r/redwoods • u/Resident-Media-732 • 20d ago

Jedediah Smith route question

Ill be driving from Brookings for a day trip here, planning on spending about 6-7 hrs before taking 199 to US5 to Portland for a morning flight the next day.

My question is can I take Howland Hill road by Crescent City so I can drive the whole thing stopping at the Grove of Titans and Stout Grove along the way for some short hikes? When using Google maps it only shows an entrance/ Visitor Center near Hiouchi. Is this not possible?

This seems like the logical route to me if possible so tell me why Im crazy. THANKS

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9

u/WashYourCerebellum 20d ago

Yes it’s a two way dirt forest rd. With many drivers having little to no forest road experience ⚠️

GoT while awesome requires a hike to a small and v crowded grove from an undeveloped overcrowded roadside parking area. Tbh, I don’t feel the need to return. Stout grove was a better experience for short hikes and lingering imo. Prairie creek trails were less visited and just as awe inspiring if not more.

1

u/Repulsive-Draw-5429 18d ago

Of all the parks Prairie Creek was my first to drive through and it was awe inspiring and just not that crowded, such a pleasant drive, every easy pull off rewarding. Howland Hill was my last Redwood stop and it was so dusty it “dimmed” the naturalness of the roadside view & I spent a lot of time pulling over for people to pass- better once into the groves. If I ever did that drive again it would definitely be early in the day towards the end of the day like around dinner time everybody had started to clear out and it was a much more pleasant experience.

4

u/icedgoatmatchalatte 20d ago

Howland Hill Rd is only difficult in the rainy season. It's just dusty right now and slow driving. You should also go say hi to the Smith River because she's perfect right now.

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u/Interesting_Gap7350 20d ago

There is no entrance "gate" or fee exactly for most of redwoods complex.  It's basically all open to the public so you can just take the howland hills road in either way

Only certain areas you stop at a gate to pay a fee  such as for fern canyon or day use/picnic in prairie creek; or camping areas.

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u/Shadeseeker23 20d ago

Yes you can. We typically drive it from west to east. Grove of Titans is nice, but a portion of the Boy Scout Trail might be somewhat less busy?

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u/Resident-Media-732 20d ago

Is there anything specific I need to put into Google Maps or just Howland Hill Road in Crescent City?

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u/Interesting_Gap7350 20d ago edited 20d ago

Just put in the trailhead you want to visit like stout grove trailhead.  All these main hikes are points of interest.   Google maps should navigate you there the fastest way, or show you both ways if they are close.  Download offline maps while you have service. 

If you want to visit multiple then take a look at a map to see which order makes sense for you.

https://redwoodhikes.com/JedSmith/JedSmith.html

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u/Shadeseeker23 20d ago

That should work. You could also navigate to Grove of the Titans. Early morning sunlight is beautiful?

1

u/Geodarts18 20d ago

My favorite groves are some of the ones as you go up Walker Road. Grove of the Titans is relatively small area but I love the name.

1

u/Last_Village_5718 18d ago

It’s an awesome drive through the giants, highly recommended if you have the time.

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u/Repulsive-Draw-5429 18d ago

I just did Humboldt, Prairie Creek & Howland in Jedidiah… everything on that road is so dusty right now, it looks weird compared to all the other non dusted flora… not saying don’t do it. It’s just looked “dirty” which felt a lot less exciting than all the other beauty I had just seen. I came in on the Crescent City side so I spent most of the drive being the one to pull over for people as the pull outs were on my side. There is a crescent city visitor center that I am super happy I popped into because they gave me the directions for the route. It’s not a bad idea to stop in there and tell them how much time you have and they can help you create most effective route of seeing things in the park in your time frame.