Drive Bald Hills Road in Redwood National and State Parks

Driving the Bald Hills Road was a totally unexpected treat when I visited Redwood National and State Parks. We only had a day to spend there on a week long California road trip but I was so glad that we made the decision to drive the road while visiting.

While I came expecting, and was glad to experience, huge redwood groves and ocean views, the non stop vistas on Bald Hills Road were an added bonus to our day at Redwood. 

The road starts out winding its way through redwood groves steeply uphill. It passes the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, a very popular grove that features a 1.5 mile hike through a beautiful redwood forest. (We did the hike through the grove on our way back down the road.)

The road then continues to the Redwood Creek Overlook, a fine view looking down on the Redwood Creek drainage and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. There are picnic tables and interpretive signs here.

Many people seem to turn back after the vista, but there are plenty more views further down the road! After the road levels off, there are almost continuous prairie views to the west. Seasonal wildflowers are numerous. Roosevelt elk can often be seen in the prairies. The paved road ends and becomes gravel, but the road was in good condition and we had no trouble driving a sedan.

We turned around at the Schoolhouse Peak Firetower, about 18 miles from Highway 101, just past the Lyons Ranch Trailhead. 

Bald Hills Road leads to multiple trailheads as well. The Tall Trees Access Road leads to some of the tallest redwoods in the world in the Tall Trees Grove and also the Emerald Ridge - Redwood Creek Loop. There also the Dolason and Lyons Ranches, both reachable via short hikes.