jedediah smith redwoods state park

My wife and came to Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP specially for spending time in the great outdoors. We camped at the local KOA (highly recommended) and hiked several shorter hikes in Jedediah. Be sure to not miss the Stout Grove with the tallest tree on the planet (unmarked but easily found). Also, if your car is any taller than a sports car be sure to take Howland Hill Road between the Smith River (at Douglas Park Drive) and Crescent City (at Elk Valley Road); this road is as majestic as Avenue of the Giants (down at Humboldt Redwood SP) and has many trailheads off of it.

I would have to list "seeing the redwoods" as one of the things everyone should do once in a lifetime. What better way to appreciate our creator than to see his creation.

The crystal-clear water of the Smith River nestled next to the giant redwood trees leaves you awestruck with the natural beauty. There are campsites and picnic grounds. So bring the Rv or pack up the tents and go camping, or if you just want to get away for the day there are wonderful places for picnics and hiking.

Make sure you come in from Howland road for the best start of the forest. Road is rough but neat place. Plenty of hikes here and long ones also. Enjoy it. Was here in Feb. and can't imagine if there were lots of cars on this road because that would ruin the fun there.

This was one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. We were told about a less-traveled road to take when we stopped at a convenience store in Crescent City. It was so peaceful and little-traveled. We kept stopping and getting out of the car and walking around for a while to feel the majesty and peace. It was still a little misty and foggy, which added to the other worldly feeling. We can't recommend this drive enough! Just be sure and take time to get out of your vehicle and walk around.

One of the first great places to get out and experience the Redwoods as you come into California. Simply amazing.

The redwoods are simply out of this world, No wonder this was Endor in Star Wars, you truly feel awed by the majesty of these gignatic trees and it is easy to imagine you are on another planet altogether, where the scale of things is different. Make sure you visit this magical place, and plan to spend minimum a day with the big trees.

With the microclimate of the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park area just right for the dense growth of large coastal redwoods along with its accessibility due to its proximity to Crescent City and it lodgings, and crossed by several roads including Redwoods Hwy (US-199) and Howland Hill Road (dirt but passable by ordinary car), with exceptional views and several good trails including the short, easy Stout Grove loop trail, Jedediah Smith is the best place to easily see dense groves of large, old growth redwoods. We visited many areas and hiked quite a few of the trails in the Redwoods National and State Parks and nowhere did we find such a high concentration of large redwoods free of an understory of smaller trees to obscure the view of the giants, and rarely was access as easy, provided one is open to traveling a good dirt road.

Haven't camped there in years but always loved it there when I was younger. Love the trails, campground, swimming area etc. Love taking my brother there to walk the trails. Great family park.

We had visitors from out of town and took them to Jed Smith as it is the best place to experience both Redwood trees and the beautiful Smith River. They waded in the river and marveled at the tall trees. It was a good day for everyone.

Serenity. Peaceful. Awe-inspiring. Even if you are in a hurry, find time to visit one of California's Finest State Parks, The Redwoods are impressive from your car; they are magical when you stand next to one of our natural wonders. There is a reason so many reviewers love this State Park...visit and find out why!http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413

Lacks the commercial and urban influences of other major park areas in the US. Dirt roads are narrow and a little rough but passable. Very little pavement, which is a nice change from most park areas. Quaint camping portion to the park, also with tight narrows roads, but very shaded and overgrown. Nice park for the local and area population to use and enjoy, but you would not want to navigate through this area in peak park season. Treewise, definitely not the largest Redwood groves here, but you find a diverse river environment that gives this park its unique appeal.

We went on a holiday weekend and were expecting crowds. We didn't experience that. What we did experience was a great camping spot, hot showers, flush toilets, great campfires and tons of privacy. I would recommend staying at this campground over all the others in the Redwoods parks. I would recommend staying along the river camping spots if you can get one. #58 was perfect. For firewood, head to Safeway. They have the drying, longest burning and reasonably priced wood.

Took a spur of the moment road trip down from WA state. Great park! Tons of scenic views and trails of various lengths (mostly accessible, shorter trails). Checked out Boy Scout trail (about 3 miles each way) and Stout Grove (really short). Had a broken toe so I couldn't hike as much as I would have usually. Really recommend both of the trails (and I'm sure there are several other great ones). If you don't want to or can't hike - just drive Howland Hills road through the park. Tons of huge trees and great views along the way! It's graveled and partially paved. It was a bit rutted out (I went during a mild winter) and narrow but there were tons of smaller FWD cars on the road. Goes from Highway 199 to Crescent City.

Have camped there several times. I highly recommend crossing the footbridge in the summer and checking out Stout Grove. Amazing!