Redwood National Park

The confusing thing about Redwood National Park is that it isn't one park. Since 1994 the national park has been jointly managed with three California state parks as Redwood National and State Parks, and the Humboldt County portion — the Redwood Creek watershed, the Bald Hills, Tall Trees Grove, Lady Bird Johnson Grove — sits mostly around Orick.

Together the four units protect nearly 40,000 acres of ancient forest. That is close to half of all the old-growth coast redwood left anywhere. Roughly two million acres stood in 1800.

The national park charges no entrance fee and has no entrance stations, which surprises people who arrive expecting a booth. You also can't buy an America the Beautiful pass here. The only fees anywhere in the complex belong to the state park units, and they're cash only.

Two of the best-known destinations need planning rather than money. Tall Trees Grove requires a free online reservation, capped at 50 parties a day, with a gate code emailed before your visit. Fern Canyon needs a separate free reservation from mid-May to mid-September. Neither uses Recreation.gov.

Bald Hills Road is the spine of the Humboldt side — steep 15% grades, no trailers, logging trucks, and views out over the Redwood Creek watershed that are worth the drive on their own.

Seven Roosevelt elk herds live in the parks. So do black bears, mountain lions, bobcats and marbled murrelets, a seabird that nests in old-growth canopy and is the reason so much of this forest is still standing.