How I traveled through the Redwoods with my dog
If you’ve haven’t noticed by now, my Trusty Pup Ruby has been joining me on my epic road trip adventure through the Pacific Northwest. Read on to see how we found ways for my dog to join us on dog-friendly hikes in Redwood National and State Parks, and the beachfront house where we stayed where dogs could run on the beach.
Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Is Redwoods the most dog-friendly park? I compiled a guide to my top-ten dog-friendly National Parks in the US. Find out my other favorite dog-friendly parks.
Trip Leg: Oregon Caves > Eureka, California
Since I don’t have a solid dogsitter in Seattle anymore, roadtripping without her for two weeks was really not an option. Bringing her along did not make the trip any easier, although I was surprised at how many dog-friendly activities we were able to find. We had particular luck with dog-friendly hikes in Redwood National and State Parks, surprisingly enough.
In Washington, where we live, state parks and trails are almost always allow dogs. However, in California, the state parks we were visiting did not allow dogs at all. Most National Parks allow dogs wherever cars can go (paved roads, parking lots, picnic areas, etc), and Redwood National and State Parks followed the same rules.
After we left Oregon Caves and Cave Junction, we headed south for an hour on the aptly named Redwood Highway towards Crescent City, California. The temperature gauge began to creep up as we drove south, and soon it was sunny and hot enough to change into tank tops and shorts. This weather would not stick around, so we should have spent more time near CC instead of eventually continuing south.
Our first stop was at the Hiouchi Visitor Center to get a parks passport stamp and a map. Their information station was set up as a one-way loop through the small visitor center and gift shop We took turns walking the dog outside while the other got her stamp and chatted with the rangers. The rangers at Hiouchi were SO helpful – not only did they insist on peeking out the door to say hi to Ruby, they had a xeroxed list (below) of dog-friendly hikes and walks throughout the entire Redwood area. No matter the park, I recommend taking the time to ask questions and talk to the rangers to hear their stories, especially here at Hiouchi.
Dog-Friendly Hikes in Redwood National and State Parks
Walker Road Trail
The first walk/hike they recommended was Walker Road, a short ten minutes drive back near Smith River. Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park is the northern most part of the Redwood State and National Parks complex, and has some of the oldest growth trees in the parks. Walker Road Trail is a 1.5-mile out and back walk (three miles total) on a paved/dirt road that leads down to the Smith River. There is plenty of parking “by the pedestrian crossing sign,” as the ranger told us. You can pull off US-199 when you see the pedestrian sign, or if you turn right onto Walker Road there is additional parking. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park charges a parking use fee, but if you have an America the Beautiful Pass you can use that to park for free in any of the Redwoods state parks.
We enjoyed our peaceful walk down Walker Road Trail, stopping every five feet to take pictures of another large tree. There was some traffic on the trail, because there are small grove trails all along the main trail. Simpson-Reed Trail is also off the main trail, which makes a good small addition. This was our first hike/walk through the Redwoods, and it was a good way to kick off this part of our trip with Ruby.
Headwater Forest Reserve – Elk River Corridor Trail
Another dog-friendly trail we found was near where we were staying in Eureka. Elk River Corridor Trail is a 11 mile hike in pristine old-growth and new growth forest. I found this trail online on AllTrails, and admit I was a little sketched out by the description online, believing we would show up at a non-descript trailhead, with maybe a beat up RV sharing the lot (which is what happened to Ruby and I in Leavenworth). I was ready to pack it in and leave if it was anywhere near sketchy. Fear not, I should not have worried – this was a very large, free parking lot leading to a well-maintained trail.
The first mile of the trail is an old logging road, paved and ADA accessible. We saw a number of families with strollers and kiddie bikes walking along. The trail runs through an old paper mill area, and features some interpretive signs and activities for kids. After the paved section ends, the trail leaves the old growth section and continues two more miles through open, newer forest and prairie. The trail continues for another three miles, winding up to the peak of the reserve. We turned around after around two miles, and didn’t make it to the windy part. Dogs are allowed OFF leash on the trail, although I would keep an eye on them given the number of kiddos on the first section of the trail.
Dog-Friendly Beaches
Surprisingly, the beaches all along the Redwood coast are dog-friendly! Moonstone, Clam Beach, Luffenholtz, Mad River and Samoa Dunes allow off-leash dogs to run and play. Gold Bluffs and Crescent Beach are very popular beaches for dogs, and leashed dogs are allowed. We stayed at King Salmon in Eureka, and Ruby loved running the beach across the street from our house. The map below shows the dozens of beaches that are dog-friendly. Keep in mind that seals or sea lions may be present on beaches, and elk are known to frequent some as well!
