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Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, named for an American explorer of extraordinary courage, is a feast for the eye. The park protects 10,000 acres of primeval redwood groves, a lush undergrowth of rhododendrons and azaleas, and banks of ferns against giant fallen trees.
Established in 1929, this predominately old growth coast redwoods park is bisected by the last major free flowing river in California, the Smith River. Almost all of the park land is water shed for the Smith River and Mill Creek, a major tributary.
The park has about 20 miles of hiking and nature trails, river access, a visitor center with exhibits and a nature store. Drive Howland Hill Road (gravel-not recommended for trailers) and stroll in the Stout Grove.
This park, along with Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and the National Park Service's Redwood National Park, are managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. These parks make up 45 percent of all the old-growth redwood forest remaining in California.
Getting There
The park is nine miles east of Crescent City on Highway 199.
Latitude/Longitude: 41.7817 / -124.1008
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
The park is nine miles east of Crescent City on Highway 199.
Latitude/Longitude: 41.7817 / -124.1008
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
Seasons/Climate
Here at the confluence of the Smith River and Mill Creek, summer temperatures range from 45 to 85 degrees, in contrast to the cool, fog-bound coast. Winter can bring 100 inches of rain and temperatures between 30 and 65 degrees; snow is rare.
Here at the confluence of the Smith River and Mill Creek, summer temperatures range from 45 to 85 degrees, in contrast to the cool, fog-bound coast. Winter can bring 100 inches of rain and temperatures between 30 and 65 degrees; snow is rare.
Operating Hours & Contact
The park is open year-round. The day-use area is open from sunrise to sunset. The campgrounds are open all year.
Telephone: 707-458-3018
The park is open year-round. The day-use area is open from sunrise to sunset. The campgrounds are open all year.
Telephone: 707-458-3018
Camping
Each of 89 sites has a table, fire ring and cupboard, with restrooms nearby. Some sites can accommodate trailers or motor homes up to 36 feet (no hookups). Reservations are recommended between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Make Campground Reservations
Max Camper Length: 36 Feet
Max Trailer Length: 31 Feet
Each of 89 sites has a table, fire ring and cupboard, with restrooms nearby. Some sites can accommodate trailers or motor homes up to 36 feet (no hookups). Reservations are recommended between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Make Campground Reservations
Max Camper Length: 36 Feet
Max Trailer Length: 31 Feet
Activities
A picnic area near the Smith River offers tables and stoves. The swimming beach is popular, but the river can be treacherous; there is no lifeguard service. Popular redwood hiking trails are the Stout Grove Trail, the Simpson Reed Trail, and the Boy Scout Tree Trail.
Fishing:
Depending on weather, fishing is best from October to February. Large salmon and steelhead have been caught during seasonal runs. Summertime brings cutthroat trout fishing. Anglers 16 and over must possess a valid California license. For current fishing information, visit the Department of Fish and Game website.
Interpretive Activities:
Summer interpretive programs include guided walks, hikes and evening campfires on nature and historical subjects. Check the park bulletin board for a schedule of activities.
A picnic area near the Smith River offers tables and stoves. The swimming beach is popular, but the river can be treacherous; there is no lifeguard service. Popular redwood hiking trails are the Stout Grove Trail, the Simpson Reed Trail, and the Boy Scout Tree Trail.
Fishing:
Depending on weather, fishing is best from October to February. Large salmon and steelhead have been caught during seasonal runs. Summertime brings cutthroat trout fishing. Anglers 16 and over must possess a valid California license. For current fishing information, visit the Department of Fish and Game website.
Interpretive Activities:
Summer interpretive programs include guided walks, hikes and evening campfires on nature and historical subjects. Check the park bulletin board for a schedule of activities.
Landscape & Wildlife
California’s coast redwoods follow the fog and thrive in continuous belts at elevations below 2,000 feet, where heavy winter rains and moderate year-round temperatures occur. Trees can grow to 350 feet or more, with a base diameter of about 20 feet. Their root systems are broad and shallow, from only a few inches to six feet underground.
The oldest coast redwoods are about 2,000 years old and show no signs of dying out. They resist insects, fire and rot to a remarkable degree, and their vigor in sprouting back when cut or badly burned is an important factor in their longevity.
