Even though there are many awesome trails in Redwood Forest National and State Parks, Tall Trees Grove Trail still remains in the top 10 of our favorite hikes there. This trail has everything from scenic drive, mystical green forest, giant redwood trees that are over 350ft tall, beautiful creek, cutest little banana slugs and best of all, yummy wild black berries. This place is thriving with life. Lush green forest full of tall trees and ferns with dense vapor hanging in the air. Mushrooms growing from every surface. If fairies did exist, we imagine they would call this place home.
Note: Please make sure to respect this beautiful place and the surrounding areas. Always practice LEAVE NO TRACE. This means no loud music, no graffiti, no taking artifacts or fossilized items, and pack out what you pack in! Please help us protect this place for generations to come!
Stats
Where
Tall Trees Grove Trailhead
Tall Trees Access Rd, McKinleyville, CA 95519
41°12’29.4″N 123°59’35.4″W
Parking
There is a pull out on the size of the road, not too far from the trailhead.
Restroom
There are two vault toilets at the trailhead.
Fee
The permit to hike the Tall Trees Grove trail is free.
Important Things
You will need a permit before hiking this trail.
Distance
3.3 miles R.T. (1.3 miles, followed by a 0.9 mile loop)
Elevation Gain
800ft
Level
Moderate
Time:
At least 4-6 hours including driving.
Pet-friendly
Pets are not allowed on any of the trails within the national or state park areas
Ideal Time
Best time to hike this trail is from March until October. Summer can get quite buggy.
Weather
Video
What You Need to Know Before Visiting
Tall Tree Grove Trail Permit
- Tall Tree Grove is one of the trails that you have to plan in advance before going. To protect the grove, only a maximum of 50 parties are allowed each day. You MUST apply online for a FREE permit up to 4 weeks in advance, but not less than 48 hours. Permits are no longer issued in person. You also won’t be guaranteed to get the permit.
- If you are approved for a permit, you’ll get a confirmation email. Then, you’ll receive another email with your permit and the locked gate access code the day before your visiting date. Pro tip: they usually give you the previous day’s combination code as well. Try this code if the one for the actual date doesn’t work.
- Make sure to lock the gate after entering or exiting. Also, please do not let other vehicles through the gate, even if they are waiting behind you. If they don’t have a permit, they will get a citation, or worse, locked in overnight.
Other Info
- Tall Tree Grove Trail road access is a 7 miles narrow and windy gravel road. It is recommended for passenger vehicles only. You won’t need 4WDs for this.
- You’ll need at least 4-6 hours for both driving and hiking round-trip.
- Make sure to have a full tank of gas, food, water and a flashlight.
Should You Hike to the Hyperion Tree?
As we were doing our research for the Tall Tree Grove trail, we came across the mention of Hyperion, the once tallest tree in the world. Many people have attempted to find this tree. However, please don’t do it! First of all, it is NOT the tallest tree anymore, but the main reason is that by trying to find this off-trail tree, it will cause devastation of the habitat surrounding Hyperion. If you have more questions about this, check out the info here.
The Adventure
Getting to Tall Trees Grove Trail
Even though Tall Trees Grove trail is not the easiest trail to get to, however, the drive to get there is absolutely beautiful, especially in the early morning. We couldn’t help but stopping along the way for photos. From Redwood Highway (Highway 101), turn onto Bald Hills Road. Bald Hills Road is a paved, two lanes road with tall trees lining the road. About 7 miles, you’ll get to Tall Trees Access Road on the right side. This is where you’ll need to use your combination code to open the gate. Once passing through the gate, don’t forget to lock it after yourself. After this, it is about 6.5 miles to the trailhead. Tall Tree Access Road is a single lane, narrow and windy gravel road. It also gets very dusty. Therefore, please drive slow in case of wildlife and other vehicles. Parking area is limited.
The Beginning of the Hike
Although we got to Tall Trees Grove trailhead quite early in the morning, there were already a handful of cars there. Even so, we were still the only people on the trail for quite sometimes. Because of its remote location, Tall Trees Grove trail feels especially peaceful. One of the things that we love about this trail is that it is beautiful the entire way. From the beginning, you’ll enter through a dense forest full of tall hardwood trees. The trail almost immediately heads downhill. Even though the descent is gradual, you’ll still notice it. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for all the interesting mushrooms and wildlife along the way.
