Many of the tallest trees in the world are in a grove that few tourists see, in Redwood Creek’s remote canyon. Only 50 permits a day are issued to drive a gravel road to the grove’s closest trailhead, and the day hike from there is still not entirely easy. Backpackers can take a route that’s all downhill, but much longer.

Consider starting with an easier, more accessible loop through the nearby Lady Bird Johnson Grove, where the trees seem just as huge. Pets are banned.

Researchers in 1963 discovered the world’s tallest trees along Redwood Creek in an area scheduled for logging.  Worldwide outrage and the support of President Johnson’s wife Lady Bird led to the creation of Redwood National Park.  President Nixon dedicated a ridgetop grove to the former first lady in 1969.

To find Lady Bird’s grove . . .

The redwoods in the Tall Trees Grove really are taller.  A 367.8-foot redwood there carried the title of world’s tallest tree until its top broke in a 1989 storm.

To drive to the Tall Trees Trailhead . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes : Oregon Coast