Redwood in One Day

Head south on U.S. 101. About a mile south of Klamath, detour onto the 8-mi-long, partially paved Coastal Drive (trailers and RVs not allowed), which loops north before reaching the ocean. Along the way, you'll pass the old Douglas Memorial Bridge, destroyed in the 1964 flood. Coastal Drive turns south above Flint Ridge. In less than a mile you'll reach the World War II Radar Station, which looks like a farmhouse, its disguise in the 1940s. Continue south to the intersection with Alder Camp Road, stopping at the High Bluff Overlook.

From the Coastal Drive turn left to reconnect with U.S. 101, or turn right onto Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, a 10-mi drive through an old-growth redwood forest with access to numerous trailheads. (This road is open to all noncommercial vehicles). Along the way, stop at Prairie Creek Visitor Center, housed in a small redwood lodge crafted in 1933. Enjoy a picnic lunch and an engaging tactile walk in a grove behind the lodge on the Revelation Trail, which was designed for people with diminished sight. Head north less than a mile and drive out unpaved Cal-Barrel Road (trailers and RVs not allowed), which leads east from the parkway through redwood forests. Return to the parkway, continue south about 2 mi to reconnect with U.S. 101, and turn west on Davison Road. It's partially unpaved; RVs longer than 24 feet and all trailers are prohibited. In about 30 minutes you'll reach Gold Bluffs Beach. Turn right and drive north, crossing a narrow creek a number of times, to the terminus at Fern Canyon.

Return to U.S. 101, and drive south to the turnoff for the Kuchel Information Center. Pick up free permits to visit the Tall Trees Grove, and then head north on U.S. 101 to the turnoff for Bald Hills Road, a steep route that doesn't allow trailers or RVs (park them at the trailhead or the information center). If you visit the grove, allow about four hours round-trip from the information center. You could also bypass the turnoff to the grove and continue south on Bald Hills Road to 3,097-foot Schoolhouse Peak. For a simpler jaunt, turn onto Bald Hills Road and follow it for 2 mi to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Loop Trail. Take the footbridge to the easy 1-mi loop, which follows an old logging road through a mature redwood forest.