Sacramento to Redwood National Park Road Trip Guide
Introduction
Sacramento, CA is the capital and sixth largest city of California, and all of California's major public colleges have campuses here. These factors lead Sacramento to have a vibrant cultural and entertainment scene. Some great places to go on a date night here include the Sacramento Comedy Spot, the Crocker Art Museum, and shopping or dining in Old Sacramento.
For a great dining experience try The Waterboy, The Firehouse, or Grange Restaurant and Bar. These all provide different yet outstanding dining experiences.
Sherwood Harbor Marina & RV Park is located on the southwestern side of the city and offers a great safe place to stay that is convenient to the downtown areas of Sacramento.
The trip to Redwood National Park is pretty easy. Take I-80 west to CA-37 west to CA-116 north. CA-116 connects to US-101 in Petaluma. Take US-101 north all the way to the park. There are shorter ways to get there but this route brings you by Napa and Sonoma. It is also the flattest, easiest route to take.
Point of Interest
Hopland, CA
When most people think of a quaint small town in Northern California wine country, Hopland is the vision they see. This is a small town of about 900 people. US-101 runs right through town and along the highway, and a vibrant array of small shops, winery tasting rooms, and outstanding restaurants have popped up.
Stop and see what you can find in the Country Porch Antiques shop, sample wines at Graziano Family of Wines Tasting Room, Mc Nab Ridge Winery Tasting Room, Brutocao Cellars Hopland Tasting Room, or Cesar Toxqui Cellars. After wine tasting, grab some great food at the highly-rated Bluebird, the Golden Pig, or RockSeas. All of these shops are right along US-101 so park the car or RV and wander around and enjoy this neat town.
Historic Railroad Square
Railroad Square is a historic district with shopping, food, and drink in downtown Santa Rosa. The buildings in the area have been meticulously maintained to preserve the area's early 1900s period styling. Here you'll find restaurants, wineries and “antique row” where you can hunt for some old school treasures. You can catch a live play at the Sixth Street Playhouse, or see local art on display at Gallery 105. Finally, the West End Farmers Market is a great place to stroll and pick up everything from locally grown food products for the rest of your trip to quality local craft items as souvenirs of your visit.
Sonoma
Like Napa to the east, Sonoma is the heart of the wine valley area that bears its name. The Sonoma region is more laid back then the Napa region. The wineries here tend to be smaller, family-operated concerns that produce a greater variety of wines then will be found in the Napa Valley. The smaller wineries and more laid back atmosphere generally translate to Sonoma being less expensive to visit.
The best placed RV campground in the area is Sugarloaf Ridge State Park which is about 25 minutes north of town off CA-12. This is also only 26 minutes from the next POI, Historic Railroad Square in Santa Rosa.
Napa
Napa, CA is the heart of the Napa Valley wine area. The city itself has a wonderful downtown area situated on the Napa river with many quaint shops, restaurants, and wineries. The surrounding valley is one of the premier winemaking regions of the world. It is home to many wineries which offer a wide variety of wines which you can sample and take home with you. There are too many great options to list here; it is better to just go out and explore.
The best place to stay is the Napa Valley Expo RV Park which is right in town. For a quieter experience you can try the Skyline Wilderness Park.
RV Rentals in Redwood National Park, CA
Summary
Redwood National Park is a little different than most of the other National Parks in the US. First, it is divided into two zones. The southern area is located just south of Klamath, CA. The northern zone is located just east of Crescent City, CA. Also, the National Park is associated with the State Parks in the area. Paid admission to either park system is honored by the other park system for their fee-based areas.
In the southern region, there are three must-sees. First is the Tall Trees Grove hike. This is a permit-only hike. Permits are provided on a first come first serve basis at the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Permits go quickly so be sure to get there early. Once you have your permit, you drive to the entrance gate and use the code to open it. You then drive down a dirt road seven miles to the parking area. The trailhead is at the left end of the parking lot as you enter. The trail is an out and back with a loop through the grove at the end. It's a four-mile round trip with a 1,600-foot elevation change. Overall it's a moderately strenuous hike, but well worth it.
Next is Fern Canyon. This is actually located in a fee area of the State Park. If you have an Interagency National Park Pass you're covered; otherwise, you'll need to pay the modest fee. The drive back to the area is quite an event. You take Davison Road off of US-101. You'll be greeted with a warning regarding large vehicles and trailers. Heed the warning. The road is very narrow and twisty as it meanders through the forest. Drive slow and expect the possibility of having to pull over or back up to let oncoming traffic through.
Eventually, you'll get to the beach area where the road gets much easier to pass. At the end of the road is a parking area with the trailhead to Fern Canyon. The Canyon trail is a loop, half of it is right up the creek through the base of the canyon. Here, you're surrounded by 60-foot rock cliffs covered in lush green ferns. It's quite a sight to see. The trail then heads to the rim of the canyon for the hike back. Your feet will get wet so make sure you wear appropriate shoes.
The third thing is the Newton B Drury Redwood Scenic Parkway. This is a bypass route which runs to the west of US-101. It connects to US 101 just north of Davison Road on the south end and just south of Klamath on the north end. If you don't want to get out and hike, this road offers great views of huge trees as it cuts straight through state park land. There are also several trailheads along the way if you do want to park and get out to walk among the giants.
CA-199 runs through the north section of the park out of Crescent City. This a beautiful drive and there are several great hikes here. Stop by the Hiouchi Visitor area for more information.
The best place to stay is in Klamath, CA. It's close to the South Unit, not too far from the North Unit and there are several RV parks there to choose from including Chinook RV Resort, Klamath Camper Coral, and Klamath River RV Park. All of them are highly rated and well run. Groceries are limited to a local store, so stock up before you get there. There is a casino in town too, which can make a good date night out.
