As a local I really enjoy shopping at the Humboldt Hometown Store. I Love that it's the old bank (…read moreearly 1900's), still has the original teller windows & bank fault! Fun fact: Guy Fieri owns the building and you can even buy autographed Guy merch there. What I truly like about this shop, It's a great place to buy locally made, unique affordable items. The variety of hand-crafted things to buy is amazing, I can truly gift shop for my whole family in one spot! There's also a great selection of locally made food items, one my favorite tea blends (wildn'wise) is at Humboldt Hometown store. We recently tried The new Escape Room while our friends were visiting. Everyone (4 adults, 3 teens) had a blast trying to escape, we made it out with 2mins to spare! I definitely recommend checking this place out if your just visiting Ferndale, for unique one of a kind items or a totally fun indoor experience! :)

I love all the locally made crafts! I never leave this store without buying a handful of beautiful…read morewares.

Avenue of the giants is a great way to drive along the freeway with a more scenic route. It was…read morebeautiful and gorgeous drive and they have stops that you can go to for view points. I suggest you go early to avoid crowds if you want to get to every site and not have toooo much traffic. Also Make sure to get the map at the first stop so you can read about each stop and decide which ones ha wanna go to.

Absolutely wonderful way to experience the Redwoods firsthand. No need to drive the whole avenue;…read moreyou can pop off the 101, drive up Avenue of the Giants for a bit, and then pop back on the 101 to resume your trip. That's exactly what I did and it worked out great. You can slow down and experience the Redwoods close up, rather than whizzing by on the highway. No fee! Don't miss it!

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!

This was our first stop while exploring the Redwoods Parks, and I'm so glad we came here! The park…read morerangers were incredibly helpful and provided tons of useful information. They took the time to recommend hikes based on what we were looking for whether easy or more challenging, which made planning our day so much easier. One ranger even let us know that a couple of the trails we had planned to visit were actually closed due to an event. That alone saved us a lot of time and hassle, which is why I definitely recommend stopping by a visitor center first to check what's open before heading out. They also have restrooms and a small gift shop, which is a nice bonus. Overall, this stop really helped us make the most of our trip!

One of 3 or 4 Visitor Centers for Redwood National Park. Small yet efficient, set along a beautiful…read morebeach, and helpful rangers- what more could you desire as you enjoy our great natural spaces? Leave It Better =)

Beautiful scenery…read more There are so many different areas to go and see. All in different cities. The Redwood National Forest spans over a great distance. I drove from San Francisco. To see everything, I had to stay in a hotel overnight. With the exception of driving through carved out tress, all the sites are free. Driving through trees was $15 at each of the 3 sites I visited. There are several rest stop areas while driving to and from there.

Like so many people have told me, hiking through the Redwoods cannot be described but rather…read moreexperienced. I got to experience this for myself, as my husband and I are on a road trip from LA to NorCal and beyond for a combo work trip for him, and 50th bday spent in nature for me. We stopped in to the Thomas Kuchel Visitor Center and spoke with a friendly park ranger that gave us a map and suggested a hike for us. We stopped in another visitor center (Prairie Creek), where we spoke with another friendly ranger that gave us the more rugged option of said hike. The hike was absolutely beautiful, with Redwoods that go up, up, up. And all around the ground level are so many types of fern, lichen, moss, mushrooms, and other dense forest growth. We did a 3.5 mile hike, which was a great work out, and so scenic. But, my words will do it no justice. Go for yourself and experience it. And remember, leave no trace and pack it in pack it out. Long Live our National Parks!!!

Humboldt Lagoons State Park is on the Redwood Coast between Orick and Trinidad. There are three…read morelagoons - Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon, and Freshwater Lagoon. These lagoons are a collection of landlocked waters right on the coast but protected from the Pacific Ocean. You can rent kayaks and paddleboards at Stone Lagoon Visitor Center. I stopped by Stone Lagoon to rest after a long day of driving to chill and relax.

We had such an amazing time at the state park. Great scenery with rock formations. The…read morewashed up driftwood was good. We had such a great time looking for agate and different types of rocks. Great stop.

We did a beautiful 2.2 mile loop from the visitor center at Prarie Creek Foothills/Trailhead. It…read morewas a very easy hike and still beautiful. We were able to see Big Tree! Would do it again.

We drove here per a recommendation from someone we talked to where we were camping. We hadn't been…read morehere before and it really was worth checking out! Gorgeous big trees and the information center was awesome as well. Something for everyone visiting here and I did a lot of walking and forest bathing. We visited the "Big Tree".

I truly wish I could give this place more than five stars. It is absolutely gorgeous!…read more It is very popular, and you have to make reservations in advance. If you want to make a last-minute reservation, a limited number of "next day reservations" do open up at 9 AM the previous day. https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/ferncanyonpermits.htm. Also, it is a fee area. A $12.00 day-use fee per vehicle can be paid with cash/check (no cards accepted), America the Beautiful Passes, California State Parks Annual or Poppy Pass, or a current Gold Bluffs Beach or Elk Prairie Campground reservation. The road to the trailhead is dirt, as well as windy and narrow in a few spots, with a couple of very shallow water crossings. A regular car or motorcycle can do it just fine , but I would not try to do it in a vehicle that sits low to the ground. Once you are there, the beauty is stunning. The canyon is so peaceful, along with the vivid greenery and all of the ferns growing on the canyon walls that give it its name. It is a true slice of heaven on earth. Wear water shoes, and clothes that you don't care if they get muddy or wet. There are little wooden bridges, but there are spots where you are going to have to walk through the water. , There are some muddy areas, so be very careful that you don't slip. I slipped on one area, and when hiking back out, I just hiked through the water to avoid that area again. Even when you are walking through the water, it doesn't get much above your ankles. This really is an absolutely amazing place to see, and will be a highlight of your trip to the redwoods.

Fun hike that kids will love. I wore my regular tennis shoes and didn't get wet at all. Kids might…read morehave a harder time staying dry and part of the fun is hiking through the water. Crazy ride to get there. We had all wheel drive and I was thankful we weren't in a sedan although I saw some. Make a reservation (can be done at 9am the day before) or plan to go after 5.