Damnation Creek Trail
Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP · near Crescent City · North Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 4 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,100 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- April–October driest; often muddy/foggy; lower section can wash out
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit or fee; small unmarked gravel pullout off US-101 (easy to miss). Verify lower-trail status before going.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Classic 'redwoods to the sea' descent · Old growth transitioning to coastal forest · A secluded rocky cove with sea stacks · Steep climb on the return
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Classic redwoods-to-the-sea - but the climb is on the way back, gaining 1,100+ ft, so save energy and water. The trailhead is a small unmarked US-101 pullout (easy to miss). Check the lower trail's storm status. No dogs.
The guide
Damnation Creek is the quintessential 'redwoods to the sea' hike - a steep, rooty trail that plunges from towering old growth h…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Damnation Creek Trail — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.6482, -124.1133