My visit to Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Stout Grove is unarguably the most impressive old-growth redwood grove in the entire collection of Redwood National and State Parks.
It’s in the heart of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, right next to the beautiful Smith River. The walk here is only a short half-mile loop but offers an up-close look at some of the largest, most awe-inspiring trees in the world.
It quickly became my favorite grove, and Jedediah Smith my favorite state park in our 3 day Redwood National and State Parks itinerary.
Let’s get into the details of how to get here (this is a story!), parking, and our hike experience. Plus, stick around till the end for more things to do nearby in Jedediah Smith State Park!
Where is Stout Memorial Grove?
Stout Memorial Grove is nestled within Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, which is part of the larger Redwood National and State Parks.
The grove sits along the banks of the Smith River, adding a serene backdrop to the towering redwoods. It’s located about a 30-minute / 15-mile drive from Crescent City.
We were staying at the Historic Requa Inn in Klamath, and it took us around an hour to get there.
2 ways to get to Stout Grove
There are two ways to get to Stout Grove in the summer months. For the rest of the year it is only accessible via the Howland Hill Road.
Howland Hill Road to the trailhead
This is the most common route to Stout Grove and the only route for most of the year. Howland Hill Road is an unpaved, narrow dirt road that winds through the forest. It is 6 miles long, and the Stout Grove trailhead is around 2 miles from the east entrance and around 4 miles from the west entrance of this road.
After our adventure (more on this coming up!), my recommendation is to take Highway 199 to go east and then drive the 2 miles west on Howland Hill Road to reach the trailhead. Coming from the west entrance would be 4 miles of driving on this bumpy, windy road.
Don’t get me wrong—the route is very scenic, with dense redwood forests on both sides. But the road was so challenging to drive on that we didn’t get a chance to look at the trees. My husband hated driving on this road. But in all fairness, this was still better than the Davison Rd we had to drive to reach the Fern Canyon trail. That one was worse than this!
Once you reach the Stout Grove trailhead, it’s just a short, easy walk to the grove itself.
The parking lot here is very small, holding about 15-20 cars, and fills up quickly on weekends and holidays.
From Jedediah Smith Campground via footbridge
During the summer months, the park installs a footbridge on the Smith River connecting the Jedediah Smith Campground to Stout Grove.
We explored Jedediah Smith State Park as a loop going east on Hwy 199 from Cresent City and returning via Howland Hill Road.
When we visited the Hiouchi Visitor Center, the park ranger told us about the limited parking at the trailhead as we visited during the September long weekend, and the park was more crowded than usual.
They advised us to park at the Jedediah Smith Campground Day Use Area and use the footbridge at the Smith River to reach Stout Memorial Grove.
The campground day use area was at the other end of the park, at least a mile away from the footbridge. So, a half-mile loop became a three-mile hike for us. There is a nice River Trail in the campground to reach the footbridge.
The Smith River was a beautiful emerald green against a pebbled beach. The entire picture with the footbridge looked really serene.
Once we crossed the footbridge, we took a short connector trail to reach the redwood grove.
Stout Memorial Grove Trail
- Trail Length – 0.5 mile loop
- Elevation – none, mostly flat
- Time needed – around 30 minutes, more if walking from the campground
- Fee – There is no fee to visit the grove. If parking at the campground, there is a $8 day use fee, but it is waived if you have the ‘America the Beautiful’ annual pass.
The Stout Grove was really spectacular. It was lined with huge redwood trees, many of which were over 300 feet tall. Many fallen trees lined the trail path as well.
The trail itself is only a 0.5-mile loop and is over very quickly. It is one of the easy hikes in Redwood National and State Parks.
There are several benches here where you can sit and admire the trees around you. Although the trail was crowded, I still found a moment to be alone with the redwoods and take in the scenery.
Ferns covered the forest floor and the base of the redwoods. The red earth, the red trees, along with the green fern groundcover and green canopies, made the forest scene really spectacular.
Facilities here
Parking—If you are coming from Howland Hill Road, there is a small parking lot for about 15-20 cars at the Stout Grove trailhead. RVs and trailers are not allowed in this parking lot. In the summer months, when the seasonal footbridge is installed on the Smith River, you can park at the campground day-use area, which has a much bigger parking lot. There is a $8 day use fee if you park here.
Restrooms—The Stout Grove Trailhead has vault restrooms, and the Jedediah Smith campground has restrooms with running water.
Picnic Areas – There were none at the trailhead, but there were plenty at the campground.
More things to do in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Below are a few more things we explored nearby:
Drive the full Howland Hill Road
Even though we parked at the campground and had no reason to drive on Howland Hill Road, after visiting Stout Grove, we still drove the entire length of Howland Hill Road to experience that part of the state park.
The road passes through the middle of Jedediah Smith State Park with beautiful, old-growth redwood trees on both sides. However, the road is very narrow, windy, and bumpy.
It is a 6-mile drive and takes about 30 minutes one-way. If you want to drive on this road, I recommend doing it in a loop, going east via Hwy 199 and west via Howland Hill Road. This is what we did. There are some more popular trails on this road, such as Grove of Titans and Boy Scout Tree Trail.
Visit the Hiouchi Visitor Center
We stopped here on the way to Stout Grove to pick up a park map and ask about current trail conditions. The rangers here advised us to park at the campground instead of at the trailhead to visit Stout Grove.
The Visitor Center is really beautiful, nestled among the redwoods. Good for a restroom stop as well. The Redwood National and State Parks sign is just a bit further east on Hwy 199 from the visitor center.
Simpson Reed Trail
This is another short, easy loop trail that offers a similar experience to Stout Grove, with towering redwoods and a lush ground cover of ferns and moss.
Battery Point Lighthouse
Battery Point Lighthouse is in Crescent City and is a must-visit as it’s only around a 20-minute drive from Jedediah Smith.
When we visited it was low tide and we could walk over across the beach to the lighthouse. After a day of hiking in the park, it was nice to sit there and watch the ocean.
Final Takeaways: Visiting Stout Grove Trail
Walking the Stout Grove Memorial Trail was one of the best things to do in Redwood National and State Parks. Plus, the journey to it via the campground and the footbridge made it a memorable hike experience. Howland Hill Road added the needed adventure!
Overall, it is a spectacular redwood grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
More blogs about our Redwoods National Park trip:
- Where to Stay in Redwood National and State Parks
- Avenue of the Giants: Scenic Redwoods Drive
- My visit to Trees of Mystery: A unique redwoods attraction!
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