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North Coast & Redwoods

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Overview

This is not the legendary California of the Beach Boys' song – there are no palm-flanked beaches and very few surfboards. The jagged edge of the continent is wild, scenic and even slightly foreboding, where spectral fog and an outsider spirit have fostered the world’s tallest trees, most potent weed and a string of idiosyncratic two-stoplight towns. Explore hidden coves with a blanket and a bottle of local wine, scan the horizon for migrating whales and retreat at night to fire-warmed Victorians. As you travel further north, find valleys of redwood, wide rivers and mossy, overgrown forests. Expect cooler, damper weather too. Befitting this dramatic clash of land and water are its unlikely mélange of residents: timber barons and tree huggers, pot farmers and radicals of every political persuasion.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Male or bull Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) browsing on grasses near Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

    Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

    North Coast & Redwoods

    Famous for some of the world's best virgin redwood groves and unspoiled coastline, this 14,000-acre section of Redwood National & State Parks has…

  • California, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. (Photo by Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

    Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

    North Coast & Redwoods

    The northernmost park, Jedediah Smith is 9 miles northeast of Crescent City (via Hwy 101 north to Hwy 199 east). The redwood stands are so thick that few…

  • Hiking through the Redwood forest.

    Redwood National Park

    North Coast & Redwoods

    This park is the southernmost of a patchwork of state and federally administered lands under the umbrella of Redwood National & State Parks. After picking…

  • Pathway through ferns and redwood trees on the Damnation Creek Trail in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

    Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park

    North Coast & Redwoods

    Marked by steep canyons and dense woods north of Klamath, this park contains 15 miles of hiking trails and several old logging roads that are a mountain…

  • California, Requa, Pacific Ocean Coast, Klamath River Overlook

    Klamath River

    North Coast & Redwoods

    The mouth of the Klamath River is a dramatic sight. Marine, riparian, forest and meadow ecological zones all converge and the birding is exceptional. For…

  • Paul Bunyan in parking lot at the Mystery of Trees. 42 feet tall. Woman at entrance gives a perspective to the size.

    Trees of Mystery

    North Coast & Redwoods

    It’s hard to miss the giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox towering over the parking lot at Trees of Mystery with a gondola running through…

  • Motorcycle travelling through the redwood trees on the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

    Humboldt Redwoods State Park

    North Coast & Redwoods

    Along Hwy 101, 53,000-acre Humboldt Redwoods State Park protects some of the world's oldest redwoods and has three-quarters of the world's tallest 100…

  • Tourists walk across a bridge on the Redwood Sky Walk in the Sequoia Park Zoo.

    Sequoia Park

    North Coast & Redwoods

    A 67-acre old-growth redwood grove is a surprising green gem in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It has biking and hiking trails, a children’s…

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