California's redwood forests run along a narrow fog belt from Big Sur to the Oregon border, and most visitors see a small portion of what is there. The experience of being in a coast redwood forest varies significantly depending on where you go, how long you stay, and what you are actually doing. This guide covers the most worthwhile activities across the range, from accessible walks in state parks to a guided ATV tour through a working conservation forest on the Mendocino Coast where the restoration work is still actively running.

Walking Old-Growth Forest

The most straightforward activity in any redwood forest is also the one most people underestimate. Walking slowly through old-growth canopy, without a destination or a pace goal, gives the forest time to do what the research says it does: lower stress hormones, slow the nervous system down, and shift attention from the effortful kind to the soft, restorative kind.

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Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Sonoma County is the most accessible old-growth grove in Northern California, under two hours from San Francisco. Hendy Woods State Park in the Navarro River valley is worth stopping at on any Mendocino Coast trip. Both have flat, easy trails that work for all ability levels.

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For visitors who want to walk through old-growth in a working conservation forest rather than a state park, the Usal Redwood Forest ATV tour includes stops at old-growth formations including the Candelabra Trees, where centuries of fire history are visible in the structure of the trees themselves.

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Taking a Guided ATV Tour

The guided ATV tour at Usal Redwood Forest is the most distinctive nature activity on the Mendocino Coast. The tour covers terrain across 50,000 acres of coast redwood that no public trail reaches: old-growth groves, active restoration zones along Usal Creek, the old homestead with its moss-covered cabin and rusted truck, and ridgeline views over the Pacific.

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The tour runs approximately 2.5 hours. Gear is provided and no prior ATV experience is needed. The guide works on the land year-round and can walk visitors through the restoration work happening in each section of the forest, what the stream data shows, where the coho fry were confirmed in April 2025, and what the Candelabra Tree formation tells us about how coast redwoods survive fire over centuries.

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A catered lunch is included. The departure point is the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, with transport to and from Usal provided.

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Driving the Avenue of the Giants

The Avenue of the Giants is a 31-mile scenic road that runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park alongside Highway 101. The road passes through some of the most intact remaining old-growth coast redwood forest in California, with pull-outs and short trails throughout.

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Founders Grove, accessible from the Avenue, contains the fallen Dyerville Giant, which gives visitors a sense of scale that standing trees alone do not convey. The full drive takes about an hour at a relaxed pace with stops.

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Watching Wildlife

Redwood forests support a range of wildlife that most visitors do not expect. Roosevelt elk are a consistent presence at Prairie Creek Redwoods, often visible from the meadows alongside the road. Coho salmon returns to Mendocino Coast rivers peak in winter, typically December through February, when adult fish move upstream to spawn.

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At Usal, the wildlife monitoring system has documented Northern Spotted Owl, black bear, mountain lion, river otter, and a range of bird species across the property. The ATV tour passes through habitat where multiple species have been recorded, and the guide can explain what the acoustic monitors and wildlife cameras have been picking up in recent months.

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Visiting During the Right Season

Redwood forests are worth visiting year-round, but the experience changes significantly by season. Summer brings reliable weather and long evenings, with fog typically sitting offshore rather than onshore during mornings. Spring is when the forest floor is greenest and the creeks are running full. Fall is quieter, with fewer visitors and noticeably cooler temperatures under the canopy. Winter is when the salmon are running and the storms that shaped this coastline are most visible from the headlands.