Start 40 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the southernmost stands of note.

Extreme woodland beauty is easily accessible from the Bay Area in Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais; because of this, the first redwood stop-off is bound to be your most crowded. In Mill Valley, try the Dipsea Trail, an ambitious 9.7-mile out and back that runs from the tall trees over the crest to the Pacific Ocean via Stinson Beach. Fill up at Parkside Café, a classic for huge soft serves where you can watch the waves. For a lighter hiking commitment, you can also do a portion of it: just start at the Pantoll Campground parking lot on Mt. Tam and take the brief Old Mine Trail down the Dipsea to Muir Woods, about three miles. You’ll move in and out of the forest and open meadows, where there’s a chance to spot rare and endangered Mission blue butterflies. In Muir Woods, take the hushed trail to the Cathedral Grove, the area’s tallest and oldest. Continue north to Sonoma County’s Salt Point State Park, where kelp coves and waving grasslands await. A stay in one of Autocamp Russian River's airstreams puts you just three miles from Armstrong Redwoods State Nature Reserve, so you can cruise its dense canopy after check-in and before barbecue at Saucy Mama's.

The world-famous route is a classic through epic Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

Take the 101 north to the avenue’s entrance near Phillipsville, exit 645. Get ready: the majesty begins immediately with towering giants that flank the road and myriad intriguing grove pull-offs. The Humbolt Redwoods Visitor Center is your stop for ranger tips, Eel River swimming hole intel and a brush-up on local history before you grab a quick lunch at the rustic Avenue Cafe. Head to the loop trail at the 10,000-acre Rockefeller Forest—the drive to get here along Mattole Read is a destination in itself— to walk among the world’s largest stand of old growth redwoods; hike to Giant Tree and watch in awe as the sun filters through the canopy and cross Bull Creek on a fallen redwood. Visit the gift shop across from the Redcrest post office to buy postcards—scribble and send missives in one stop. After a long day scouting groves, hit the hay at Scotia Lodge, a historic 22-room homebase near the avenue’s northern terminus. 

Emerge from the forests for a wonder-world of tidepool adventure, the area’s underdog hobby.

The act of searching for sea creatures requires sustenance: start your day in Trinidad with chilaquiles and open-faced bagel sandwiches at the aptly-named Beachcomber Cafe—you’re in for an enchanting day of tidepool hopping up the coast. Check NOAA’s tides and currents predictor for low tide timing and head to Trinidad State Beach. Both Indian Beach and College Cove, the northernmost section of the beach, have a wealth of fascinating rocks and tidepools to explore. An hour’s drive north, in Redwood National and State Parks, is Endert's Beach, where park-protected tidepools rich with sea stars and invertebrates are accessible via a quarter-mile hike—the Last Chance section of the California Coastal Trail—that descends 200-feet down to isolated, rocky beach. At the close of the day, Seaquake is the place for beers, tacos. 

In the most northern park stretches, wild coasts and ancient giants.

Remote and rugged, the scale of wilderness access (and distance from city bustle) are indications you’ve reached the northernmost arboreal parks.

REDWOOD HIGHWAY: Once you hit Eureka, wind your way through Redwood National and State Parks on course to Crescent City.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON GROVE: Encounter your fi rst groves within the RNSP system here, 1,000 feet from sea level.

BIG TREE LOOP: In Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, a leisurely 3.2-miler through verdant ferns and monstrous redwoods.

NEWTON B. DRURY SCENIC PARKWAY Cuts through the whole park: spy Roosevelt elk and pull over to your heart’s content. There are over 350 epic stands here.

A backcountry road cuts through to some of the most iconic groves accessible on earth.

The last of California’s 49 state redwood parks is the most far-flung and unspoiled, arguably the most glorious, too. Salmon and steelhead run the wild, emerald waters of the Smith River that flows through the park. Nineteen trails softly carve through the understory of 2,000 year-old ancients, home to a sprawling, undisturbed swath of old-growth. Howland Hill Road is likely the best redwood drive anywhere: a single, six-mile lane that passes through the park’s center, offering direct access to trailheads (just pull off to park). Plan on hitting the Stour Grove—there’s river bank access here, along with nearby Myrtle Beach—then connect via the Mill Creek Trail to a raised walkway leading through lush canyon to the astonishing Grove of Titans. Camping in the park is pretty spectacular, and there are four primitive cabins that can be reserved in advance; classic, roadside stick-to-your-ribs (think biscuits and gravy, chili) is a mile away at the Historic Hiouchi Cafe.