Seeing the giant redwood and Sequoia trees is one of the best things to do in California for anyone who hasn’t witnessed these giants before. As a visitor, you’d go out of your way to see them, as you should because they are magnificent and California is one of the only places on earth you can see them.
Redwood trees are known for their towering height and centuries-old age. The entire State of California is blessed with a wide variety of Redwoods, such as coastal redwoods and giant sequoias.
» Check out 50 Fun Things to do in San Francisco.
If you’re worried it will require a long drive to see them, rest assured that you can visit a redwood grove just 12 miles north of San Francisco. In this article, we’ll list out the 8 best places to see redwoods near San Francisco so you don’t have to go far to see them.
Need a little more planning advice? Start with our 2-day San Francisco itinerary, then be sure to check out San Francisco’s best bakeries, and when you’re done exploring inside the city, here are some weekend getaway ideas.
About the Redwood Trees
Coastal redwoods (their species name is Sequoia sempervirens) are the tallest living things on Earth. They can grow up to 380 feet tall and up to 16 – 18 feet across. That’s massive, right?
You might be surprised then to hear that the Giant sequoias (called Sequoiadendron giganteum) are actually even more massive, growing to be almost 30 feet across. However these trees only grow up to 300 feet tall.
The sequoias only grow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near the eastern border of California, so you won’t be seeing those near San Francisco, unfortunately.
How to See the Redwood Trees
There are a few different ways that visitors can see and admire the Redwood trees.
- Hiking is the best way to see them. You don’t have to take a strenuous hike to get near these giants, though. You’ll see in our list below that there are plenty of options for easy hikes, so you don’t need to be an expert.
- Driving through the parks where Redwoods live is another great way to see them, if you can’t get out and walk around. There are guides on each area’s websites that will show you where to go to see them. You can also stop at the visitor center and ask for tips. In the Avenue of the Giants, you can even drive through a tree.
- In some areas, there are visitor activities, like the Redwood Forest Steam Train in Felton, and the famous Skunk Train in Fort Bragg and Willits.
» Find the perfect hiking clothes. I love these weather resistant, breathable shorts by Arcteryx (for women | for men) paired with a light performance shirt (for women | for men).
Best Places to See Redwoods Near San Francisco
1. Muir Woods National Monument
- Address: 1 Muir Woods Rd, Mill Valley, CA 94941
- Distance from San Francisco: 16.4 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 30 to 45 minutes
Kicking off the list with the best place to see redwoods near San Francisco, it’s Muir Woods, where you can enjoy a wide variety of redwoods without traveling far from the city.
In fact, depending on where you live in San Francisco, you can reach Muir Woods in less than 30 minutes, especially early in the morning when there is relatively less traffic.
The only drawback to being extremely close to the city is that the National Monument is quite popular and usually has tons of visitors flocking every day to enjoy the redwoods.
As a result, you’ll need to make a reservation before visiting through the National Park Service by clicking here.
This state park is home to some old-growth redwoods that have been standing for over 1,200 years. The maximum height of some of the trees there reaches a staggering 258 feet!
The park has a total area of around 554 acres. This means that there are plenty of trails that you can take if you want to view the redwoods, but the best ones are the Bohemian Grove Trail, the Muir Woods Trail, and Dipsea Trail, although the latter is better suited for advanced hikers.
You can reach the park either by a shuttle or by taking your vehicle. There’s a parking fee of $8.50 for shuttles and $5 per person.
Additionally, there’s an entrance fee of $15.00 for adults above 15 years old, but children below 15 years old are free of charge.
» Try this tour: Muir Woods Tour of California Coastal Redwoods (Entrance fee included)
2. Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Address: 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, CA 95006
- Distance from San Francisco: 67.9 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 1 hour and 30 minutes
Next up, we have one of the most iconic state parks in all of California, which happens to be quite close to San Francisco.
The Big Basin Redwood State Park was established back in 1902, making it the oldest state park in all of California. As a result, it houses some of the oldest and most iconic redwoods in the state.
In fact, some of the redwood trees in the park are anywhere between 1,000 to 2,500 years old with towering heights of more than 380 feet and as wide as 50 feet!
The park stretches over 18,000 acres with plenty of paths and trails to enjoy the ancient redwoods.
The park is also ideal for camping trips, hikes, and one-day picnics. The Redwood Loop Trail is one of the best options if redwoods are your main priority.
The easiest way to access the park is through a car, as there is no direct public transport that goes from San Francisco to the park. The parking fee is $6 per day for every vehicle in addition to a $2 reservation fee.
3. Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- Address: 8889 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Lagunitas, CA 94938
- Distance from San Francisco: 28.9 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 50 to 60 minutes
Samuel P. Taylor State Park is located a few miles down the road from Point Reyes National Seashore, and it’s one of the best spots to consider if you want an easy camping trip in the redwoods.
The park’s area is only 2,700 acres, but it’s ideal for camping among redwoods because it has over six campgrounds with a wide variety of campsites for RVs.
In addition to featuring some towering redwoods, the nearby campgrounds feature a wide variety of amenities to make your family camping trip quite pleasant.
For hikers, the best trail in the park is the Pioneer Tree Trail, which is nestled among redwoods and gives you a good view of the redwood grove in the park. The looping trail takes about an hour to complete.
There are also other trails to consider if you prefer solitude, such as Cross Marin Trail, but this one involves some elevation gain.
Luckily, the entrance to Samuel P. Taylor Park is free of charge. However, if you’re going with a vehicle, you’ll need to pay an $8 parking fee in addition to campsite daily fees, which average at around $35 a night.
4. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
- Address: 7867 Redwood Rd, Oakland, CA 94619
- Distance from San Francisco: 18.4 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 30 to 35 minutes
Another great spot to consider if you are planning a day trip to a redwood park near San Francisco is the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park.
This one stretches over a total area of 1,830 acres and features some of the most impressive second-growth redwoods in the region, including several 100 year old Sequoia sempervirens (coastal redwoods).
Similar to the previous park, this one is accessible using cars as well as public transport.
The benefit of taking public transport to the park is that there’s no entrance fee for all ages and you won’t have to pay the parking fee of $5 per vehicle + $4 for trailers.
5. Humboldt Redwoods State Park
- Address: 17119 Avenue of the Giants, Weott, CA 95571
- Distance from San Francisco: 221 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 4 hours
Humboldt Redwoods State Park might be the furthest location on the list from San Francisco. However, it’s extremely worth the trip if you’re looking for some prehistoric and massive redwoods!
After your scenic trip down the Avenue of the Giants, you’ll be greeted by some of the largest old-growth redwoods in the region.
In fact, Large redwoods cover 35% of the park, which stretches over 55,000 acres. This includes the Rockefeller Forest, which is the largest remaining old-growth forest of Sequoia sempervirens in the world.
6. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Preserve
- Address: 17000 Armstrong Woods Rd, Guerneville, CA 95446
- Distance from San Francisco: 75.2 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours
The Armstrong Natural Preserve is an excellent spot if you want to enjoy large stretches of coast redwoods without being too crowded with travelers and tourists.
The Natural preserve features a wide variety of trails that walks you through the 805 acres of massive redwoods.
Another advantage of the Armstrong Natural Preserve is that it’s free of charge for all ages as long as you walk in without a vehicle, and there are plenty of places to park your car outside.
However, if you want to support the Natural Preserve, you can park your car inside for only $10 per vehicle.
7. Roy’s Redwoods Preserve
- Address: Woodacre, CA 94973
- Distance from San Francisco: 26.6 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 45 to 60 minutes
This natural preserve is located between Point Reyes and San Rafael and stretches over an area of 293 acres only.
Despite being relatively small, it’s quite close to the city and you can reach it in less than 45 minutes in early mild traffic.
The small preserve features several trails that take you through different sceneries. Additionally, you’ll find plenty of berries, wildflowers, and ferns in the park, so it’s easy to predict how much variety you’re going to find in the park.
The park is also free of charge, which makes it ideal if you don’t want to spend big bucks to enjoy the beauty of redwoods!
8. Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve
- Address: Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
- Distance from San Francisco: 28.5 miles
- Estimated Drive Time: Around 35 to 50 minutes
The Purisima Creek Preserve is an aesthetically pleasing redwood preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountain region.
This means that you’re going to enjoy the landscape of redwoods along with Half Moon Bay as a backdrop.
Most of the trees in the Purisima Creek Preserve are new-growth redwoods that are around 100 years old, as the old woods were all chopped down in the past.
The Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve is one of the few locations in the state where you can enjoy the redwoods without paying any money, as both the entrance and parking require no fees!
Wrap Up
There you have it! A brief guide that walks you through 8 of the best spots to enjoy redwoods near San Fran.
As you can see, there are plenty of state parks and national landmarks where you can gaze upon different species of redwoods.
You should also keep in mind that every state park has its own regulations, so make sure that you check the parks’ rules while planning the trip!
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Laura is a travel fanatic who loves seeing and doing new things. She lives in Ventura, CA, and spends a lot of time exploring California’s cities, beaches, and national parks.