avenue of the Giants were truly beautiful and there was so much to see. We had to get back on the road and continue our journey though, but I'll for sure be back here one day!
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