Redwoods with kids is the most magical adventure you could experience with your kids for the first time.

At first, it may just feel like another family road trip. Everyone piles into the car, stopping to get your favorite snack, listening to your favorite songs, and playing games in the car. Then all of a sudden the road gets windy, and you enter into this Jurassic world. The air feels cooler. The light becomes softer. The sounds of the outside world start to fade, and suddenly the trees are taller than skyscrapers.

They rise so high above you that you can’t even see the tops of the trees without binoculars. The trunks are so wide that kids can’t even wrap their arms all the way around to give it a hug. The forest feels like it belongs in a storybook written for giants and dinosaurs.

Visiting the Redwoods with kids is not about just seeing tall trees. It is letting children step into a world that feels bigger than anything they could have imagined. It is a place where they can explore, wonder, ask questions, and notice details that adults seem to walk right past.

The best thing to bring along for the journey is the Zwella Adventure Journal; it is a great screen-free activity. The Redwoods are full of moments that kids want to remember. The first giant tree they stand beside, the first banana slug they spot, the sound of their footsteps on the trail, or the feeling of walking through a forest that feels older than time. With their adventure journal in hand, children are not just coming along for the trip. They become explorers, storytellers, and memory keepers.

What to Expect When Visiting the Redwoods with Kids

The first thing families should expect in the Redwoods is pure fascination.

The redwood forests are home to some of the tallest trees on Earth. These ancient trees feel like nature’s skyscrapers, stretching high into the sky and making everyone beneath them feel small in the best way. For kids, this can be one of the most exciting parts of the trip. They are not just reading about giant trees in a book or seeing them in a picture. They are standing right beside them.

Children may notice things adults do not. While parents are looking up at the height of the trees, kids may be looking down at the forest floor. They might notice the roots twisting across the trail, the soft green ferns, the rough bark, the tiny bugs, the mud, or the leaves scattered beneath their shoes.

This is where the Zwella Adventure Journal becomes more than just something to pack. It gives kids a reason to slow down and pay attention. Instead of rushing from one trail to the next, they can record what they saw, rate their day, and remember the little details that made the forest feel special. The journal helps turn the Redwoods from a place they visited into a story they get to keep.

Take a Family Hike Through the Giant Trees

The best way for kids to understand the Redwoods is by taking a hike.

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, located within the Redwood National and State Parks area, is a wonderful place for families to explore. It offers miles of trails, many of which are great for families who want to walk among the trees without making the day feel too overwhelming.

A redwood hike does not have to be rushed. In fact, this is the kind of place where families should move slowly. Let kids stop to look at a leaf. Let them touch the bark of a fallen tree. Let them ask why the trees are so tall or how long they have been standing there. The Redwoods are not only beautiful; they are full of questions.

For children, a hike can sometimes feel like just walking. Using the travel journal makes the hike become a secret adventure. The journal gives them something meaningful to do along the way. For parents, this makes the journal a travel essential.

One of the best parts of exploring the Redwoods with kids is watching them slow down and notice the forest in their own way.

It helps kids stay engaged during long walks, scenic stops, and quiet moments in nature. Instead of hearing, “Are we done yet?” parents can encourage children to look closer, notice more, and become part of the adventure.

Looking for Banana Slugs and Tiny Forest Creatures

The most iconic inhabitant of the Redwood forest is the banana slug.

When visiting the Redwoods with kids, even the smallest discoveries can become the biggest memories.

This small creature that lives in a giant world is bright yellow, slow-moving, and oddly adorable. Banana slugs are a favorite for many children exploring the trails. Their name fits them perfectly because, at first glance, they really can look like tiny bananas sliding across the forest floor.

The slug is a constant reminder to not only look up, but also to look closely.

Kids may spot insects, birds, leaves, ferns, mushrooms, or little creatures near creeks and damp areas. These small discoveries can become some of their favorite memories from the whole trip.

