Redwood National Park: Home of the World's Tallest Trees

Redwood National and State Parks, a jointly managed complex of one national park and three California state parks, protect 139,000 acres of ancient coast redwood forest along the northern California coast. Established as a national park on October 2, 1968, and expanded in 1978, the parks shelter nearly 45% of all remaining old-growth coast redwood forest. These are the tallest trees on Earth, with the tallest known individual — Hyperion — reaching 380.3 feet (115.9 meters).

Introduction

The parks are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attract approximately 480,000 visitors annually. Beyond the towering redwoods, the parks protect a mosaic of prairie grasslands, oak woodlands, wild riverways, and 37 miles of rugged Pacific coastline. Walking among trees that were alive before the Roman Empire fell inspires a profound sense of time and the resilience of the natural world.

The Coast Redwoods

• Tallest Tree: Hyperion at 380.3 feet (115.9 m)
• Maximum Age: Over 2,000 years
• Trunk Diameter: Up to 22 feet at breast height
• Original Range: 2 million acres reduced to ~120,000 acres of old-growth

Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) are the tallest living organisms on Earth. These trees thrive in a narrow coastal strip from southern Oregon to central California, dependent on the summer fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean. The fog provides up to 40% of the trees' water needs during the dry summer months, condensing on needles and dripping to the forest floor. A single large redwood can transpire over 500 gallons of water per day.

Before commercial logging began in the 1850s, approximately 2 million acres of old-growth redwood forest covered the northern California coast. By the time the national park was established in 1968, over 90% of the original forest had been logged. The remaining old-growth groves within the parks contain trees averaging 500-700 years old, with some individuals exceeding 2,000 years. The understory of these forests supports lush fern gardens, mosses, and fungi in a cathedral-like environment of filtered green light.

Ecosystems & Wildlife

• Mammal Species: 75 including Roosevelt elk
• Bird Species: Over 280 documented
• Fish Species: 40+ including coho and chinook salmon
• Amphibian Species: 18 species including Pacific giant salamander

The parks' diverse habitats support an extraordinary range of wildlife. Roosevelt elk, the largest subspecies of elk in North America, graze in prairie meadows that dot the forest landscape — the Gold Bluffs Beach and Elk Prairie herds are easily viewed by visitors. Black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and fishers inhabit the deep forest, while river otters and Pacific giant salamanders frequent the park's streams.

The parks' rivers — including the Smith, Klamath, and Redwood Creek — support critical runs of coho salmon, chinook salmon, and steelhead trout. These fish populations depend on the old-growth forest canopy to shade streams and maintain the cool water temperatures they require. Marine mammals including gray whales, harbor seals, and California sea lions are visible from the park's coastline during their seasonal migrations.

Notable Sites

• Fern Canyon: 50-foot walls covered in seven species of fern
• Tall Trees Grove: Home to several of the world's tallest redwoods
• Lady Bird Johnson Grove: Accessible old-growth loop trail
• Gold Bluffs Beach: Remote beach backed by old-growth forest

Fern Canyon is one of the most visually stunning locations in the park system. A narrow gorge carved by Home Creek, its 50-foot vertical walls are covered in five-finger ferns, sword ferns, lady ferns, and four other species, creating a verdant natural cathedral. The canyon was used as a filming location for Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World. Reaching it requires driving through Gold Bluffs Beach, which itself is a magnificent stretch of remote coastline.

The Tall Trees Grove, located along Redwood Creek, contains several of the world's tallest known trees and requires a free permit for the 3.3-mile round-trip hike. Lady Bird Johnson Grove offers a more accessible 1.5-mile loop trail through magnificent old-growth forest, while the Boy Scout Tree Trail (5.6 miles round trip) passes through some of the most spectacular old-growth forest accessible by trail in the parks.

Visiting & Conservation

• Best Time to Visit: May through September
• Total Park Acreage: 139,000 acres
• Scenic Drives: Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, Howland Hill Road
• Annual Visitors: Approximately 480,000

The parks are accessible year-round, though summer (May through September) offers the most reliable weather and full access to all trails and roads. Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is a 10-mile drive through magnificent old-growth groves, while Howland Hill Road (unpaved) winds through Stout Memorial Grove, one of the finest old-growth stands in the parks.

Conservation of the redwoods continues to be critical. The 1978 park expansion added clearcut watersheds that are still recovering decades later. Climate change threatens the fog patterns that redwoods depend on — studies suggest that coastal fog frequency has declined by 33% over the past century. Despite these challenges, the parks demonstrate that protection works: logged areas within park boundaries are regenerating, and old-growth groves remain healthy, a living testament to the power of preservation.

Key Facts

• Hyperion, the tallest known tree on Earth, stands at 380.3 feet (115.9 m) within the park.
• The parks protect nearly 45% of all remaining old-growth coast redwood forest.
• Over 90% of the original 2 million acres of old-growth redwood forest was logged before protection.
• Coast redwoods can live over 2,000 years and depend on coastal fog for up to 40% of their water.
• Fern Canyon's 50-foot walls covered in ferns were used as a filming location for Jurassic Park 2.

Fun Facts

• A coast redwood can grow over 3 feet per year in ideal conditions, making it one of the fastest-growing trees in the world.
• Redwoods can sprout new trees from their root systems after being cut, which is why you sometimes see circles of trees called "fairy rings" growing from a single stump.
• The bark of a coast redwood can be up to 12 inches thick and is highly resistant to fire and insects.
• Redwood forest canopies are so complex that entire soil ecosystems exist on their upper branches, including ferns, huckleberry bushes, and even other trees growing on the limbs.

Final Thoughts

Redwood National and State Parks offer a humbling encounter with some of the oldest and tallest living things on the planet. Walking beneath these ancient giants — their canopies lost in the fog 300 feet above — is an experience that connects visitors to deep time in a way few places can. The parks stand as monuments to both the devastation of unchecked logging and the redemptive power of conservation.