Plant Communities: Feathery ferns, redwood sorrel, salal, trillium, Douglas iris and tiger lily grow in splendor beneath redwoods. Salmonberry, thimbleberry and huckleberry provide wildlife forage, and acres of rhododendrons and azaleas bloom from April to June. The area’s warm climate encourages many other tree species - including western hemlock, Douglas-fir, big-leaf maple, red alder, California laurel, tan oak, madrone and Port Orford cedar - to share the redwood habitat.
Wildlife of the park is both abundant and varied including such animals as black bear, deer, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, skunks, fox, beaver, river otter, squirrels, chipmunks and many others. Some of the rare or uncommon examples of bird life identified include the bald eagle, spotted owl, pileated woodpecker and marbled murrelet. The Smith River and Mill Creek are especially known for the king salmon and steelhead trout runs in the fall and winter. Mill Creek is a spawning ground for these fish.
California’s coast redwoods follow the fog and thrive in continuous belts at elevations below 2,000 feet, where heavy winter rains and moderate year-round temperatures occur. Trees can grow to 350 feet or more, with a base diameter of about 20 feet. Their root systems are broad and shallow, from only a few inches to six feet underground.
The oldest coast redwoods are about 2,000 years old and show no signs of dying out. They resist insects, fire and rot to a remarkable degree, and their vigor in sprouting back when cut or badly burned is an important factor in their longevity.
Plant Communities: Feathery ferns, redwood sorrel, salal, trillium, Douglas iris and tiger lily grow in splendor beneath redwoods. Salmonberry, thimbleberry and huckleberry provide wildlife forage, and acres of rhododendrons and azaleas bloom from April to June. The area’s warm climate encourages many other tree species - including western hemlock, Douglas-fir, big-leaf maple, red alder, California laurel, tan oak, madrone and Port Orford cedar - to share the redwood habitat.
Wildlife of the park is both abundant and varied including such animals as black bear, deer, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, skunks, fox, beaver, river otter, squirrels, chipmunks and many others. Some of the rare or uncommon examples of bird life identified include the bald eagle, spotted owl, pileated woodpecker and marbled murrelet. The Smith River and Mill Creek are especially known for the king salmon and steelhead trout runs in the fall and winter. Mill Creek is a spawning ground for these fish.
Saving the Redwoods
California’s redwood parks are monuments to those whose vision preserved their beauty. In 1900 concerned citizens helped to save the coast redwood groves of Big Basin near Santa Cruz, and in 1918 the Save the Redwoods League was formed. The names of several memorial groves at Jedediah Smith reflect the generosity of lumbermen who donated them or preserved them until the League could purchase them.
When the park was established in 1929, the Frank D. Stout Memorial Grove became its first dedicated grove. The 5,000-acre National Tribute Grove, dedicated to those who fought during World War II, was purchased with League funds. In May 1994 Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks joined with Redwood National Park in a cooperative management effort. Their combined 105,516 acres - representing 36 percent of California’s old-growth redwood forest - were designated Redwood National and State Parks.
California’s redwood parks are monuments to those whose vision preserved their beauty. In 1900 concerned citizens helped to save the coast redwood groves of Big Basin near Santa Cruz, and in 1918 the Save the Redwoods League was formed. The names of several memorial groves at Jedediah Smith reflect the generosity of lumbermen who donated them or preserved them until the League could purchase them.
When the park was established in 1929, the Frank D. Stout Memorial Grove became its first dedicated grove. The 5,000-acre National Tribute Grove, dedicated to those who fought during World War II, was purchased with League funds. In May 1994 Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks joined with Redwood National Park in a cooperative management effort. Their combined 105,516 acres - representing 36 percent of California’s old-growth redwood forest - were designated Redwood National and State Parks.
Park History
Before European contact, the lives of the Tolowa people, along with their neighbors the Yurok, Hupa, Karuk and Chilula, were secure and well-ordered. New settlers depleted natural resources, causing radical environmental changes and cultural conflict. European diseases to which the Tolowa had no immunity decreased their numbers, and many were sent to the reservation at what is now the Smith River. Part of the site of Camp Lincoln, built in 1862 as a buffer between the native people and the settlers, is located in the park. Tolowa descendants are still present in northern California, and many continue to practice their traditions.
Jedediah Strong Smith was the first non-native known to have traveled overland from the Mississippi River, across the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific coast. In 1821, at age 22, he came west and joined the fur-trapping party of General William Ashley. By late 1826, Smith and two partners had bought out General Ashley. Smith led his trappers across southern Utah, Nevada, Arizona, the Mojave Desert and Cajon Pass to Mission San Gabriel, where they rested for two months.
