Lieffer Loop Trail
in California
The Lieffer Loop trail offers a walk for those searching for a shorter trail with elevation changes of 150 feet. A section of the Lieffer Trail is wheelchair accessible. Found in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, this 1.5-mile trail is far enough away from Highway 199 that the sounds of vehicle traffic are unheard.
Hikers will pass living redwoods with scars and large hollows created by fires of the past. Ferns, nurse logs, berry bushes, and a variety of forest features are found here. Benches can be found along the trail that allow hikers to rest and marvel the beauty and resiliency of the forest.
Two trailhead along Walker Road give you access to the Lieffer Loop. You can access both the trailheads by taking the Walker Road turnoff on HWY 199 - this is a sharp turn to the north. One trailhead is about 0.5 miles from the intersection of Highway 199.
- States
- California
- Trail type
- National and State Parks trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Eugene, OR · 163 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 41.8170°, -124.1126°
About Redwood National and State Parks
This trail is inside Redwood National and State Parks, a national and state parks managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/leifferloop.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Lieffer Loop Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Coastal Trail: Crescent Beach
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Trail: Last Chance Grade (North)
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Trail: DeMartin
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Trail: Klamath
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Yurok Loop Trail
16 miles from this trail's centroid
Fern Canyon Loop Trail
29 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.