As the Tall Trees Grove trail winds its way through the forest, it descends almost 800ft over a short 1.3 mile. Luckily, the trail itself is mostly even and well-defined. There are also enough signages around so you won’t get lost easily. At the steeper parts, there are switchbacks to help you out. The way down isn’t as bad, but you’ll definitely feel this 800ft elevation change on the way back up.
Getting to The Start of the Loop
The Tall Trees Grove trail gets more beautiful as we hike along. The redwood trees also seem to get taller the further we hike in. Along the way, there are big redwood trees that fell down over the top of the trail, creating picturesque tunnels underneath. There is also one tree tunnel that was carved out from a giant redwood tree.
Because of how remote Tall Trees Grove trail is, it is incredibly quiet here. You can almost feel the heartbeat of the forest as it comes to life. The tall redwood trees are stretching their branches out to welcome the new day’s rays of sunshine. The morning dews are glistening on top of the green moss. Tall ferns line sections of the trail make it feel like we were back in the Jurasic period. It was quite breathtaking.
At 1.3 miles, the trail comes to a fork. If you want to continue on the Tall Trees Grove trail, it is a 0.9 miles loop. This part is flat so it doesn’t really matter what direction you want to take. At this point, there is also another trail for the Redwood Creek trail. It is a short detour down to the creek below.
Tall Trees Grove Loop Trail
The Tall Trees Grove loop trail circles around a small redwood grove. Since the grove has good solid, tons of water and protection from the winter winds, many redwood trees here exceed 350ft in height. In fact, Tall Tree Grove trail is home to the Libbey Tree, the former record holder of the tallest tree in the world. Since its top died in 1994, Libbey Tree dropped down to the 34th tallest tree on earth.
This place is exceptionally breathtaking and quite unique among other tall tree groves. On one half the trail, monster redwood trees set against tall green ferns, some are at least 5 feet tall. The other half is full of interesting mossy covered bigleaf maple trees. These maple trees arch over the trail give this place almost an eerie feel. Luckily, since there is a large break in the canopy over the creek nearby, the Tall Trees Grove is unusually bright and cheery compared to other tree groves.
Redwood Creek
Once you complete the loop, we recommend making that detour down to the creek below. It is interesting to see how the trail quickly turns into a whole new different landscape. Depending on when you’re visiting, the water could be low enough so that you can cross over the creek. Across the creek, there are multiple trails and backcountry camps. If you visit during blackberry season, there are tons of blackberry bushes on the other side of the creek as well. This was my favorite part of the trail. Nothing beats a free, healthy snack on a long hike. Oh, and if you pay attention, you can also spot all these little banana slugs hanging.
After you spend enough time here, just head back the way you came from. Unfortunately, the way back will be uphill almost the entire time. Just take your time, you’ll be fine. We really love this trail. We hope you do too. Stay tuned for more things to do in this area.
These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
adventure gear
This is our favourite hiking shoes. We use them for canyoneering as well. Lots of traction. Vy’s version.
Dustin’s version for La Sportiva shoes
Make sure to use lots of sunscreens! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30.
Face sunscreen is also important. We love these tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
You should always bring plenty of water. Vy loves the Camelback L.U.X.E.
For shorter hikes, the Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is perfect to hold water and your essentials.
If you want something lighter, we love the packable Patagonia Women’s Houdini® Jacket and Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Jacket
other things to bring
- Bug spray. It can get super buggy here
- Rain gear. We didn’t need it when we went, but rain seems to be a common occurrences here.
- Flashlight. In case you have a late start or get stuck here. It can get dark here under the trees canopy.
- Lunch and snacks. You’ll be here at least half a day. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.
camera gear
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2 Comments
V for Vendetta
What’s the dirt road you’re biking on at the end of the video?
P.S. Has anyone ever told you you sound like Ryan Reynolds?
Vy
The dirt road is in Alabama Hills. And no, it’s the first time someone said that. lol