The ancient Founders Grove on Avenue of the Giants Drive
Founders Grove is the most popular and also the most impressive old-growth redwood grove on the Avenue of Giants Drive in Northern California. This grove had some of the oldest, tallest, and largest redwood trees I had ever seen.
We visited Founders Grove as part of our larger Redwood National and State Parks road trip, and this was one of my favorite and memorable places.
The grove was crowded as we visited on a long weekend holiday, but the nature loop trail here was quite wide, and there was enough space to explore.
Where is the Founders Grove?
Founders Grove is located along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, just off Highway 101.
If you’re coming from the north entrance, you’ll find it about 10 miles down the scenic drive. Look for signs marking the parking area, which is right off the Dyerville Road.
If you’re coming from the south entrance, Founders Grove is about 18 miles north of Phillipsville. It’s well-marked and hard to miss, with a dedicated parking area right at the trailhead.
The Google Maps location of the trailhead is here.
The Founders Grove Nature Loop Trail
Founders Grove Nature Loop Trail is a wide, well-maintained path to explore the spectacular trees at Founders Grove.
The trail is only a half-mile loop and is mostly flat, and thus, it can be enjoyed by all. It loops around some of the most impressive redwoods in the area.
At the beginning of the path, its hard to miss the 346-foot-tall Founders Tree, which was named to honor the founders of the Save the Redwoods League.
Its impressive and huge and just awe-inspiring to look at. It’s so tall that I couldn’t even stretch my neck that far back to see its canopy.
Another notable tree here is the fallen Dyerville Giant, a redwood that was 1600 years old before it toppled over in 1991. It was estimated to be as tall as a 30-story building!
There were many fallen trees here with their root systems exposed which looked like unique pieces of wood art. I was surprised to see that such huge redwood trees have such shallow roots as they were only a few feet in length.
The fallen trees are an important part of the forest’s ecosystem as they slowly decay and recycle nutrients back into the forest.
Beneath the redwoods was a beautiful ground cover of redwood sorrel and ferns adding to the beauty of the grove.
A tour bus had arrived when we visited, so the trail was busy, but we were still able to explore without feeling crowded.
Facilities at Founders Grove
There is a large parking lot here and restrooms. We were able to find parking as the turnaround time was quick. Most people spend around 30 minutes here, so even if the parking lot is full, you might find a spot by waiting.
There are several picnic areas near the parking lot. Several benches along the trail allow you to sit and admire the redwood trees.
There are also restrooms here with running water, which I was surprised to see as most trailheads in this region only had vault restrooms.
There is a box near the Founders Tree with an information brochure about the Foudners Grove that you can read and put back or take with you for a $1 donation.
The trail is wheelchair accessible. Dogs are not allowed on this trail, except service dogs.
More things to do in Avenue of Giants drive
There is a connector trail here for the 1-mile long Mahan Plague trail that you can take to make the walk a little longer. It was closed when we visited so we couldn’t explore that.
The Grieg-French-Bell Grove further north offers a peaceful loop trail similar to Founders Grove, but with fewer crowds. This grove was really pretty because of all the lush green ground cover.
If you’re up for a longer detour, head over to Mattole Road for a scenic drive through old-growth redwood forests and explore the Big Trees Day Use area.
We came across many other unique trees on this drive, like the Immortal Tree, which has a long history of survival, and the Chimney Tree, which is completely hollow from the inside.
These are some of the stops we explored on our drive.
➡️Check out my detailed write-up about the Avenue of the Giants drive.
Final Takeaways: Founders Grove Trail
Founders Grove was really impressive in terms of both the standing and the fallen redwood giants. The trees here are some of the oldest and tallest trees in the world, and it was so humbling to be in their presence.
It’s really nice of the founders of Save-the-Redwoods League to preserve these groves and forests for us and future generations to enjoy.
Take your time, enjoy the peaceful beauty of the forest, and don’t forget to explore more of what the Avenue of the Giants has to offer.
More blogs about our Redwoods National Park trip:
- Avenue of the Giants: Scenic Redwoods Drive
- Incredible Fern Canyon hike in Redwood National Park
- 17 Incredible Things to do in Redwood National and State Parks
- My visit to Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
- My visit to Trees of Mystery: A unique redwoods attraction!
⭐ Got questions about your trip?
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