When Mexican Governor José María Echeandía ordered them to leave, Smith headed north into the San Joaquin Valley. In May 1827 Smith went to Utah to recruit more trappers, but as they re-crossed the Colorado River, the formerly friendly Mohave Indians attacked, killing ten men. When Smith and his surviving men reached Mission San José, Smith was arrested and sent to Governor Echeandía in Monterey. Again ordered out of the province, the party went north through the redwoods, reaching what is now called the Smith River in June 1828. Two years later Smith and his partners sold their business and returned to St. Louis. But in 1831, Smith felt the lure of the Santa Fe Trail. While seeking water during his last wagon train west, he was killed in a Comanche ambush along the Cimarron River.
Jedediah Smith’s wish was to be “the first to view a country on which the eyes of a white man had never gazed and to follow the course of rivers that run through a new land.” His reports on the geology and geography of the western territories appeared in newspapers of the day, and proved that the Sierra Nevada could be safely crossed to reach California. In a remarkably few years, his travels, observations and notes filled in many blank spaces on the country’s map.
Before European contact, the lives of the Tolowa people, along with their neighbors the Yurok, Hupa, Karuk and Chilula, were secure and well-ordered. New settlers depleted natural resources, causing radical environmental changes and cultural conflict. European diseases to which the Tolowa had no immunity decreased their numbers, and many were sent to the reservation at what is now the Smith River. Part of the site of Camp Lincoln, built in 1862 as a buffer between the native people and the settlers, is located in the park. Tolowa descendants are still present in northern California, and many continue to practice their traditions.
Jedediah Strong Smith was the first non-native known to have traveled overland from the Mississippi River, across the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific coast. In 1821, at age 22, he came west and joined the fur-trapping party of General William Ashley. By late 1826, Smith and two partners had bought out General Ashley. Smith led his trappers across southern Utah, Nevada, Arizona, the Mojave Desert and Cajon Pass to Mission San Gabriel, where they rested for two months.
When Mexican Governor José María Echeandía ordered them to leave, Smith headed north into the San Joaquin Valley. In May 1827 Smith went to Utah to recruit more trappers, but as they re-crossed the Colorado River, the formerly friendly Mohave Indians attacked, killing ten men. When Smith and his surviving men reached Mission San José, Smith was arrested and sent to Governor Echeandía in Monterey. Again ordered out of the province, the party went north through the redwoods, reaching what is now called the Smith River in June 1828. Two years later Smith and his partners sold their business and returned to St. Louis. But in 1831, Smith felt the lure of the Santa Fe Trail. While seeking water during his last wagon train west, he was killed in a Comanche ambush along the Cimarron River.
Jedediah Smith’s wish was to be “the first to view a country on which the eyes of a white man had never gazed and to follow the course of rivers that run through a new land.” His reports on the geology and geography of the western territories appeared in newspapers of the day, and proved that the Sierra Nevada could be safely crossed to reach California. In a remarkably few years, his travels, observations and notes filled in many blank spaces on the country’s map.
Accessible Features
Camping:
Sites 13, 17, 25, 37, 39, and 41 are accessible. Route of travel: There are accessible routes to restrooms with showers from these sites. Restrooms and showers: One restroom opposite site 13 has a usable toilet. Current showers are not wheelchair accessible. Restroom and shower upgrades are pending.
The Campfire Center has both upper and lower accessible seating areas.
The picnic area has 10 accessible tables and pedestal grills.
Trails:
The Stout Grove Loop Trail is accessible for about 0.50 miles through redwood forests. Trailhead, accessible restroom and accessible parking are located at the east end of Stout Grove parking lot.
Camping:
Sites 13, 17, 25, 37, 39, and 41 are accessible. Route of travel: There are accessible routes to restrooms with showers from these sites. Restrooms and showers: One restroom opposite site 13 has a usable toilet. Current showers are not wheelchair accessible. Restroom and shower upgrades are pending.
The Campfire Center has both upper and lower accessible seating areas.
The picnic area has 10 accessible tables and pedestal grills.
Trails:
The Stout Grove Loop Trail is accessible for about 0.50 miles through redwood forests. Trailhead, accessible restroom and accessible parking are located at the east end of Stout Grove parking lot.
Trails
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Guides
Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP
Nearby Community Trips
Didn't make it all the way to Boy Scout Tree...ran out of daylight. Trip track is one way.
