Mendocino redwoods / choose a grove and plan an unimpaired visit
Mendocino redwoods offer several different outings: Montgomery Woods has a two-mile loop with a steep beginning, Hendy Woods combines old-growth groves with shorter trail options, and Navarro River Redwoods follows the Highway 128 river corridor toward the coast. Choose by access, terrain and the time you want outdoors.
Plan the forest visit unimpaired and keep cannabis use separate from public parks and driving. Before leaving, read the actual park’s latest restrictions. A grove can remain open while parking, a campground or a particular route is limited.
Last reviewed: November 2026.
Choose your Mendocino redwoods outing
Begin with one destination. These parks share redwoods without sharing the same trail layout or facilities. A day-use reserve with a steep approach asks different things of a visitor than a grove with an accessible discovery route or a road corridor leading toward the ocean.
Compare the setting
Choose a park to see its defining planning detail.
A steep approach to a reserve loop
Montgomery
The official two-mile route begins and ends with a steep section.
Groves and interpretive options
Hendy
Start with the park’s Discovery and All-Access route information.
A river-and-road corridor
Navarro
Highway 128 passes through second-growth redwoods toward the coast.
Read the current notice
Conditions
Parking projects and seasonal closures can affect an otherwise open park.
For a first visit from Ukiah, choose the experience before estimating travel: a concentrated grove walk, an interpretive trail or a scenic coastal approach. Then open the official directions and the current map for that destination. Do not treat the names as adjacent stops on a single walking route.
Give the return journey equal attention. Decide who will drive, where you can turn back and how much daylight you want in reserve. The park’s route description is a starting point for planning, not a promise about your group’s pace or the day’s conditions.
Montgomery Woods: plan for the opening climb
The Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve page describes a two-mile loop with a steep 0.3-mile beginning and ending section and about 200 feet of elevation gain. In wet weather, the route can be muddy or flooded. The reserve is day use only, with no camping.
The official directions describe an approach west from Ukiah over about 13 miles of paved road, or an approach east from Comptche involving a hard-packed gravel road. Read the route carefully and choose directions suited to your vehicle and comfort with the road conditions.
On November 6, 2026, the page carried a notice that ongoing trail work limited parking. Its accessibility page identifies an accessible picnic area, parking route and vault restroom near the trailhead. That does not make the steep forest loop accessible to every visitor.
If the climb does not suit the group, choose another destination rather than relying on the short distance to make it easy. Someone can enjoy the entrance facilities without committing to the whole loop. Confirm current work areas and access with park staff when they affect your plans.
Hendy Woods: use the trail map to select a shorter visit
Hendy Woods State Park protects the Big Hendy and Little Hendy groves in Anderson Valley, off Highway 128 near Philo. Its official activities information describes a 0.6-mile, mostly flat Discovery Trail and a 1.6-mile Big Hendy Loop using several connected trails.
Read the park’s activities and route descriptions alongside the map, because route names and combined loops can be described differently. The All-Access and Discovery routes provide a useful starting point for an accessibility question. Check the actual surface and current access requirements before choosing.
The November 6, 2026 notice said Azalea Campground was closed for winter, with camping available at Wildcat Campground. The page listed day-use hours from 8 a.m. to sunset. Recheck both notices for the date you intend to visit; campsite availability is a separate booking question.
The park restricts ordinary pets from trails even though dogs are permitted in its campground and day-use areas. Review the posted dog rules before bringing a pet, and ask about service-animal access separately. A short forest walk still needs a plan that includes every member of the group.
Navarro River Redwoods: distinguish the forest corridor from the coast
Navarro River Redwoods State Park contains second-growth redwood groves along the river and Highway 128. Its official description follows the wooded corridor toward the sea, with Navarro Beach at the river mouth. A coastal stop and a forest stop offer different terrain and conditions.
Explore the sequence
Prepare before leaving town
A few decisions keep the day easier to follow.
Select
Choose one main destination
Match the route to the group’s mobility and interests.
Verify
Read the park notice and map
Check work areas, seasonal facilities and current access.
Pack
Prepare for the conditions
Bring the supplies and layers your route requires.
Return
Keep transport unimpaired
Leave time for the drive and a change of plans.
A shorter outing can leave more time to notice the grove.
As checked November 6, 2026, Paul Dimmick Campground was closed for the season, with a published summer reopening schedule for 2027. Do not turn the park’s general list of camping facilities into a claim that a particular campground is open today.
Use designated parking and official access points. A scenic highway description is not permission to stop in an unsafe place or cross traffic for a photograph. Choose the stopping point before the driver needs to make the decision, and keep attention on the road through the trees.
Keep the forest visit and cannabis plans separate
California’s DCC guidance prohibits cannabis use in public places and allows property owners to restrict use on private property. A smoking area, a quiet trail or an edible format does not create permission to consume in a public park. This is general information, not legal advice.
Drawn to one scale
Three redwood parks, three very different walks
Montgomery Woods
State natural reserve, about 13 paved miles west of Ukiah
Loop: 2 miles, about 200 feet of climbing
- Steep first and last 0.3 mile
- Day use only, no camping
- Muddy or flooded when wet
Nov 6, 2026Trail work was limiting parking.
Hendy Woods
State park in Anderson Valley, off Highway 128 near Philo
Discovery Trail: 0.6 mile, mostly flat
Big Hendy Loop: 1.6 miles on several connected trails
- Big Hendy and Little Hendy groves
- Day use 8 a.m. to sunset
- Dogs not allowed on trails
Nov 6, 2026Azalea Campground closed for winter; Wildcat Campground open.
Navarro River Redwoods
Second-growth groves along the river and Highway 128
Corridor: forest along the road, then Navarro Beach at the river mouth
- Use designated parking only
- Forest and coast stops differ
Nov 6, 2026Paul Dimmick Campground closed until its 2027 season.
Parks are public places. Using cannabis in a public place is not allowed under Health and Safety Code section 11362.3(a)(1), whether it is a smoke, a vape or an edible.
Distances, notices and hours: California State Parks pages for each park, checked November 6, 2026. Recheck before you go. General information, not legal advice.
Enjoy the grove on its own terms: look at the bark, the fern understory and the changing light from the marked route. Keep personal belongings with you and follow the park’s instructions for trails, wildlife and waste. No cannabis product is needed to improve a redwood visit.
For a separate store question, Vibe Ukiah has its own location page and menu. It does not establish permission to use a purchase at a park. Keep any lawful later use at a permitted setting and never drive impaired.
Frequently asked questions
Choose Montgomery for its reserve loop if the steep approach suits the group, Hendy for its groves and interpretive trail options, or Navarro for the Highway 128 river corridor toward the coast. Check current conditions before leaving.
Documented state-park options include Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, Hendy Woods State Park and Navarro River Redwoods State Park. They have different routes, facilities and access needs.
Sources
- California State Parks: Montgomery Woods
- California State Parks: Montgomery accessibility
- California State Parks: Hendy Woods
- California State Parks: Hendy activities
- California State Parks: Navarro River Redwoods
- DCC: what is legal
Choose terrain and access that fit the group, check current park conditions and keep the entire outing and drive unimpaired.
Find your Vibe location
Use pick your Vibe store for a separate store visit. Park access and cannabis-consumption rules remain separate decisions.