RV Tour Leg 36 – Among Giants: Redwood National and State Parks
- Judy Carmein
- Jun 9, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 1, 2025
June 2 - 9, 2025
We rolled into Redwood National Park, which is uniquely co-managed with California’s state parks—a rare partnership that protects nearly half of the world’s remaining old-growth coastal redwoods. We stayed in a town called Klamath, nestled between the better-known Prairie Creek and Jedediah Smith groves. Klamath turned out to be a peaceful basecamp with a scenic bike route, a handful of secret trails, and zero crowds—a rare trifecta in the world of national parks.
The redwoods are, of course, the stars of the show. We hiked deep into Prairie Creek, dwarfed by trees older than democracy. My phone died early on, forcing us to navigate the old-fashioned way—reading maps and judging the sun’s position to find our direction. We only made a couple of wrong turns, but it was fun to realize our skills hadn’t completely rusted out.
Another day, we tackled an 8-mile hike starting at Fern Canyon (yes, that Fern Canyon—Jurassic Park fans, cue the dino soundtrack). Fern Canyon was amazing! Fifty-foot cliffs covered in ferns. I half expected a dinosaur to walk around the corner. The trail then took us through a fern- and wildflower-laced forest of soaring redwoods and ended with our boots in the surf. Getting to the trailhead required a slow crawl along a winding, narrow dirt road that tested both our nerves and our suspension. National Park rule of thumb: the less well-known the park, the more you have to work to get to the good hikes.
One memorable hike was the Grove of the Titans. Again, we ventured down a dicey, skinny, yet beautiful dirt road to reach the trailhead. These trees were among the most majestic—some over 2,000 years old. It was fun watching other visitors crane their necks at the trees like tourists in New York City. We all walked a little slower, spoke a little softer. Everyone was in awe, quietly agreeing there was no way to capture the trees in a picture. You just have to be there.
Back in Klamath, we checked out the Klamath River Overlook and hiked to Hidden Beach—a gem of a trail that starts across the road from a kitschy roadside attraction featuring Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, and ends at a truly hidden stretch of coastline we had all to ourselves. The Paul Bunyan statue felt like a little slice of Minnesota, transported to the Pacific.
The Klamath River overlook gave us a front-row seat to the fog rolling in over the ocean—ethereal, moody, and vital. The coastal redwoods rely on that fog, absorbing its moisture through their needles like a cool, misty drink.
Not everything was majestic. One moment, while dodging sticker plants on the overgrown Klamath River Overlook trail, David stepped in a hole off the edge and disappeared. One second he was right in front of me, the next he was deep in a bushy hole like he'd been swallowed by the forest. It took a few minutes to fish him out. He was fine—a little full of stickers, a little shook up, but totally fine.
On our last day, we took an unforgettable e-bike ride right from our campsite. The Klamath Beach Road led us to the Coastal Drive—mostly one-lane, a bit sketchy, and completely stunning. It was reminiscent of our Lassen ride including long, winding climbs, cool sea air, and a thrilling 30-MPH descent on Alder Camp Road. E-bikes continue to prove themselves as MVPs of this trip.
Back at camp, Daphne the cat continued to live her best life. She's becoming a pro at RV living—still not thrilled about travel days, but totally content to lounge in the trailer and supervise the humans from her bed, our bed, and the couch.
There’s something humbling about being among such quiet giants. I’m so grateful to the people who had the foresight to preserve them. It’s heartbreaking that only about 5% of the original old-growth redwood forest still stands—making our chance to visit them all the more precious.
Next up was supposed to be Crater Lake, but it’s closed due to snow (once again, we didn’t quite thread the park-seasons needle correctly), so we’re off to Sisters, Oregon, with no plans and no idea what we’ll find there. Just the way we like it.
We drove that same incredibly dusty road last year when we were there with our kids. The amount of white dust on all the cars and bushes made me want to call it “Cocaine Lane.” 😄 -Larry Sawyer