The tallest trees in the world are the redwood trees. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is known for redwood trees, and is a great spot for some beginner to intermediate hikes if you are in the bay area and have even half a day to spend here.

Below are couple of hikes that I’d recommend if it’s your first time.

Sempervirens falls

Only an hour round trip, hardly any elevation and goes all the way along a road, so there’s an option to move to the road half way. Perfect even for someone who hasn’t hiked before ever.

No views etc. on the way, but the hike ends at falls.

Berry Creek falls

Berry Creek falls are my favorite falls in the bay area.

The hike is rated for 6 hours round trip, but for anyone with even slightly above average fitness, this can be easily done in 4 hours round trip. The catch is most of the part of going to the falls is downhill, which means the return hike has lots of uphill hiking.

A few websites mention that the trail gets too crowded, and some mention the exact opposite. Last time I went on this trail was a weekend afternoon in June 2019 and it was mostly empty, but I guess it could be a hit or miss.