This redwood road once hauled wagons to Oregon’s mines, and it’s still too narrow for an RV
Forget the redwood views from Highway 101. The best drive in California’s redwood country is a narrow dirt road that was hauling wagons toward Oregon’s mines back in 1887, and it still won’t let an RV in.
Howland Hill Road cuts through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park just outside Crescent City. It’s slow, dusty and squeezed between trunks wider than your car, which is exactly why it’s so good.
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A road built for wagons, not windshields
According to the National Park Service, the road first opened in 1887 to link the harbor at Crescent City with mines in southern Oregon. Part of it ran as a stagecoach route, and a photo from around 1890 shows horse-drawn wagons rolling past the same giant trees you’ll drive by today.
Back then, roads through redwood country were often surfaced with split redwood planks called puncheon. Picture bouncing over those in a wagon, and a little gravel suddenly doesn’t sound so bad.
The forest around it got lucky, too. Conservationists Stephen Mather and Madison Grant flagged these groves as worth saving in 1919, and the last stands along the route were bought and donated to the State of California in 1949.
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What the drive is actually like
The Park Service calls it a 10-mile road and suggests allowing an hour to drive it. The first mile and a half is paved, then it turns to dirt and gravel for about 5.5 miles as it enters the state park.
That’s where it gets good. Ferns crowd the shoulders, the canopy closes overhead, and the trunks come so close to the road that you’ll catch yourself steering a little more carefully than you need to.
We took our VW bus, Lucy, down this road, and it’s still one of our favorite corners of the park. Yes, there’s a covered bridge, and yes, it feels almost too cute to be real.
One firm rule: the Park Service says RVs, trucks and anything towing a trailer are too wide for this road. Parking along it is limited to small pullouts, so go early if you want your pick of trailheads.
The grove that used to be a secret
Researchers Stephen Sillett and Michael Taylor recognized the Grove of Titans in 1998, and its location was kept quiet to protect it. Once word got out online, visitors carved social trails through the grove, trampling plants and damaging shallow roots.
The fix was a 1,300-foot elevated boardwalk, finished in 2022 as part of a realigned Mill Creek Trail. Now you can stand eye to eye with some of the largest redwoods known to exist without stepping on the roots that keep them alive.
The walk is easy: about 1.7 miles round trip with less than 200 feet of climbing. The trailhead sits roughly 3.5 miles up Howland Hill Road from Elk Valley Road, across from a restroom.
Our pick: the Boy Scout Tree Trail
If you only have legs for one real hike out here, make it this one. It runs a little over 5 miles round trip with somewhere around 800 to 950 feet of climbing, so it’s a moderate outing, not a stroll.
The payoff is the Boy Scout Tree, a giant double redwood said to look like the two-fingered scout salute, tucked down a short side path. Keep going and the trail ends at Fern Falls, a small cascade at the edge of the redwoods.
Short on time? Stout Grove is a 0.6-mile loop with barely any climbing, right off the road. Our Jedediah Smith Redwoods guide has more trails to stack onto the same day.
Why now is the time to go
The road is open year-round, but that loose surface doesn’t love heavy rain. The Park Service notes it often gets repaired after winter storms, and it can be partially closed for short stretches in spring.
That makes fall, before the winter storms settle in, a smart window: the summer crowds have thinned and you’re beating the season that’s hardest on the road. Check current conditions before you go, especially after a big rain.
Make a weekend of it with our list of things to do in Crescent City, or see how it all fits together in our Redwood National and State Parks guide.
So which are you doing first: the slow drive with the windows down, or lacing up for the Boy Scout Tree?
Trip tips: grab a rental car (a small one is your friend on this road), and lock in your hotel in Crescent City before the good rooms are gone.
Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.
