Every Trail Tells a Story
Stout Grove
Experience one of the most photographed, cinematic redwood groves on earth.
Stroll a pure redwood alluvial flat with sorrel carpet and sword ferns.
Combine the grove with dirt-road adventure, Star Wars magic, and the mighty Stout Tree.
Many claim Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is the world’s most scenic grove of redwoods. And a lot of hikers would agree. There are bigger groves with bigger trees, but none can match its cinematic appeal, a moviemaker’s dream.
Begin with the setting: an alluvial flat at the junction of two rivers. Add redwoods, lots of them, and only redwoods – nothing else tall to clutter the forest or detract from the giants. Add a carpet of redwood sorrel and lots of tall sword ferns. An other-worldly setting, to be sure. Not surprisingly, one of the Star Wars flicks, Return of the Jedi, was filmed here.
But even before you reach the grove, the adventure begins. The majority of visitors arrive via Howland Hill Road – a narrow, dusty, twisting dirt road that was never designed for rental cars or shiny new SUVs. Watching drivers face off at the one-lane stretches is a form of entertainment all its own. Think of it as Dirt Road Driving 101 – a prerequisite for entering the kingdom of the redwoods.
And then there’s the star of the grove, the Stout Tree. At 340 feet tall and 20 feet across, it’s an impressive specimen, but despite the name, it wasn’t christened for its girth. The tree was dedicated to lumber baron Frank D. Stout – “Mr. Stout” – whose wife Clara donated the grove in 1929 to the Save-the-Redwoods League. So the name is more family tree than tree trunk. Still, it feels right: the Stout Tree is stout in every sense of the word – sturdy, dignified, enduring.
Stout Grove is as close to pure redwood as you’ll find – no rival conifers muscling in, just redwoods rising column-straight, with filtered light creating an ethereal glow. In summer afternoons, beams of sunlight slant through the canopy and photographers converge, tripods sprouting like mushrooms. Yet the grove never loses its hush. Voices drop, children look up, and even the most distracted visitor finds themselves lingering.
For those who can’t get enough, a footbridge (installed in summer) crosses Mill Creek, linking Stout Grove to the Hiouchi Trail and extending the magic a little farther. But even if you only walk the short loop, it’s enough to convince you that Stout Grove is a crown jewel of redwood country.
Howland Hill Road provides year-round access to Stout Grove (and to the trailhead for Hiouchi Trail). From Highway 101 in Crescent City, turn east on Highway 199 and drive 6 miles to Howland Hill Road. Turn right and travel 2 miles to trailhead parking. From Highway 101 south of Crescent City, head east on Elk Valley Road; in a mile when the road forks, bear right. Drive about 6 miles on dirt (and scenic) Howland Hill Road to the Stout Grove parking area.
From the parking area, descend the paved walkway 100 yards or so to Stout Grove and a little farther to junction the loop trail. Head left, hiking the loop clockwise, and soon reach another junction. The left fork leads to a footbridge over Mill Creek, more redwoods, a (summertime) bridge over the Smith River and the start of Hiouchi Trail.
The right fork is a continuation of the loop trail and extends east along the Smith River. Continue along the loop and turn right at the next junction to return to the trailhead. Alternatively, extend your hike by a mile by walking another 0.5 mile east along the river. Cross pretty Cedar Creek on a footbridge, meander over river bluffs, climb up and down stairs cut into the hillside to reach a good turnaround spot – the junction with Howland Hill Road and Little Bald Hill Trail.