8 Redwood Groves in California That Few Tourists Visit

Look, sometimes you just want to stand in a forest and feel like no one will ask you about your five-year plan. If you’ve ever felt like the more crowded the trail, the less you can actually hear yourself think, you’re my kind of person.

California’s redwood groves are famous, sure, but some of the most magical ones never make it to Instagram’s front page, because hardly anyone goes. Today, we’re skipping the hype and finding the places where the only thing breathing down your neck is the morning fog.

1. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park

Ever wanted a forest that feels like it’s keeping secrets just for you? Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park delivers that hush, even when the rest of Humboldt County feels like a parade. You’ll wander through Cheatham Grove, where Ewoks once sprinted past in Star Wars; yes, that scene actually happened right here, and you don’t even need a lightsaber.

I once met a local who brings a thermos of coffee to the same log every Saturday morning, just to watch the light change. It’s that kind of place; the world slows down, and so do you. Redwoods tower in a way that makes you question if skyscrapers ever had a point.

The trails are short, the crowds nonexistent. Take a breath. Try to remember the last time you had an entire cathedral of trees (almost) to yourself. Sometimes, you need a place that’s not trying to impress you. It just exists, quietly spectacular, with mossier sneakers and fewer expectations.

2. Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve

You know that moment when you find money in your winter coat and feel like you scored the lottery? That’s what stumbling into Montgomery Woods feels like. Tucked behind twisting Mendocino backroads, it’s the kind of place you only hear about from a friend who really wants you to have a good day.

The 3-mile boardwalk keeps your shoes mud-free, but you’ll catch your breath seeing the Mendocino Tree: once the world’s tallest. Locals bring their grandparents and their grandkids here for picnics on mossy logs, and nobody’s ever in a rush.

There’s no cell reception, so you might as well commit. Listen for woodpeckers, dodge banana slugs, and tell someone you love them just because you can. Statistically, this may be the quietest spot you’ve visited all year.

3. Grove of Old Trees

Sometimes, you just need a place to feel your feelings and not apologize for it. The Grove of Old Trees in Sonoma is an unassuming hug in the form of a forest. You walk in, and suddenly even your most dramatic worries lose their edge.

This spot is managed by a local land trust: no parking fees, no gates, just an open invitation to show up as you are. You’ll find benches for sitting, trails for wandering, and a few deer who don’t seem to care about your existential questions.

People in Occidental say this grove is where you bring your heart when you need a reset. It’s quiet, understated, and somehow more therapeutic than any spa day I’ve paid for. Bring a friend, or don’t. Either way, the trees will listen.

4. Atlas Grove (Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park)

Picture a forest so precious, its actual location is intentionally kept hush-hush. Atlas Grove is that unicorn. Deep in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, it harbors Iluvatar, the third-largest known coastal redwood, which sounds like something straight out of Tolkien.

Scientists and super-nerds talk about this place in hushed tones. The trees here are ancient, brooding, and, let’s be real, absolutely photogenic, if you ever manage to find it. There are no official signs or crowds, just the kind of stillness that makes you check your pulse.

The secrecy is for a good reason. Every footstep could impact delicate roots, so you get to imagine this one more than you actually walk it. Sometimes, the best treasures aren’t meant for selfies. They’re just meant to be.

5. Nelder Grove

You’ll never forget your first close-up with a sequoia that’s older than the U.S. Constitution. Nelder Grove, hidden away in Sierra National Forest, doesn’t try to impress you with shiny signs or souvenir shops. It’s all about the giants (over sixty mature sequoias) including the Bull Buck tree, which once held the title of world’s second-largest.

Campers and history nerds swap stories about early loggers, but most people here just want to stand in awe. The air smells like pine needles and time travel. You might even spot a faded plaque from the grove’s 1858 discovery, which feels oddly appropriate in a place with so much history carved into the bark.

You hike a little, sit a little, stare a lot. And for a few hours, you’re part of something older and quieter than any phone notification.

6. Hendy Woods State Park

If you ever wondered where your introverted side might move if it had a trust fund, it’d probably choose Hendy Woods. Anderson Valley’s answer to the redwood hype, this park’s two groves are thick with trees that have eavesdropped on centuries of secrets; some are nearly a thousand years old.

Legend says a Russian hermit once lived here for 18 years, only surfacing for basics. When you walk these trails, you get why. Light falls through the canopy like a painting, and the air feels charged with quiet possibility.

It’s a favorite of Mendocino locals who don’t feel like sharing it with the world. Come on a weekday, and you might see more banana slugs than people. If that isn’t a selling point, I don’t know what is.

7. Butano State Park

Ever wanted to hide out in a forest that barely remembers what cell service is? Butano State Park has you covered. With around 4,000 acres of trails winding between second and third-growth redwoods, it gives you just enough wilderness to daydream about living off-grid, but not so much you actually have to.

Every spring, wildflowers sneak between the ferns, making for the most Instagrammable moments you’ll probably keep to yourself. The campgrounds are delightfully rustic, and owls heckle you from above like it’s their personal stand-up comedy hour.

Most visitors come for solitude, but end up staying for the sense of “hey, I might actually relax.” If you hear a woodpecker, consider it applause from the locals. Just breathe in the mossy air and ditch your calendar for a while.

8. Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve

Imagine a picnic spot where the loudest thing is the river and the most important decision is whether you nap on a bench or a blanket. Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve sits right on the South Fork Eel River in Mendocino County, and must have missed the memo on becoming a tourist trap.

This reserve isn’t about flashy hikes or record-breaking trees. It’s the place you go when you want to reconnect with someone, or maybe just yourself. The water’s clear, the shade’s generous, and the redwoods watch over it all like quiet bodyguards.

Most days, you’ll have the trails to yourself. The people who know about Smithe usually keep it secret, and honestly, I don’t blame them. Sometimes your best days happen in the places you don’t post about.