Redwood National and State Parks

Permit Information

Special Use Permit required. Redwood is a joint federal and California state park, and permit applications are handled separately based on the ceremony location. National Park service locations: $100 application fee for pre approved venues, $200 for other NPS locations. Email NPS applications to redw_special_use_permits@nps.gov. State Park locations (Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, Prairie Creek): couples apply through California State Parks for a wedding permit. However, the photographer or v…

Seasonal Planning

Redwood is accessible year round but the experience varies significantly by season. Winter brings heavy rain and the forest looks its most intense: deep green, moss everywhere, fog every day. Summer (June through September) is drier and more reliably accessible. Fern Canyon access via Davison Road closes after heavy rain and is impassable in winter for most vehicles. Lady Bird Johnson Grove and Tall Trees Grove are more reliably accessible year round. Beach locations on Gold Bluffs are seasonally restricted October 25 through May 1. Pack waterproof gear regardless of season.

Photography Notes

The coastal redwood forest works in almost any weather because the canopy diffuses direct sunlight. Foggy mornings are the best condition: light shafts through fog among 300 foot trees produce images unlike anything else in the park system. Wide angle is essential, an ultra wide 14 to 16mm gets you close to capturing full tree height. Always include a person in the frame for scale; without it the size doesn't read. Fern Canyon is a vertical green world that requires a wide lens and works best in late morning when some direct light reaches the narrow floor.

Planning Your Day at Redwood National and State Parks

One-Spot Day

Redwood is really three completely different forest experiences. Lady Bird Johnson Grove is the accessible choice, a 1.5 mile paved loop you can reach without a real hike. Fern Canyon is a narrow, otherworldly canyon best for just the two of you, requires creek crossings and an unpaved road. Tall Trees Grove is for couples who want complete seclusion and are willing to descend 800 feet into a grove of the tallest trees on Earth. Pick by the hike you want to do, not by the scenery, all three are exceptional but they demand different levels of effort.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

Splits work but add up quickly in Redwood. Lady Bird Johnson Grove and Fern Canyon are about 45 minutes apart via Highway 101 and Davison Road. Tall Trees Grove is on its own because of the daily vehicle permit and the elevation gain. A workable day: ceremony at Lady Bird in the morning under canopy light, portraits at Fern Canyon in the afternoon when some direct light reaches the canyon floor. Pack waterproof footwear for Fern Canyon creek crossings even in summer. Heads up on permit complexity: NPS and California State Parks handle different groves, and your photographer needs their own commercial filming permit for state park locations. Many couples staying near Brookings or Crescent City pair Redwoods with the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor (30 minutes north of Jedediah Smith), which keeps both iconic landscapes in one trip and lets you hold the ceremony in Boardman while using the Redwood groves for portraits only ($20 portrait permit per location), much simpler than the full Redwood ceremony permit chain.

A Note on Light

The coastal redwood forest works in almost any weather because the canopy diffuses direct sunlight. Foggy mornings are the best condition, light shafts through fog among 300 foot trees produce images unlike anything else in the park system. Lady Bird Johnson Grove and Tall Trees Grove both work all day thanks to the filtered canopy. Fern Canyon is the exception, it needs late morning to early afternoon when some direct light reaches the narrow canyon floor. Winter brings heavy rain and the forest at its most intense, deep green, moss everywhere, fog every day. Summer is drier and more reliably accessible. Pack waterproof gear regardless of season.

Ceremony Spots at Redwood National and State Parks

• Lady Bird Johnson Grove — Old growth redwood ceremony under filtered canopy light
• Fern Canyon — Intimate, otherworldly ceremony in a fern lined canyon
• Tall Trees Grove — Secluded ceremony among some of the tallest trees on Earth