Redway, CA

Redway is a small unincorporated community in Humboldt County, in far northern California, with a population of roughly 1,300 residents. Set in the heart of redwood country along the South Fork of the Eel River, it has a quiet, rural, timber-country character and serves as a convenient base for travelers exploring some of the state's most spectacular old-growth forests. Redway sits just across the river from its larger neighbor Garberville, and the two small towns together act as a service hub for visitors heading into the surrounding parks and backcountry. The nearest sizable city is Eureka, about 55 miles to the northwest along US-101.

The headline draw in the area is Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which encompasses more than 50,000 acres of forest, including Rockefeller Forest, the largest remaining contiguous stand of old-growth coast redwoods on Earth. The park lies just a short drive south of Redway, and it is famously traversed by the Avenue of the Giants, a 31-mile scenic byway lined with towering trees, picnic grounds, and short hiking trails. Visitors also come for river swimming holes and developed campgrounds that place them in the shadow of some of the world's tallest trees.

A short drive south of Redway along US-101, Richardson Grove State Park offers another chance to walk among ancient redwoods, with a riverside campground and easy short walks into groves along the Eel River. For many travelers driving up from the Bay Area, this is the first major old-growth redwood park they encounter, and the park's day-use areas and tent sites are popular with road-trippers, motorcyclists riding the nearby Avenue of the Giants, and through-hikers on the regional trail network.

For those drawn to the region's wilder edge, Redway also serves as a staging point for trips to the Lost Coast, the remote, road-less stretch of Mendocino and Humboldt county coastline that has become a magnet for backpackers and surfers willing to do the work to reach its black-sand beaches and driftwood-strewn shores. The community's small motels, cafés, and outfitters cater to a steady flow of visitors year-round, drawn by the chance to unplug in one of the most tree-filled corners of the continental United States.

With its central location along the Avenue of the Giants corridor, its proximity to multiple major redwood parks, and its role as a last full-service stop before the Lost Coast, Redway offers short-term rental owners access to a steady, nature-focused traveler base. The community's modest size keeps competition limited, while its setting in one of California's most iconic landscapes supports healthy demand for cabins, cottages, and forest-view homes that can serve as a comfortable base for exploring the redwoods.