Del Norte Redwoods
Located ten miles north of the edge of
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Highway 101 crosses
into Del Norte County and moves down into the Klamath
River Valley. This park is one of the state parks located
within the boundaries of Redwood National Park.
Del Norte gives you a change in the air
(fog) and in the landscape (dense forest) as you travel
north. By this time it is certain that we have left the
semi-arid California scene and have come into the Pacific
Northwest.
The park extends north from Wilson Creek to
just outside Crescent City. Highway 101 runs through the
park, providing access to several notable stretches of
scenery. A great view of the Pacific Ocean, with
Crescent City in the distance, is available at a
vista point, located beside Highway 101, ten miles from
Wilson Creek, near the northern edge of the park.
Del Norte Redwoods
Trails
This is the least-developed park in the
Redwood National Park system, but park trails are
accessible from the highway. Damnation Creek
Trail, for hardy hikers, climbs from the sea through
a forest. It's 2.5 miles long but takes about three hours
for the round trip. There's a parking area 3.5 miles from
the southern park boundary. The Alder Basin Trail is
easier: a 45-minute round trip.
1.5 miles from the southern boundary is an
unidentified gravel road that leads to the DeMartin
Section of the Coastal Trail. At 2.9 miles, the
highway leads to another gravel road that used to be part
of the original highway. This is a segment of the Last
Chance Section of the Coastal Trail.
Picnic areas are found along the highway --
at Wilson Creek, and at the northern boundary of
the park near Crescent Beach.
Camping
Mill Creek Campground, with 145
sites, is in the center of the park. two miles off the
highway. This is a fine place from which to take hikes,
and several are available from the campground.The
campground is in the northern section of the park, east
of Highway 101.
Redwood National Park
For more information
on Redwood National Park and the state parks, go to:
Redwood National Park
Prairie Creek Redwoods
State Park
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State
Park
