Redwood Coast · Avenue of the Giants
Southern Humboldt · State Route 254
Thirty-one miles of old road threading through Humboldt Redwoods State Park — called the finest forest drive in the world, and free. Here are the stops, hikes, and river time worth planning for.
What it is
The Avenue is a stretch of the original highway, built as a wagon and stagecoach route in the 1880s. When US-101 was rebuilt alongside it, the old road stayed exactly where it was — going through the trees instead of around them.
It is mostly flat with gentle curves, passing secluded forest hamlets, campgrounds, picnic areas and access points to the Eel River — a federally designated Wild and Scenic waterway with swimming, fishing and paddling.
The park covers about 53,000 acres and holds roughly 17,000 acres of old growth, including Rockefeller Forest: the largest continuous stretch of old-growth coast redwood left anywhere on earth.
On foot
The drive is the famous part, but you do not understand the scale until you are standing under it. These routes run from half an hour to a very long day.
Mile marker 43.9, just south of Pepperwood
Easy
A level stem heads west from the Avenue and opens into a loop at the far end. Expect flat, well-graded tread through a forest floor carpeted in redwood sorrel.
The first thing you reach driving down from Arcata, and five minutes of the stem is enough to get the point.
Mile marker 20.5, 4.1 mi north of park HQ
Easy
The self-guided loop passes the Founders Tree and the fallen Dyerville Giant — 362 feet of redwood that came down in 1991. Mahan Loop connects directly off the south side.
Walking beside a fallen giant conveys the scale better than standing under a living one.
1.1 mi west on Mattole Road
Easy
A flat loop through Lower Bull Creek Flat inside ten thousand acres of Rockefeller Forest, the largest unbroken old-growth redwood forest on the planet.
Arguably better trees than Founders with a fraction of the people.
Lower Bull Creek Flats, Mattole Road
Moderate
A long but almost level loop through the heart of Rockefeller Forest, using trails on both banks of Bull Creek and a seasonal footbridge to close the circuit.
The bridge is the planning problem; outside the season, walk one bank as an out-and-back.
Mile marker 7.0, north of Miranda
Easy
An elongated loop through old growth between the road and river, with parking straight off the Avenue and a cutoff across the middle.
A good choice if you are staying in Miranda or Myers Flat.
Grasshopper Multi-use Trail, Mattole Road
Strenuous
A long, steady climb from the valley floor to a former fire lookout with views over the whole park.
For fit hikers with a whole day: start early, carry water, and tell someone your plan.
Six-tenths of a mile, level, interpretive, and ADA accessible. Starts directly across the road from the visitor center.
2.2 miles with 600 feet of climb to a prairie with a clear view of Grasshopper Peak.
The whole road
Coming from Arcata? You will drive north to south. These stops are shown in that order, from Pepperwood to Phillipsville.
US-101 exit 674. Coming south from Arcata or Eureka, this is where you leave the freeway.
A 2.4-mile flat loop through sorrel-carpeted forest. The best nature trail on the Avenue and the first thing you reach from the north.
A roadside veteran that survived fire, flood, logging and a lightning strike. Carved markers show the flood high-water lines.
Turn west on Mattole Road into ten thousand acres of old growth. The Rockefeller Loop is 0.6 flat miles; Bull Creek Flats runs much further.
The half-mile loop past the Founders Tree and the fallen Dyerville Giant. Turn onto Dyerville Loop Road for the car park.
Picnic tables where the South Fork meets the main Eel. Dyerville was a stagecoach stop until the 1955 flood took the town off the map.
At Burlington: current trail conditions, road closures, maps, restrooms and the Redwood Log of History.
A four-sided stone hearth designed by Julia Morgan sits beside the South Fork of the Eel, with a swimming hole nearby.
Day-use area with river access, picnic tables and room to spread out — a practical lunch stop.
One of only three drive-thru trees in Northern California and the only one on the Avenue. Small fee; the photo is the point.
A short, quiet old-growth walk near a small town with a market and food options.
US-101 exit 645. Coming up from the Bay Area or Garberville, start here.
The other half
The Avenue follows a federally designated Wild and Scenic river, and on a hot summer day the water is as much the point as the trees.
The swimming hole beside the hearth at Women’s Federation Grove is the best-known, and Williams Grove has easy river access with picnic tables. Summer levels drop enough for calm wading in many stretches.
The big question
The common mix-up in Northern California trip planning: these are different places, roughly two and a half hours apart, and both are worth seeing.
| Question | Avenue of the Giants | Redwood National & State Parks |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Southern Humboldt, around Weott and Myers Flat | Northern Humboldt and Del Norte, Orick to Crescent City |
| Experience | A drive with enormous trees from the car and short loops off it. | A set of parks; drive between trailheads and walk more. |
| Best for | Limited mobility, short time, and the classic road-through-redwoods photo. | Hiking, Fern Canyon, elk, wild coastline, and tallest trees. |
| Time needed | An hour to a full day. | A full day minimum, two to do it justice. |
Planning
1 hour
Still worth doing
Half day
What most people should do
Full day
Best with a base in the south
Practical
Where to stay
Lodging in southern Humboldt is limited and books out spring through fall. These two put you on the road rather than an hour from it.
Avenue of the Giants · Eel River Valley
Mid-century modern on eight private acres above the Eel River, with six bedrooms, a hot tub, a gas fire pit and an Evo cooktop. Pets welcome.
Avenue of the Giants · in the trees
An earth-built straw-bale dome on a hilltop above Benbow, with a treehouse casita, a hot-tub gazebo and an outdoor kitchen. Fifteen minutes from the Avenue.
Keep planning