California
Hiking the Redwoods in Northern California
Program No. 21404RJ
Immerse yourself in the grandeur of Northern California as you hike beneath redwoods with local naturalists, learning about these centuries-old trees and their coastal ecosystems.
Participant Reviews
Based on 48 Reviews
SHOWING
Having been to Yosemite and walking the trails at Mariposa, I was surprised at how magical and magnificent it was to experience the coastal redwoods. I highly recommend this program.
— Review left October 27, 2025
Two days of this tour are devoted to ancient growth Redwoods and hiking through them. Due to 26 people on a trail, the pace can vary and accommodate however fast or slower you may want to go. It was a spiritual experience and I highly recommend it to tree lovers.
— Review left October 12, 2025
Our leader Liisa and expert Ken, the caterer and restaurants, our drivers Clem and Jay, and many other local experts worked well together to make this trip extra special. Our group was especially cohesive. I was moved to tears by the magnificence of the forests. We stayed busy and were well fed to say the least. It was warmer than usual for us, but we did experience one day of typical weather. Come prepared to layer-up! The temps aren't terribly low but the damp fog and ocean breezes combine to make it feel quite cold.
— Review left October 6, 2025
A fabulous trip seeing the magnificent Coastal Redwoods, the majesty of the Pacific ocean and the thrill of walking among the trees, on the ground and 100 ft in the air. Pushed me to explore and enjoy time in nature.
— Review left September 30, 2025
This program met my desire to hike and immerse myself in the magic of the Northern California Coastal Redwoods. My trip was enhanced by shared experiences with the other participants. Road Scholar seems to attract participants who are actively interested in their trips due to their excellent guides and interpreters. It also met my desire for a challenging hike along with the learning and observations.
— Review left June 26, 2025
How to sum up a trip to the redwoods? Awe-inspiring is one way. Just seeing them is enough, but in this case we were privileged to have an expert local guide plus a second local guide who was shadowing him and was a bird expert plus our wonderful tour leader. It was a great trip -- I highly recommend!
— Review left June 15, 2025
Highly recommend this program for anyone who loves nature and hiking. As far as the activity level, I am an "average" hiker and I did not have a problem keeping up on the hikes.
— Review left June 14, 2025
This was an excellent experience of walking among the truly awesome redwoods while learning their history and their stories.
— Review left May 31, 2025
Hiking the Redwoods in Northern California
If you go, it's chilly up there! Tons of fun, and spectacular scenery.
— Review left May 24, 2025
I learned so many fascinating facts about the redwoods & the California coast!
— Review left October 14, 2024
"Hiking the Redwoods" is a wonderful way to learn about the Coastal Redwoods. The hikes are not strenuous, but they are in a beautiful, scenic area. Hiking with a naturalist increased my enjoyment a great deal, turning the hikes into something more than just "walks in the woods." I also enjoyed walking around Old Town Eureka, visiting Trinidad Beach, and seeing nearby Ferndale.
— Review left October 9, 2024
Great program.
— Review left October 5, 2024
If you love hiking in a beautiful forest, this is the program for you.
— Review left October 4, 2024
This journey surpassed my expectations. I've gained more knowledge than I ever imagined. A fantastic group of fellow travelers, drivers, and instructors made this vacation truly unforgettable.
— Review left September 28, 2024
Wonderful being in the ancient woods. Learned a lot with excellent guides and pleasant guests. Would have liked time to meditate in the woods.
— Review left August 4, 2024
Such a great trip! Fell in love with the redwoods, ferns and northern coast of California. Learning as we were in it brought my experience to a whole other level. Kris and Elliott were amazing leaders and teachers and they brought the fun!
— Review left July 25, 2024
Great program, well planned and executed. We will be doing more trips with Road Scholar.
— Review left June 10, 2024
You've seen pictures of the Redwoods, sure, but you can't believe they're real until you actually walk among them -- mind-blowingly awesome.
— Review left June 9, 2024
A wonderful overview of both the redwoods and the area - lots of good trails and historic information!
— Review left May 27, 2024
The trip was full of hikes to magnificent majestic Redwood Forests - they were breathtaking. The Sky Walk at the zoo was really amazing. The history of the area was very interesting. The hikes were very doable in both length and changes in elevation. I would highly recommend this trip.
— Review left May 26, 2024
If love a walk or a hike in the woods and want to learn more about the the redwood forests and trees then this is the program for you!
— Review left May 25, 2024
Great walking program…..Please bring walking sticks!
— Review left May 25, 2024
Loved the opportunity for a deep dive into old growth forest. Great hikes and wonderful ocean vistas in a unique setting. Great for folks who like to reflect on nature.
— Review left October 7, 2023
Just an eventful trip. I loved that we traveled to many locations to see
State Parks & National Parks & the Pacific Coast to see these huge majestic Redwood Trees. We learned & saw many unique areas on this trip including: the zoo, the skywalk, Victorian Towns & more.
— Review left October 2, 2023
An excellent to explore and learn about the Coastal Redwoods.
Expert and engaging leaders and activists for the mind and body.
— Review left August 7, 2023
The Redwood forest, beaches, and surrounding environs in Northern California are absolutely stunning! This is my 3rd Road Scholar program. As a solo traveller, Road Scholar provides the safety of travel within a group - it has become the priority means of travel for me. I constantly recommend Road Scholar to my family and friends, and will continue to do so.
— Review left July 24, 2023
I recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn more about the Eureka, California area. The instructors are the best.
— Review left July 22, 2023
The redwoods are, in a word, magnificent! Such a beautiful experience! Our guides, Jennifer and John were second to none. Wonderful, friendly and engaged group to travel with too. Many, many thanks to all!
