I visited Humboldt State Park on the first weekend of Spring, and spent most of my visit on the…read moreNorth Bull Creek Trail (8 miles round trip). My destination was the Tall Tree, and I passed miles of banana slugs, moss, lichen, spring wildflowers, and the refreshing surge of Bull Creek with its turquoise hues. The park was far from crowded, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Park Staff tending the maintenance needs (weed abatement). I felt safe & incredibly relaxed on the trail. There are over 100 miles of trail in this park and plenty of river access, providing something for everyone. If you only drive through the Avenue of the Giants, it will be time well spent in this gorgeous paradise.

As with many of the California State Parks this park is a jewel not to be missed. For starters,…read moreadmission is FREE! The many old growth redwood groves are interesting and beautiful to saunter through. Way finding is easy and park maps and internet resources make for a wonderful road trip. Visitor centers are well stocked, have clean bathrooms with ample parking. Volunteer staff are well informed and helpful. Trails are well marked and very clean. Surprising lack of random trash so volunteers and visitors do a great job. We have learned over the past few years to avoid the crowds and cost of visiting National Parks in California when we are truly blessed with such exceptional California park options. This park is amazing and fascinating with manageable visitor sizes. Take the time to experience the area small towns too!

The park is an amazing hidden treasure that everyone should check out. Wonderful nonprofit with…read morecommunity-minded employees and board members. The annual Fall Splendor event in October has the best night of drinks, food and dancing you can get in Humboldt. Check them out at www.sohumpark.org.

Beautiful park with wonderful trails, a labyrinth, CSA Farm with chickens and horses, wooded areas,…read moreand a children's park with river access across the way. Great for bicycling, walking your leashed dogs, eating a pinic lunch under the trees, or a lovely walk on flat land. There is also a discreet trail to Benbow about 2+ miles away.

You're going to be shocked here, but it's a big tree. That you can drive through…read more Kind of a cool side quest and just know that you're not driving anything big through (we were in a VW Atlas and had about 2" of clearance.)

If you are driving up Highway 101, this is a fun attraction to stop at…read more There is a $15 fee for automobiles and you can drive through the tree and take pictures. It's a spot that has lots of carved figures that makes it unique as well. Chandelier Tree is approximately 2400 years old, which is cool in and of itself. The grounds are impeccable and this place is always well kept. It's about three hours north of San Francisco so if you are driving through, it's a great place to stop, stretch your legs, and take in the beautiful views. In 1937, the first car drove thru this drive thru tree so it's cool to see pictures of this and that this has been preserved over all of these years. Everyone was really friendly here. There is a gift store that is open during certain hours that you can check out. You can also walk around or sit on a bench and relax for a bit. Please Note: If you have an extra large vehicle, you might not be able to drive thru it, although you can always walk through it if you want to visit the area.

Our fourth stop (09:42) on day five of our Northern California road trip, Founders' Grove has a…read morededicated parking area (with restrooms) and can be used to enter the trail which leads to the Founders Tree (not a far walk). The tree is estimated to be almost 1,500 years old, and stands 346 feet tall. It has a protective wooden built deck around it, and is a good opportunity to take pictures and admire the size of it. It was named in 1931, in honor of the 3 founders of the Save the Redwoods League. From 1931 to 1957, it was believed to be the tallest redwood (thus the tallest tree in the world). More accurate modern readings disproved this (with the current tallest being Hyperion at 380 feet).

The Founders' Grove is a popular redwood grove within Humboldt Redwoods State Park with majestic…read moreredwood trees that are truely breathtaking. This grove is a must stop as well as checking out the Avenue of the Giants that is right near it. There are clearly designated signs that make this whole area easy to navigate. There is a decent amount of parking and the restrooms were clean and well maintained. This grove features a 0.5 mile loop that takes you past giant and massive redwood trees that tower above including the Founders' Tree. This grove is known for it's old growth redwood trees, which are a sight to see. The beauty of this whole area is hard to put into words, although definitely worth a visit to walk around and soak in all the natural beauty that is here! This area is also easily accessible, which I love! The trail is flat and easily walkable. It's also easy to access since it is right off Highway 101, making this a great stop if you are looking to visit the majestic redwoods that are in this area! It reminds me of one of my favorite poems: The Redwoods - by Joseph B. Strauss Here, sown by the Creator's hand. In serried ranks, the Redwoods stand: No other clime is honored so, No other lands their glory know. The greatest of Earth's living forms, Tall conquerors that laugh at storms; Their challenge still unanswered rings, Through fifty centuries of kings. The nations that with them were young, Rich empires, with their forts far-flung, Lie buried now-their splendor gone: But these proud monarchs still live on. So shall they live, when ends our days, When our crude citadels decay; For brief the years allotted man, But infinite perennials' span. This is their temple, vaulted high, And here, we pause with reverent eye, With silent tongue and awestruck soul; For here we sense life's proper goal: To be like these, straight, true and fine, to make our world like theirs, a shrine; Sink down, Oh, traveler, on your knees, God stands before you in these trees.

