Permits

Fern Canyon & Gold Bluffs Beach Day Use Permits

Hoping to explore Fern Canyon and/or Gold Bluffs Beach during your visit to the park? Permits are required May 15th to September 15th in order to visit the Gold Bluffs Beach Day-Use Area including the Fern Canyon Trailhead. This is effective as of May 2022. Permits are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and can be reserved up until 11:59 pm (PST) the day before. We highly recommend booking your permits in advance.

No permits available? 

Prepared visitors can take an all-day hike to Fern Canyon! Park at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park near the visitor center and hike into Fern Canyon via the James Irvine Trail (4 to 8-hour hike, 10 miles round-trip)

Questions?

Email Redw_Permits@nps.gov or call the park's general information line at (707) 464-6101 

*please be advised that this phone number is not always staffed and your best place for information regarding your permit will be either the email confirmation or website.

Back Country Permits

Back Country permits are only being issued online at this time and the webpage to access them is on on the NPS website for Backcountry Camping and Permits.

Special Use Permits

For information on special use permits (including Wedding Ceremonies, Memorialization Ceremony (Scattering of Ashes), Equestrian Events, Commercial Filming and Photography, Student Filming and Photography, Scientific Research, Other Events e.g. fishing contests, marathons, reunions, guided hikes) please visit the Special Use Permits Webpage.

Tribal Gathering Permits

For information about Tribal Gathering permits, click here.

Scientific Research and Collecting Permits

For information about Scientific Research and Collecting Permits, click here.