Hike to the Tall Trees Grove

This is a pilgrimage, not a stroll. You'll start at the end of a long, unpaved access road and immediately begin dropping into a canyon through a dense curtain of ferns and second-growth forest. The descent is steady and relentless — roughly the equivalent of walking down an 80-story building — which means every step down is a step you'll pay for on the way back up. But when the canopy opens and you step into the Tall Trees Grove along Redwood Creek, the scale hits you like a cathedral. These are some of the tallest living things on Earth, and standing at their base feels genuinely disorienting. The grove is quiet, mossy, and utterly primeval. This trail rewards hikers who earn their views and don't mind a punishing return climb through some of the most spectacular old-growth forest on the planet.