5 Best Places to See Redwoods in the Bay Area

5 Parks to See Bay Area Redwoods

Family Fun: Huddart County Park

Woodside, CA

From picnic areas to shaded trails, this POST-protected park offers an array of opportunities to immerse yourself in the sights, scents, and stillness of our local redwood ecosystems. While hiking, you’ll wind beneath towering trees and experience the cooling effects of fern-covered slopes and nearby babbling creeks. Though much of this forest is second-growth, these resilient giants have rebounded beautifully after historic logging, providing lush habitat for woodpeckers, banana slugs, and countless other forest creatures. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Unlike most trees, coast redwoods can sprout new shoots from their stump or roots after being cut down or damaged. This incredible ability, called epicormic sprouting, is one reason they’ve been able to rebound in the wake of wildfire and other disasters. This sprouting is what forms redwoods’ famous fairy ring growth structure.  

Bringing a kid along? Check out the Tree Explorer’s Handbook.

 Living History: Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Los Gatos, CA

A word of advice to all history buffs: don’t skip the interpretive loop near the parking lot! You’ll learn about Indigenous stewardship, the area’s logging era, and the remarkable recovery of today’s forest. Located just a short drive from bustling San José, this POST-protected preserve includes a remarkable blend of towering coast redwoods and quiet creeks. Amid trees that regenerated after the 1800s timber boom, pockets of old-growth redwoods still stand as living reminders of the sentinels that once covered the Santa Cruz Mountains. (Pro tip: if Highway 17 is bumper to bumper with Santa Cruz beach traffic, this is a lovely stop to pass time in the dappled sunlight, out of the gridlock.)

DID YOU KNOW?

The ancestors of today’s coast redwoods have existed for at least 20 million years, making them one of California’s oldest living lineages. Once an “old growth” redwood forest is cut down, the regrowth is referred to as “second growth.”  Second growth forests are denser and darker than old growth counterparts.   

Fire Recovery Up Close: Butano State Park

Pescadero, CA

The towering redwoods of this preserve bear the marks of the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire, but they also tell a story of renewal. As ferns, wildflowers, and young trees return beneath scarred trunks, visitors can witness one of California’s most remarkable forests continuing its recovery. Tucked deep in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains, this park stays cool and green year-round thanks to coastal fog. Trails meander past sword ferns and redwood sorrel, across wooden bridges, and alongside seasonal streams. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Redwoods are surprisingly fire resilient; in fact, they’re one of the very few conifer (cone-bearing) species able to bounce back after experiencing a fire. Thick, tannin-rich bark helps protect mature trees from many  blazes. Fire has been a natural part of these forests for thousands of years and can even help create the conditions young redwoods need to grow.

Epic Seaside Views: Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Half Moon Bay, CA

If you’re searching for one of the most immersive redwood preserves on the Peninsula, this one is hard to beat. Here, trails follow burbling creeks through cool, fern-filled canyons. You’ll pass second-growth coast redwoods before climbing to sunny ridgelines with sweeping views of the Pacific. The contrast between dark, misty forest and open coastal vistas makes every mile feel different. Meanwhile, moss-covered logs, huckleberry shrubs, and the occasional banana slug offer signs that the landscape is teeming with life.

DID YOU KNOW?

Coast redwoods are the tallest trees in the world, reaching heights of more than 375 feet. That’s as towering as a 36-story building.

While the biggest redwoods are farther north, the Santa Cruz Mountains are home to some truly impressive giants.

Feel Far from the City: The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

Aptos, CA

Explore one of the largest expanses of redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with more than 10,000 acres of protected wilderness to explore. Once heavily logged, the forest has made an incredible recovery, and today dense groves of second-growth redwoods line Aptos Creek alongside a stand of ancient old-growth trees. Wide, shaded trails invite hikers to wander through cathedral-like groves with an atmosphere that’s both peaceful and awe-inspiring. It’s a place where the story of the redwoods is visible with every step.

DID YOU KNOW?

Less than 5% of California’s original old-growth coast redwood forest still exists today, making every remaining ancient grove especially valuable.  Most of these old growth patches were spared from historic logging efforts because they were simply too difficult to access to pull out lumber. 

Many redwood trails utilize the footprints of the historic logging roads, which is why the trails in this list all are amongst lush second growth redwood forests.  While old growth redwoods in our region tend to support 26-90 redwoods in every acre of forest, second growth redwood forests can pack in up to 970 trees per acre, all competing for space and nutrients.

SO MUCH WONDER IS WAITING

Every local redwood forest has its own personality, but they all share one remarkable story. We hope these parks inspire you to slow down, look up, and discover the wonder of California’s iconic coast redwoods.