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 Howland Hill Road in the redwood forest, Crescent City, California |
| Return to Redwood Coast | |
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Howland Hill Road in the redwood forest, Crescent City, California |
| Return to Redwood Coast | |
Redwood Forest Loop Drive, California
Howland Hill Road is generally well graded but potholes may form around wet areas. Drive slowly and maneuver around obstacles. NOTE: Howland Hill Road is usually closed for about a week in the spring when crews grade and repair the road for the summer. Check ahead at the Del Norte County Chamber or Redwood National Park visitor centers for the latest information on Howland Hill Road.
1) Mill Creek Trail
Directions From Highway 101 heading south out of Crescent City: Turn left on Elk Valley road. Drive about one mile and turn right on Howland Hill road. Drive about another mile past the casino to the entrance into Redwood State and National Park. The road narrows and curves uphill for a mile. Be cautious for on-coming traffic. About half way up the hill, the road turns to gravel. At the top of the hill, you will pass through a white gate. Set you odometer to zero at the gate and start following the road guide below:
0.7 Plaque on left: The redwood forest that was preserved for you to enjoy today was purchased by many donors who each bought a small part of the forest and donated it to the State of California. The plaques tell you who bought each grove and to whose name the grove was dedicated. 1.5 Hollow tree on left: Stop and take a look inside. Look up and you will see why they call it a "chimney tree". 1.7 Nickerson-Mill Creek Loop Trail on right: The trail goes down to the right and crosses a bridge. This makes a nice short hike if you walk out a short distance and return by the same route. 1.9 Boy Scout Tree Trail on left: This is the best place to park if you are going to hike the Nickerson Ranch - Mill Creek Loop Trail. The Boy Scout Tree trail goes through redwood trees in the first part then climbs into a hemlock forest in the second half. 2.2 Mill Creek trailhead on right: This is where you
will come out if you take the Nickerson Ranch - Mill Creek Loop Trail. The
trail follows Mill Creek for about a mile and is a great opportunity for
travelers who want to get
2.7 Mill Creek Trail on the left is the more popular section of the Mill Creek Trail and takes you for three miles through the redwood forest and along Mill Creek to the Smith River. During the summer, a temporary foot bridge makes it possible to cross Mill Creek to the Stout Grove. On the other side of the road from the Mill Creek trailhead is a section of the 1887 Gasquet Toll Road that goes down to where it crossed Mill Creek. 2.9 Mill Creek bridge and stump: The large stump above the road gives you a different perspective of size of these old growth redwood trees. After crossing the bridge, look on the right for where the 1887 Gasquet Toll Road climbs back up from the Mill Creek crossing. 4.1 Stout Grove on left: Drive about 500 feet to the trailhead and restroom. The paved walkway to the grove is steep but the grove is level.
4.9 Little Bald Prairie Trail begins at the end of the road on right. Also on the other side of the road is a trail that follows the river to Stout Grove. 5.2 Boundary of state park. Entering the small community of Douglas Park. Please drive slow. About a quarter a mile past the last house you will pass through a covered bridge at Sheep Creek. This was built in 1976 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the nation. 6.4
Intersection with South Fork Road. TURN LEFT over the bridge. 7.0 Highway 199 TURN LEFT 7.1 The Myrtle Creek Botanical Trail is located immediately after crossing the Myrtle Creek Bridge. Parking for the trail is in the large turnout on the left. You will need to cross the road to get to the trailhead. Traffic moves fast through this section of highway. Cross with extra caution. 7.9 Highway 199 exits Smith River National Recreation Area 8.6 Hiouchi Store 8.9 Highway 199 enters Redwood National and State Parks 9.2 Redwood National Park Visitor Center (right). The Visitor Center on the right is not always open but the restrooms usually are. There is a nice picnic area here as well as interpretive signs and samples of the three “redwoods” in the world; coast redwood, giant sequoia (Sierra Mountain redwood) and Dawn Redwood (actually a cypress) a tree that was believed to be extinct until rediscovered in China in 1942. 9.3 Jedediah Smith Campground on the left has a day use area with picnic tables in a redwood forest overlooking the river. The picture above shows the popular swimming area located here. A fee is charged to use the day use area. During the summer, you can hike from the day use area to a foot bridge over the Smith River to the Mill Creek Trail and Stout Grove Loop Trail, a world class redwood forest experience. You can also hike to the Jedediah Smith Campground visitor center that has displays, gifts, books and maps. 9.9 Intersection Highway 197– GO LEFT over bridge to continue the tour. 10.1 End of Smith River Bridge: Parking for the Hiouchi Trail is immediately on the left after crossing the bridge. The Hiouchi Trail follows the Smith River to where it intersects with the Mill Creek Trail near Stout Grove. 11.4 Simpson-Reed Loop Trail and Hatton Loop: The large turnout on the right just before Walker Road marks the trailhead to the Simpson-Reed Loop Trail, a wheelchair accessible trail through an old growth redwood forest. The Peterson Loop Trail (picture below) is another foot path that loops off of the Simpson-Reed Trail. The trailhead for the Hatton Loop Trail, a short route that climbs into the redwood forest above the road, is on the left across from the Simpson-Reed Trail. Another trail on this side of Highway 199 goes toward the Smith River where it intersects with the Hiouchi Trail.
13.7 The Organ Donor Grove: At the intersection with King Valley Road, turn left on Parkway Drive and then immediately left again into the large turnout. The Organ Donor Grove is a very dramatic stand of redwoods with a fern covered forest floor. From here it is easier to follow Parkway Drive back to Crescent City. End of tour. To return to Crescent City, continue straight ahead on Highway 199. The road goes over Highway 101 and automatically merges you into south bound traffic. It is about three miles from the end of Highway 199 to Crescent City.
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0.0 White Gate: You are now entering Jedediah Smith
State Park.
out and look around but do not want to take a long
hike.
4.2 The stumps seen on both sides of the
road for the next half mile are redwood trees cut down in the 1880s during
the construction of the Gasquet Toll Road, a stagecoach and freight wagon
route between Crescent City and southern Oregon. The wood was used to make
planks (also called puncheons) that were set on ground as a type of
"pavement" to prevent wagons from sinking into the mud during wet weather. 
11.5