Travel Guide to the Tallest Trees in Northern California
There are places in the world that make you feel small in the best possible way. For me, one of those places was Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park on California’s northern coast.
After a long stretch of travel, winding through misty coastal roads and towering evergreens, I arrived at a forest that felt almost timeless. The air was cool and damp, the scent of earth and cedar drifting through the trees. Then I saw them.
Redwoods.
Not just tall trees - but giants.
These ancient coast redwoods rise hundreds of feet into the sky, their trunks so wide it can take several people holding hands to circle one. Standing beneath them, I found myself instinctively looking up…and up…and up.
A Rare and Protected Forest
The towering trees at Jedediah Smith are part of one of the rarest ecosystems on Earth. Naturally growing coast redwoods exist only in a narrow strip along the Pacific coastline - from central California to southern Oregon.
This park protects nearly 10,000 acres of old-growth forest, preserving some of the last primeval redwood groves remaining anywhere in the world.
As I walked deeper along the trails, the forest became quieter. Ferns blanketed the ground in thick green layers. Moss draped across fallen logs like velvet. In spring, the forest floor brightens with rhododendrons and azaleas blooming beneath the massive canopy.
The light filtering through the trees created shifting beams of gold and green, giving the forest a peaceful, almost sacred feeling.
It’s easy to understand why people have worked so hard to protect this place.
Saving the Giants
Much of this forest still exists thanks to early conservation efforts and generous land donations. Several groves within the park were preserved or donated by lumbermen who recognized the importance of protecting these ancient trees.
Organizations like the Save the Redwoods League later helped purchase additional land to expand protection for the forest.
When the park was officially established in 1929, the Frank D. Stout Memorial Grove became the first grove dedicated within its boundaries.
Later, the 5,000-acre National Tribute Grove was preserved as a memorial honoring those who served during World War II.
Today the park is part of the larger protected area known as Redwood National and State Parks, one of the most important conservation regions in the United States.
Walking through these groves, I couldn’t help feeling grateful that earlier generations chose preservation over profit. Without those decisions, these forests might exist today only in photographs.
The People of the Forest
Long before explorers or settlers arrived, these forests were home to thriving Indigenous communities.
The Tolowa people lived along the rivers and coast, sharing the region with neighboring tribes including the Yurok people, Hupa people, Karuk people, and Chilula people.
Their lives were deeply connected to the land, rivers, and forests around them.
That balance changed when European settlers arrived in the 1800s. Natural resources were heavily exploited, and devastating diseases spread through native communities. Many Tolowa people were forced onto reservations near what is now the Smith River.
Part of the historic site of Camp Lincoln, built in 1862 as a military buffer between settlers and Native communities, still lies within the park today.
Despite these hardships, Tolowa descendants remain in northern California, continuing to practice their traditions and preserve their cultural heritage.
The Explorer Behind the Name
The park itself is named after the American frontiersman Jedediah Smith, one of the earliest explorers to cross the vast western territories of the United States.
In 1821, at just 22 years old, Smith headed west to join a fur-trapping expedition led by William H. Ashley. Within a few years, Smith and his partners purchased the trapping operation and began leading expeditions across some of the most rugged landscapes in North America.
Smith’s travels took him across present-day Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, through the harsh Mojave Desert, and eventually to the California coast at Mission San Gabriel Archangel.
Exploration in those days was dangerous. In 1827, while crossing the Colorado River, Smith’s party was attacked by Mojave warriors, and several members of the expedition were killed.
Despite the dangers, Smith continued exploring. In 1828 he traveled north through the towering redwood forests and reached the river that now bears his name - the Smith River.
Two years later he returned east, but the call of adventure drew him back west again. In 1831, while traveling along the Santa Fe Trail, Smith was killed in a Comanche ambush near the Cimarron River.
His explorations helped fill in vast blank spaces on early maps of the American West and proved that travelers could cross the formidable Sierra Nevada to reach California.
The Giants Themselves
Of course, the true stars of this park are the redwoods.
California’s coast redwoods thrive in the cool, fog-rich climate along the Pacific coast. They grow best at elevations below about 2,000 feet, where heavy winter rains and mild temperatures provide ideal conditions.
Some trees grow more than 350 feet tall - taller than the Statue of Liberty - and their trunks can reach 20 feet in diameter at the base.
One of the most surprising facts about redwoods is their root system. Despite their enormous height, their roots usually extend only a few feet underground. Instead of growing deep, they spread wide and intertwine with neighboring trees, forming a natural support network that helps them withstand storms and floods.
The oldest coast redwoods are believed to be around 2,000 years old.
Their thick bark protects them from insects, fire, and decay. Even when damaged, redwoods have an incredible ability to regenerate, sprouting new growth from trunks or roots.
Standing beside one of these ancient giants, I realized I was looking at a living thing that began growing centuries before the United States even existed.
A Moment Worth Slowing Down For
Travel often means moving quickly to see as much as possible in a short amount of time.
But Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is the kind of place that encourages you to slow down.
I found myself lingering on quiet trails, listening to the wind high above the canopy and the soft rush of the nearby river. The forest has a stillness that feels grounding, almost meditative.
There’s something humbling about walking among trees that have quietly stood here for nearly two thousand years.
If you ever find yourself exploring California’s northern coast, take time to visit this extraordinary forest.
Stand beneath the towering redwoods.
Breathe in the cool coastal air.
And don’t forget to look up.
For more pics with the redwoods, visit:
https://beautifuldaytraveler.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/walking-among-giants-visiting-jedediah-smith-redwoods-state-park-in-northern-california/
Debra Parmley is a multi-genre author who after living for 23 years just outside Memphis, TN, sold everything to live full-time in a 43-foot motorhome with her Air Force veteran husband. She writes as they travel the U.S.
She has written military romantic suspense, contemporary romance, historical romance, dystopian romance, holiday romance, fairy tale romance, urban fantasy romance, poetry and nonfiction.
Debra travels widely, reads widely and writes widely. You will find danger, action and adventure, and romance in her stories.
In her Tales from the Trailer articles for Fresh Fiction, she shares the RV lifestyle and travel adventures in the U.S. from the point of view of a working author.
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