15 Places to See Redwoods

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase, we may receive an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting the businesses that support this site!

Hello from California! Tyler and I are on our way back home from San Francisco today, so a full recap of our anniversary trip is coming shortly. 😉 We have had a most wonderful time on the west coast, which included a great visit to Muir Woods.

As I mentioned previously, we booked an Extranomical Tour to wine country – who wants to drive between wine tastings? – and it included a stop at Muir Woods on our way to Sonoma. Muir Woods is a US national monument, located just outside of San Francisco (12 miles), and it’s known for its redwood trees.

Having now seen these trees in person, I can tell you that pictures don’t do them justice. They are giant and gorgeous, and you should absolutely see them in person if you can. Outside of the Muir Woods National Monument, which I highly recommend visiting, you can also find them growing naturally in other areas throughout California and southern Oregon, including:

Redwood National and State Parks, which is home to nearly half of the world’s old growth redwoods. It includes Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks, so you’re all set for a scenic drive from one park to the next!
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is both an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. About one third of the park’s 53,000 acres is old-growth redwood forest. There are some excellent trails and campsites, but don’t miss out on the Avenue of the Giants.
Yosemite National Park might be best known for its waterfalls, but the ancient giant sequoias will definitely dazzle you. They also have some beautiful cliffs, like Half Dome and El Capitan. There are few better places to “opt outside” than this national park. Be sure to stop at Tunnel View!

While those parks are generally the best known, you can also check out the redwoods at several other state parks in California, like:

Fun fact: some redwoods were planted in Cornwall in 2016, expanding the reach of these magnificent trees. You can read more on that here, but if you give them some time to grow, I’m sure they’ll be just as dazzling.

Share this: