melonln

I'm taking a road trip and I'm thrilled our party will be able to take 2 days for the Redwoods. We'll be there in mid-May. Any places we can go to simply absorb the beauty and nature of the Redwoods that would be less crowded? We'll be staying in Crescent City at the Curly Redwood Lodge. We were thinking of a possible mini-hike. Maybe a couple miles round trip. If it'll take a little longer to see an unforgettable sight, we're willing to do that. We're three young fit gals that could do a real rough hike, but we would rather simply enjoy the wonder of the trees.

Also, before we get to Crescent City, We'll be staying the night in Gold Beach Oregon. We are going to drive from I-5 but are curious to know where we could cross to the coast. We do want to see a stretch of the coast before we head for Crescent City. Possibly near Winston or Eugene? If we were to cross near Eugene would it take us really long to get to Gold Beach?

Gardyloo

I don't think you'll find anything particularly crowded in mid-May. Wet, maybe, but crowded - doubt it.

The various groves are all quite wonderful - try the loop hike in the Ladybird Johnson grove.

IMO (and of others) the best cut-over route from I-5 to 101 is Oregon Route 38 between Drain and Reedsport. It follows the Umpqua through a lovely canyon just before it reaches the coast; in addition you can usually see some serious elk in a couple of roadside reserves.

jannieween

mark

NWWanderer

I just did a road trip from Seattle to SF and back mainly along the coast. I 2nd the recommendation of crossing on Rt. 38 just south of Eugene--pretty drive, plus it has enough passing lanes that you don't get too frustrated being stuck behind a slow truck or RV ;-).

Also 2nd the recommendation of the Lady Bird Johnson grove. I also liked the short nature hike that starts right near the Prairie Creek visitor's center (and the scenic drive to Prairie Creek that parallels 101 is definitely worth doing).

And it's not redwoods but if you want to enjoy the gorgeous coastal scenery, the Rim Trail at Patrick's Point State Park in Trinidad is really beautiful.

melonln

Awesome that sounds great. We are excited we won't have much company in May, so that's great. How long would it take us on Route 38 to get to Gold Beach? We'll be coming from Seattle.

NWWanderer

That's a fairly long drive as you're covering quite a few miles. On my recent trip, I drove from Seattle to Port Orford (just north of Gold Beach) on that route (I-5 to Rt. 38 to 101) and it took close to 8 hours (it's 5 hours just from Seattle to Eugene).

Gardyloo

From I-5 to Reedsport on SR 38 is around an hour give or take, then Gold Beach is the better part of two hours from there. You have to poke through Coos Bay which can slow things down.

From Seattle to the SR 38 cutoff is around 6 hours, so it can make for a pretty long day to do it in one shot. I usually break off in Coos Bay or (better) Bandon on a Seattle > California trip. IMO Bandon is more attractive than Gold Beach anyway.

melonln

If we were to stay in Bandon, how long would it take us to drive down the coast to Cresecent City?

Gardyloo

Two hours, not counting time to put your teeth back in your mouth after seeing some of the scenery.

sequoia370

The very largest coast redwoods are just outside of Crescent City at Jedediah Smith State Park (part of Redwood National Park as well). There's a 7 mile gravel road through the park, Howland Hill Road, through the redwoods with trailheads all along the way for hikes or walks of any distance.

Prairie Creek's nature trail and the Ladybird Johnson Grove are also great short loops of a mile or two, with printed guides keyed to sites along the way, Prairie Creek also has a herd of elk usually found hanging out in the meadow next to the nature trail.