I've heard about this park a few times from fellow camping buddies. I've heard only good things…read moreand I've come to learn from a recent camping adventure to the park that the good things I heard were all valid. So there are a few campgrounds that are part of this county park. I am reviewing for the group campground, Pamplin Grove, but will mention another campground nearby that we showered at. The teardrop trailer group held their event at Pamplin Grove and to find out this was not the first time. But, it was for me and my the first time to attend the event and camp at the campground. It is a difficult entrance to notice if you are not paying close attention. Because of the natural habitat it is a challenge to locate the entrance but noticing the paved road will help guide you in. This is a beautiful spot and if you ever get a group invite to camp here, do it! It is gated so you will be given a combination to enter. As you drive in you will notice camping areas, they are not numbered. It is on a first come, first served basis. When you drive in you will find some signs/bulletin boards with info. You will eventually come to an open area, and off to the right you will see an open field which we were told is called the, Meadow. There is only one entrance and exit and that will be found towards the end of the trail. Cars can pull into the field and is open to camping there. We were told at one time that about 120 trailers attended and filled the campground! This time around, we were only 40 trailers and camping vans. There are two areas that have pit potties. The bathrooms have motion lights inside, doors with lock. It is very spacious and was always supplied with plenty of TP. Water spigots outside of bathroom to wash hands. There is a couple bathrooms next to each other on the lower part of the campground and another couple at the upper part of the campground which is also near the Camp Kitchen, Picnic area , and large fire pit. BBQ grills are need the the Camp Kitchen .There is also a BBQ pit! The kind that is underground. It was not used at this event but I heard it had been used in the past. I can't express the beauty of this spot! Oh and near by there is a short trail to get to the river. We found wild blackberries on the way to the riverbed. We could hear the birds but were difficult to find, except for the vultures. Banana slugs were also visible, pretty interesting. You should google it for more info. The yellow of the slug was vibrant. I event found one that had spots. Please be kind and leave them be. We did drive to the Swimmer's Delight campground to take showers (quarter operated). It was nice to have a warm shower with good pressure. Pamplin Grove is a non hook up (dry)campground. Also no showers. We did bring our portable shower, but when it came to washing my hair we visited the other campground for showers. There is a camp host located at the lower part of the campground. When you are in the trees it is pitch dark! Walk into the meadow at night and go star gazing. TIP - Upper bathroom you tend to get a whiff of it once in awhile if you are near the bathroom. So if you camp in the upper part you may want to keep this in mind. Also they said they try their best to keep the area poison oak free, but once in awhile you will see them, so be on the lookout where you and your pet walk. Please, Please be aware of the Loggers and people that drive this route. Especially when you are entering the campground. They follow close at high speed.

Beautiful river spots and access to redwoods. Some areas were closed during our visit, but still a…read morereally nice place to spend time outdoors.

October 2025. We feel this place was a rio-off…read more When we pulled up in our Tundra truck the guy at the gate made a big deal about measuring us to make sure we would fit, said no problem and then took our money. But when we entered the road and saw the "drive-through tree" there was absolutely zero way we were fitting, not even close! Not only that, it's not a tree, just a tree stump. I'm not saying it's not big, and we did "walk" through it but we feel that it was mis-advertised and not at all as expected. We do not recommend.

Absolutely NOT worth $15. I actually wouldn't recommend going here to anyone. If you drive anything…read morebigger than a RAV4 don't bother. It's cramped, hardly any room to drive through the place. Full size SUVs can't fit. The other "attractions" are poorly laid out and honestly just not impressive. There's a way better tree that you can actually fit through further north and it's only $5. It was WAY nicer.

