The National Park Service Only Issues Around 50 Permits A Day For This Secret California Redwood Hike

California's Redwood National Park is filled with some of the world's tallest trees, so majestic and otherworldly, you'll feel like you've been plopped in the middle of a "Star Wars" film set. Tucked among these giant monuments of nature, an equally powerful, yet secretive, hike awaits adventurers. While the trail is considered strenuous in spots, filled with steep declines into the grove of trees and a climb upwards back out of the forest, the reward is something that is truly breathtaking.

The Tall Trees Trail is a 4.5-mile, round-trip hike with laborious drops and winding, narrow paths within Redwood National Park. Since the area's Tall Trees Grove was featured in National Geographic in 1963, the trail has become the stuff of hikers' bucket lists, but given the arduous nature of the trek, and in an effort to maintain and preserve the national park and its towering residents, this trail is kept under lock and key. Though there is no admission cost, the National Park Service only issues 50 access permits a day to hopeful hikers. Reservations are absolutely required to attempt this tough, yet beautiful, trail, and while it may take some diligent planning, the experience is sure to become a core memory. Following in a tradition of preservation, the secretive and exclusive Tall Trees Trail is definitely one to keep an eye on for future trips.

Access to the Tall Trees Trail is monitored closely and firmly regulated by the National Park Service. To nab one of the 50 permits released per day, prospective visitors must apply online for a reservation. For the planners who think ahead, permits are available up to 180 days in advance of your desired hiking day, while all reservations must be made at least 24 hours before. A handful of next-day, half-day permits are released at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily, so if you're hoping for a last-minute spot, be sure to check the online system 24 hours ahead. Same day, in-person permits are not available. Each reservation allows for up to seven people and one car.

The hike itself covers 4.5 miles and 1,600 feet of elevation changes, and it often takes hikers the better part of an entire day to complete. The Tall Trees Trail is quite remote — about an hour drive from the nearest visitor center — and the National Park Service recommends using park ranger-provided instructions to and on the trail rather than relying on digital maps. Be well prepared on the hike with food, water, rain equipment, flashlights, and sturdy hiking shoes.

Hikers have likened the strenuous trail to the Grove of Titans, a popular photo spot with an abundance of gigantic redwood trees. Visitors are often awestruck by the sheer scale of the massive trees, surrounded by undergrowth filled with human-sized ferns and other smaller saplings. If you're willing to patiently apply for a permit and undertake the challenging hike, you'll be rewarded with an incredible sight and no tourist crowds.

Of all the national parks in America, Redwood National Park has one of the longest-running local preservation support systems in the country. While Yellowstone National Park has the distinction of being the first national park signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, it wasn't until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service. Soon after, the Save the Redwoods League began in 1918 to spur on preservation efforts and recognition campaigns.

Redwood logging severely depleted California's ancient redwood forests throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the demand for redwood lumber drove the logging industry to capitalize on the supply of then-privately owned redwood land. However, recognizing the ecological damage and loss of natural history from logging, scientists formed the Save the Redwoods League. The non-profit organization purchased over 100,000 acres of redwood forest from 1920 to 1960 via donations and grants. Though the Save the Redwoods League operated independently from the National Park Service for decades, it was vital in the eventual national park designation of Redwood in 1968.

Today, the league is still incredibly active in the maintenance and preservation of redwood forests. Understanding these monumental trees as unique natural features, and living in the legacy of the Save the Redwoods League, the Tall Trees Grove is therefore kept in closely monitored and maintained stewardship. While there is plenty of demand, the trail's scarcity of permits points to a larger effort to regulate human intervention in this stunning hiking spot.