Other Dog-Friendly Hike/Walks:
The kind rangers at Hiouchi gave us this printout of suggested BARK! Ranger Walks, or walks that are dog-friendly within the Redwood National and State Parks system. I’ve transcribed the list, and added a few others I found on teh interwebs as well. The list goes roughly north-south along the California coast.
- Myrtle Creek Trail, Smith River NRA: Trailhead: ~1 mile east of Hiouchi, Calif. near junction of U.S. 199 and South Fork Road.
- Craig’s Creek Trail, Smith River NRA: Trailhead: ~1/2 mile south of U.S. 199 on South Fork Road, before 2nd bridge and junction with Douglas Park Road/Howland Hill Road.
- Jedediah Smith Campground and Day Use Area: 10 miles east of Crescent City, Calif. on U.S. 199. (The first three are near Walker Road Trail).
- Howland Hill Road: 10 miles, one way from Crescent City, CAlif. to junction with U.S. 199.
- Crescent Beach Day Use Area: ~3 miles south of Crescent City on U.S. 101, exit Enderts Beach Road and continue 3/4 mile south to day use and picnic area.
- Wilson Creek Day Use Area: ~14.5 miles south of Crescent City on U.S. 101.
- Alder Camp Road: 1 mile south of Klamath on U.S. 101, exit Klamath Beach Road/Coastal Drive and continue ~1/2 mile to Alder Camp Road
- Elk Prairie Campground and Day Use Area, Elk Prairie SP: 6 miles north of Orick on U.S. 101, exit Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway and continue 1 mile to turn-off for visitor center. Follow signs to campground and day use area. Watch out for elk! (and mountain lions)
- Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, Prairie Creek SP: on First Saturdays October-May, road is closed to vehicles. That means leashed pets are welcome (and bicyclists, etc)
- Gold Bluffs Beach and Campground: 2.5 miles north of Orick on U.S. 101, exit Davison Road and continue on a bumpy road for 5.5 miles to beach and campground. Fern Canyon is just a bit further up, but does not allow dogs. There is great dog-friendly camping here too.
- Redwood Creek picnic area and Freshwater Lagoon Spit: Pic-a-nic area is 2 miles south of Orick, Calif. on U.S. 101, continue ~1 mile south to roadside parking on spit.
- Sequoia Park, Eureka: by the zoo. Features walking trails through old-growth forests.
Dog-Friendly places to stay:
I wish I had a great suggestion of a place to stay near the Redwoods. We stayed in Eureka, Calif. (I’m sure I’ll talk more about that in a future post), and while our accommodation was great for the dog, it was far from the places in the redwoods we wanted to hike. An asterisk* indicates an affiliate link.
- Driftwood Cottage VRBO, King Salmon/Eureka, $149/nt* – This is where we stayed; the private yard was perfect with kitties nearby and a dog-friendly beach across the street.
- The Most Perfect Farmouse VRBO, Orick near Prairie Creek, $200/nt* – Every time Julia and I drove past this house I said I was going to buy it. I had no idea until now it was a rental! Opportunity missed.
- Rothbar Puppy Park VRBO, Crescent City, $125/nt* – this was my #1 choice to stay but it booked before I could book it. It has a mini-dog park attached!
- Redwood Beach Retreat with Hot Tub, Trinidad, $275/nt* – This 3BR 2BA house with hottub is walking distance to the beach.
- Beachcomber’s Cabin VRBO, Trinidad, $240nt* – Right on the beach and has a hottub! **EDIT** This isn’t showing up on VRBO right now but I’ll leave the link in case it returns.
- The Redwood Riverwalk Hotel, Fortuna – this is an independent hotel with a kitschy feel that is very dog-friendly with reasonable rates.
- Visit Redwoods Dot Com Pet-friendly lodging
Park travel tips that will be helpful:
- NPS Redwood State and National Parks Dog-friendly hikes
- Redwood Hikes Guide – the best collection of hike details I could find. Has maps!
- Save the Redwoods League 29 Awesome Dog Friendly Trails is sure to clickbait you into clicking
- NorCal Dog Trails Blog for Redwoods
- Travels with Ted Dog Friendly Redwoods
Check out the trial run trip I took Ruby on here. Want to read more about my roadtrip ? all of my Epic PNW Parks 2K1 Road Trip (still workshopping a name) posts are here.
