The Boy Scout Tree Trail is an easy but epic adventure within jurassic Jedidiah Smith State Park. Prepare to feel lost in time on this otherworldly hike.
Jedidiah Smith is just… jurassic. It looked and felt the most wild and untamed of all the Redwood parks we visited (we’ve now been to all of them!). Like another world.
Our first visit to Jed Smith was actually back in 2017, when we came to explore Mill Creek Trail with hopes of finding the legendary Grove of Titans. (We found the grove but chose not to write about it at the time because it was still unmarked; it’s now closed while a boardwalk is built to protect it.) On our return trip to the Redwoods, we came back to Jed Smith to hike the Boy Scout Tree Trail, which was highly recommended as one of the world’s best Redwood hikes.
The Boy Scout Tree trailhead is about halfway through the impressive drive down Howland Hill Road (an adventure all its own). We arrived on a Friday morning in mid-April to just a few other cars parked in the dirt pullout.
The hike starts with a bang. The trailhead is located in a beautiful grove of large, old-growth redwoods.
You really don’t have to hike too far before getting that “Where are we and where is everyone else?” vibe.
The trail heads up and over a hill before it goes down to Jordan Creek. Near the top of the hill there are younger Redwoods that are smaller and narrower, but still abundant. The forest floor here is more expansive and blanketed in ferns.
Eventually, the trail descends down the hill back toward Jordan Creek. The Redwoods here are more sparse but significantly larger (notice a pattern?). Some of the largest trees on the entire hike live in this part of the forest. There are quite a few along the trail, but there are some massive beasts (some with official names) set back from the trail a ways you can still spot. We decided not to stray from the trail as this forest is no joke and it take some severe bushwhacking to get up close and personal to them.
Just over two miles there’s a small side trail on the right that leads up to the Boy Scout Tree. The trail’s namesake tree is a massive fused Redwood with a sign on it, so you can’t miss it. We stopped here to have a snack before continuing on.
The final stretch of the hike follows Jordan Creek the end of the trail, which is marked by Fern Falls. The falls definitely would have been a little more picturesque without the fallen tree trunk obscuring them, but it was a nice, refreshing conclusion to the hike.
This is also one of those hikes where hiking the same trail back out isn’t a huge deal because you get to see the Redwoods from a new perspective and even discover some you missed along the way in.
The Boy Scout Tree Trail is a a quintessential Redwood hike – truly one of the best. You’re instantly transported into a world where time stands still; where you truly feel like just a tiny blip in the lifetime of these wise, steadfast, ancient giants. We highly recommend this hike if you’re looking for an easy but spectacular Redwoods experience.