I was impressed by this park because it was so beautiful, family friendly and it had immaculate…read morebathrooms! There's a little loop path that has little signs about Redwood trees, the birds nearby and the fun facts. I appreciate how there's a grassy pasture in case you bring pups (they shouldn't go on the trails). There were picnic tables around too to enjoy a meal. The bathrooms were clean and unique, I'd never seen a skylight in a bathroom.

Beautiful, easy trails with signage to share information. The river is also easy to access. We…read moreloved learning about the trees as we walked. We were bummed to miss the visitor center but didn't look up the hours in advance.

10/10, went on a group camping trip here with my friends for my partner's birthday. We reserved…read morecampsites #33 and #13. We used #33 for the primary site as it was huge and accommodated all of us. The rangers did an awesome job at helping each person in the party find the site as we all arrived at different times. There is a steep hill right by the rangers station that we thought was too the swimming hole. We were mistakenly wrong and had an unintentional hike. We eventually found it in the hickey site adjust to us. This swimming hole was awesome! Kid friendly as there is a section of water that is shallow. It is a hike down and up but very worth it. For the showers, $2 gets you 10 minutes! I thought that was reasonable. Nice bathrooms and a lot of easily accessible water spouts and trash cans throughout the campground.

We enjoyed our stay!…read more We went with a group and booked a few conjoining campsites in the southern campground - unfortunately right next to the highway. I was woken up a few times by passing trucks during the night, but it wasn't unreasonable. Cons: - So many mosquitos - bring bug spray. - Poison oak everywhere! There was a ton within a foot or so of our picnic table. - Yellow jackets - keep your food covered and tread carefully. - There must have been some heavy drinking going on around the campground, because we found the bathrooms covered in vomit a few times - the poor park rangers were doing their best to keep them clean, but yuck. Pros: - The swimming hole was fantastic. Warm water, DEEP, and fun to swim in. The hike back up was rough, but I'd do it again for that swimming hole. - Directly across from the Peg House, which is always a delight to visit. - The rangers would circle once an hour or so in a golf cart selling wood, which was super handy. Despite the cons, I'd be open to camping here again.

Fantastic place for camping. More expensive than county parks, has bathrooms, showers, everything…read moreI needed. Out of town, no cell phone or internet.

We were unable to find camping at Smithe Redwoods State National Reserve nor did a call to Reserve…read moreAmerica find camping there. We ended up camping at Richardson Grove State Park about fifteen minutes further north on highway 101. There were ample sites to select from in mid November. The sites were roomy with beautiful young Redwood trees, fire pits, flush toilets, and water. The campsite was lovely, but the road noise was significant. It cost us $35 for one night. Firewood was $8. The temperatures were warm enough to wear just a fleece jacket sitting by our fire, but it rained at night. I'm not sure what campsite the previous review is referring to, but there are other campsites close to the Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Perhaps he stayed at the nearby Standish Hickey State Recreation Area which does have campsites.

Such an amazing experience! Loved taking visitors here--unbelievable views You walk through the…read moreRedwoods

While we were passing through Eureka we decided to stop by the Sequoia Zoo, which included the…read moreRedwood Skywalk. We are AZA members so when showing our membership we got in for half price. The Redwood Sky walk is located in the back left side of the zoo, it is a self guided tour. The skywalk slowly increases over 100 ft above the beautiful forest floor below and is about a 1/4 mile walk. I am afraid of heights, but felt safe walking along the trail. Most of the walk is over the park nextdoor to the zoo, as you are looking down from high above and you can see tiny people & dogs walking the trails below it was so cool. We could also see the bears in the zoo from high up in the trees, we had a better view of them than could see them below on the zoo trail. Be sure to look up at the majestic redwood trees along the trail, and when on the platforms you can touch the redwoods, and learn alittle about them with the information boards. It was an amazing experience, being so high up in the Redwood trees. It was Breathtaking and beautiful. I felt safe walking the trail as they had guardrails that go along the trail and was pretty good width across for people to walk by. People who are nervous of the wooden suspension bridges that move when others walking on them can walk about half way through trail before reaching these bridges and walk back the way they came. We will always remember this trip to Eureka, and cannot wait to bring our granddaughter here next time. Enjoy your adventure!