Drive Through a Redwood Tree

Driving through a redwood tree is an experience that children will never forget and continue to talk about when the family car goes through a tree.

Around Humboldt County, families can find several drive-through trees, including the Tour Thru Tree in Klamath, Shrine Drive-Thru Tree in Myers Flat, and Chandelier Tree in Leggett. Each one gives kids a chance to see just how massive a redwood trunk can be.

There is something almost unbelievable about sitting in a car and slowly passing through the middle of a tree. For kids, it may feel impossible until they actually experience it. A tree big enough for a car to drive through is not something most children see every day.

When my dad and I drove through a redwood, we were in pure awe of how big the tree above us was. It also made for the best laugh of the whole trip because of how close our car was to getting stuck. We still talk about it to this day. It was our first experience in the redwoods and one we will never forget.

Journaling is also helpful during scenic drives like this. Travel days can sometimes feel long for kids, especially when there is a lot of time in the car. But having their adventure journal gives them something fun and meaningful to do between stops. They can record where they went, what they saw, and which part of the day felt the most exciting.

Avenue of the Giants: A Scenic Drive for the Whole Family.

For families who want to see the Redwoods without hiking all day, the Avenue of the Giants is a beautiful option.

This scenic drive runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and gives families a chance to experience the giant trees from the road. As the car moves beneath the canopy, the forest seems to surround both sides of the road. It is peaceful, beautiful, and perfect for families who want to stop along the way for short walks, photos, and quiet moments under the trees.

We weren’t initially going to do this drive because we wanted to be walking in the redwoods. But by the third day of hiking, we were truly exhausted and still wanted to see the trees. The trees in this drive are some of the biggest trees you can see in all of the redwoods. We had so much fun playing music and slowly taking in all the giants in front of us. This was by far the coolest part of the redwoods that we saw.

One stop families may want to visit is Founders Grove, where kids can see the fallen Dyerville Giant. Seeing a fallen redwood can help children understand the size of these trees in a different way. When a giant tree is standing, kids have to look up to understand its height. But when one is lying across the forest floor, they can walk beside it and see just how long and massive it truly was.

Junior Ranger Activities and the Zwella Adventure Journal

Redwood National and State Parks are a place of adventure, discovery, and creativity for kids. One way children can connect with the park is through the Junior Ranger program, where they can complete activities and earn a badge.

The Junior Ranger program helps kids learn about the park, while the Zwella Adventure Journal helps them remember their personal experience of the park. Both can work together beautifully.

The Junior Ranger activities teach children about the Redwoods, nature, and protecting the park. The Zwella Adventure Journal gives them a place to record their own thoughts, favorite moments, drawings, discoveries, and feelings from the trip.

Another really cool opportunity the park services do is give out passport stamps for each area you visit. In the back of the adventure journal is a spot for you to put these stamps so they are all in one place. After visiting Yellowstone, you could have the Redwood stamp and the Yellowstone stamp right next to each other.

Journaling helps preserve important memories through the child’s eyes. The Badge is a perfect keepsake to add into the journal.

Turning a Walk Through the Redwoods into a Memory.

The Redwoods are more than giant trees. They are a place where kids can feel amazed, curious, small, brave, and inspired all at once.

A family trip to the Redwoods gives children the chance to step away from screens, move through nature, and experience a world that feels almost too big to be real. From hiking under ancient trees, spotting banana slugs, driving through a redwood, and exploring the Avenue of the Giants, every part of the trip can become a story.

Redwoods with kids is more than a sightseeing stop; it is a chance for children to explore, imagine, and remember nature in their own words.

With the Zwella Adventure Journal, children can carry that story home.

Long after the hike is over and the car ride has ended, their journal becomes a reminder of what they saw, what they felt, and how it felt to stand beneath the tallest trees in the world.

For families planning a trip to the Redwoods with kids, the Zwella Adventure Journal is not just something extra to bring. It is part of the adventure.