Hiking the Damnation Creek Trail in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
Distance: 4.2 miles / 6.8 km
The Damnation Creek Trail in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park is an outlier among day hikes in the Redwoods, as the majority of trails throughout the various State and National Parks exhibit fairly minimal elevation changes.
This is because Redwoods do not grow well near the coast, nor do they grow very high up in the mountains—one notable exception being Redwood Meadow on the Mineral King Loop Trail in Sequoia National Park.
However, the Damnation Creek Trail is one of a few exceptions in the Coastal Redwoods, as the trail has over 1,200 ft. (366 m) of elevation change each way, from the parking area off Highway 101 to the coast, where the trail ends.
This inevitably makes the Damnation Creek Trail one of the more challenging day hikes in the Redwoods, but it also comes with the benefit of being one of the least crowded trails among the various parks!
Damnation Creek Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Damnation Creek Trail is located directly off U.S. 101 on the left-hand side if you’re driving north or right-hand side if you’re driving south.
That being said, cars traveling on Highway 101 tend not to slow down around the Damnation Creek Trailhead, which I mention to remind everyone to stay safe when starting or ending the hike.
Google Maps Directions: Damnation Creek Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Redwoods
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Redwood National & State Parks.
Hiking the Damnation Creek Trail
Unfortunately, during the visit when I planned to hike the Damnation Creek Trail, the majority of the hike was closed due to reconstruction from the Coastal Trail to the ocean.
Therefore, I can only share my experience from the short part of the trail that was open, but from what I hiked, the route seemed fairly straightforward.
Initially, the Damnation Creek Trail climbs up a hill above the highway before it starts descending steeply down to the coast.
After only 0.2 miles (0.3 km), the Damnation Creek Trail starts to make the long descent down the nearly 1,200 ft. (366 m) of elevation change.
Damnation Creek-Coastal Junction
The road below is the Coastal Trail, and it’s as far as I was able to hike, with the remaining 1.4 miles (2.3 km) under construction.
Someday, I will be back to finish the Damnation Creek Trail, as I could already tell the Redwoods through Del Norte Coast were some of the least-visited throughout all the parks.
