See the Big Trees of the Avenue of the Giants with Kids

The Avenue of the Giants is a 31-mile-long scenic drive in Northern California through acres of breathtaking redwood groves located along an old HWY that runs right next to HWY 101. Along the drive you pass by giant redwood trees, state and city parks, tourist traps, restaurants, and knickknack shops.

My husband and I planned a five-day trip for our family, which included one baby and one preschooler into the redwoods of Northern California along the Avenue of the Giants in the winter.

Here are the places you can’t miss when traveling to the Avenue of the Giants:

The lands that we traveled through are the stolen ancestral lands of many indigenous communities, such as the Pomo, Wiyot, Lolangkok, and the To-kub-be ke-ah Sinkyone people.

Before you go

It takes about three to four hours to drive from the East Bay Area to Humboldt County, where these destinations are located
The Avenue of the Giants is 31 miles long and lined with outdoor fun. Book your hotel or Airbnb in advance somewhere along the route
Research open days and hours for the places you want to visit. Most activities are in small towns with limited open hours

What we packed

Standard diaper bag essentials
Stroller and/or baby carrier
Cooler with snacks, lunch, and water
Pack layers. Even in the summer, redwoods provide ample shade and fog to keep the area cool in the early morning and evening hours

This map was created with Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Drive Thru Tree in Leggett

For $10 you can drive through the Chandelier Tree – a giant, 2400 year-old redwood tree, even with a giant Subaru Ascent!

Yes, we were nervous about the car fitting through the tree, and my preschooler was nervous because, well, driving through a tree is in fact a little weird. My 4 year old completely panicked while driving through the tree, asking us to “stop!” and insisting we “turn around!” I recognized her concerns, kept going through (because there is no turning around mid-tree), and walked through the tree tunnel later so she understood it was safe.

After the tree walk, we stopped by the little gift shop and picked up a few sasquatch postcards for the grandparents.

Checkout the grounds around the tree too. There are animal carvings and a giant sasquatch wooden statue just right of the tree.

Behind the gift shop is a little lake and a few picnic tables. We visited in December and the small lake was frozen. My husband had a blast throwing pieces of ice on the top of the lake and watching it scatter. Although our preschooler joined in on the fun, she was more interested in splashing her rain boots in the icy lake – to my horror, of course.

Hike and Picnic at the Richardson Grove State Park

Richardson Grove State Park is located in Garberville and has nine miles of mostly flat and easy trails.

Our family of four hiked the 2.4 mile Lookout Point Loop Trail which was paved, flat, and fenced – all great qualities of a kid-friendly hike. I brought little fairy dolls with us to play in the moss growing on the fence line and to read the history displayed on signs along the trail to keep the preschooler entertained.

Bring a picnic to enjoy on the shaded tables while your kids run around freely. While enjoying our picnic we were surprised to stumble upon a stage just south of the picnic area. I assumed it is usually used for ranger talks, but our preschooler decided to put on a show and sing Hamilton tunes for us. Work!

Search for the Ghost Tree (Albino Redwood)

Schedule time on your trip to search for the Ghost Tree (Albino Redwood) at the California Federation of Women’s Clubs Grove.

The small yet mighty California Federation of Women’s Clubs Grove is home to the area’s few albino redwoods, or redwood trees with white needles.

Check out the awesome stone fireplace, and picnic area, and don’t forget to search for the albino redwood near the entrance to the park.

Climb a Giant Redwood Stump in the Founders Grove

If you’re on a tight schedule while driving through the Avenue of the Giants, make sure to stop at the Founders Grove.

The Founders Grove is beautiful – a dense stretch of redwoods that has a picturesque and fun to climb on fallen tree (Dyerville Giant).

Go around the back to climb on top of the side of the tree to strut your stuff along the length of the giant redwood towards the giant roots. You can even enter the tree through a tunnel from the top of the roots to the ground. With some encouragement – and a willing parent to give it a try first – our preschooler made it through the tunnel! My knees may have gotten dirtier than I had planned, but, I couldn’t resist being that inspirational parent.

There is also a short half-mile interpretive trail to enjoy with the kids. We decided to picnic there and enjoy the sun shining through the treetops.

Visiting the redwoods of Northern California felt like returning home. Maybe it is because of my ancestral roots to the Pacific Northwest, but my heart just feels full when I’m under the canopy of redwoods. My kids even seemed happier on this trip – taking picnics in the redwood forest, climbing redwood trees, and pretending to be forest fairies.

Since my family and I traveled along the Avenue of the Giants in the winter, we did not notice many other travelers along the trails in the freezing cold with us. The California Federation of Women’s Clubs Grove was completely empty when we went to visit so we had the whole place to ourselves. My preschooler and I played hide and seek behind redwoods, hugged and tried to reach around them, and shouted to hear our echoes.

I was also impressed by the California State Park’s recognition of the Indigenous communities who have been on this land since time immemorial. I found information on the history of the land on every website and at every park. See the image below for an example of some interesting history of the Founders Grove.

Reading this history made for a richer experience when we visited the redwoods, and gave us a lot to think about as we wandered the beautiful trees searching for that albino redwood.

We spent 20 minutes walking through the whole grove in search of the Ghost Tree, not realizing the trail to the tree was located near the entrance to the park. No, it was not in the park near the parking lot or trailheads. No, I didn’t spend an hour wandering throughout the park trying to find this illusive albino tree. No, I didn’t carry not one, but two kids in the freezing cold while bickering with my husband about who did or did not read the directions right. Nope, that wasn’t me at all.

Have you gotten lost with your kids in tow? How did that go? Share in the comments below.

This post is part of a series of posts about visiting the Avenue of the Giants with kids. Continue the adventure with us here:

See the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse in Shelter Cove with your Kids

The Best Avenue of the Giants 5 Day Itinerary with Kids

Check us out on Pinterest!

Angel

see more posts by this author

Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.