— Review left June 26, 2023
This was such an amazing week! Great guides and fellow participants who felt like good friends by the end of the week. Interactive learning with layering of the lessons in a fun fashion. I will retain the info as well as the glowing feeling in my heart from being immersed in the grandeur of the redwoods and the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Thank you Road Scholar!Thank you John and Jennifer our guides extraordinaire!
— Review left June 19, 2023
This was my first Road Scholar trip and it was completely wonderful. It exceeded my expectations in every way. Our guides Jennifer and John were knowledgeable, informative and fun. My fellow travelers were friendly and engaged. The activities were varied and well planned. I highly recommend this trip and look forward to many more.
— Review left June 18, 2023
Thank you to John Ford and Jennifer Bagshaw for a wonderful experience in the Redwoods. I learned so much and laughed so much. I went on this tour to please my husband and ended up pleasing myself. It was great.
— Review left June 17, 2023
Being in the redwoods is being in a natural cathedral. The trees are awe-inspiring. Their age and size dwarf the concerns of ordinary daily life. Yet we realize all these magnificent trees would have been cut into lumber if it had not been for a few conservation-minded people a hundred years ago. I am so grateful to those individuals. Jennifer was an excellent group leader--on top of all arrangements without getting ruffled or too directive. John leads with both knowledge and passion for the trees. They are a great team and made the program very special.
— Review left June 15, 2023
This is an incredible program!! It was an honor to hike among the Redwoods in CA! Jennifer and John are excellent group leaders, Jennifer kept us all organized and John readily shared his knowledge and expertise regarding the magnificent Redwoods! I wanted to experience the Redwoods with the knowledge that climate change is dramatically impacting the trees! To understand the recent history surrounding the trees and the logging industry gave us a reality check as to how fortunate we are that the trees were not totally destroyed through logging. The hikes were great, not too challenging but just right on beautiful trails through the woods. Absolutely this is a FIVE STAR trip!!!
— Review left June 12, 2023
Absolutely loved walking in the redwood forests.
— Review left June 12, 2023
Hiking in the Redwoods is an uplifting and wonderful adventure.
— Review left October 8, 2022
This trip is a wonderful opportunity to hike among redwoods!
— Review left August 5, 2022
Wonderful trip. Our naturalist, John, was fantastic. The combination of parks, trails, and activities were just right. Love, love, love the Coastal Redwoods of Northern California!
The only thing about the program that I think can be improved was the breakfasts at the Red Lion Hotel. I would have preferred yogurt, some grains like granola, and some fruits like bananas at each breakfast.
— Review left July 18, 2022
Excellent hiking trip to CA Redwoods. Fine selection of trails. Interesting and information trip leaders.
— Review left July 15, 2022
As an active 81 year old who just completed this program, I can tell you it was just about perfect for my abilities and interests. Hiking by the coast, hiking in the redwood forests and a geology lecture - I hit the trifecta!!
John Ford is the best, and Scott his leadership partner for this trip was just as great too - especially considering this was not one of his usual programs.
I was pleasantly tired at the end of each day, but ready to go again the next. The younger members of our group were also happy with the hikes, so I would highly recommend it.
— Review left June 11, 2022
I've used Road Scholar 3 times and highly recommend them!! Your lodging and transportation and most of your meals are covered for one reasonable price. Everyone is friendly and willing to learn. I like getting information about what I'm seeing. I plan to go on more!!
— Review left June 6, 2022
This trip exceeded my expectations. Our guide John was very knowledgeable of the redwoods and the town of Eureka. John has a light hearted sense of humor that made his storytelling and talks very enjoyable. Each day was an interesting adventure and all of the hikes were beautiful and enjoyable. Highlights for me were exploring the Avenue of the Giants, walking the beautiful Trinidad beach and lighthouse, and the skywalk at the Eureka zoo. I would do this trip again.
— Review left June 2, 2022
Hiking the redwoods is one of my favorite tours. Our instructor John is so informative and passionate about the area from the history of the redwoods to surrounding areas. Every day activities were different with hiking the beautiful forests and coastal areas to going on the sky walk and other hidden treasures. I would highly recommend this and hope to go again
— Review left May 28, 2022
I attended the October 2019 “Hiking the Redwoods” trip. The Redwoods are truly amazing! It was a wonderful experience. Our group leaders, Collin & John, did a great job. Their knowledge of not only the Coastal Redwoods but also of the Northern California coast made the trip so very interesting. This was my first trip with Road Scholar as a single. No worries! We had a great group!
— Review left March 5, 2020
Excellent hiking trip through the beautiful coastal redwood forests of northwest California. Outstanding, fun and enthusiastic instructors and group leaders, fascinating stories about the natural and cultural history of the region, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the tallest trees in the world! Ours was a small group of 12. The weather in early June was (surprisingly) excellent: sunny, warm, and morning fog. Hikes were modest in length. Field trips to downtown Ferndale and Eureka were a welcome diversity to the trip. A very good time!
— Review left June 29, 2019
Spending time among the magnificent Redwoods was a spiritual experience. After attending this program, I understand the importance of preserving our world for future generations, and allowing them to experience the power of nature. I learned so much about the ecosystem that exists among the redwood forests and the enormous diversity of birds, bugs and organisms that exist among those towering trees. A life changing week!
— Review left June 15, 2019
I attended this wonderful program 2 years ago and returned this year to discover the leaders created an even more fantastic program. The program has a variety of learning experiences set at an appropriate pace. John is an outstanding program naturalist with a passion for the area and Collin is an energetic leader.
— Review left June 2, 2019
My first Roads trip. It was GREAT! Find it hard to believe there are any better group leaders than those we had. Will be looking for my next adventure!
— Review left May 31, 2019
The redwoods and group leaders exceeded expectations, and the group was the best (they’ve all been good) so far.
— Review left May 31, 2019