Redwood groves
Drier seasonal weather makes forest walking easier to plan, but the coast still needs layers and rain preparation.
May · Redwood groves
What to see and do in Redwood in May
Choose a May outing that fits the route, weather and effort involved.
Fern Canyon
Check the seasonal vehicle-reservation window before driving. Even with summer footbridges, the canyon can require wading and climbing over logs.
May · Fern Canyon
Redwood weather in May
May’s normal high is 61°F and low is 47°F, with 3.59 inches of precipitation. The Klamath station sits at about 28 ft near the Klamath River mouth, near the middle of the parks' 50 miles of coast, so it stands in for the coastal lowland along U.S. 101. NPS says summer brings cool coastal temperatures with frequent fog, while inland areas are typically warmer with clearer skies, and the Bald Hills get much hotter in summer than the coast. The station's snowfall normals are zero.
Cooler Hotter
Jan
High55°F
Low39°F
Precip · in13.38
Feb
High56°F
Low39°F
Precip · in10.67
Mar
High57°F
Low40°F
Precip · in10.65
Apr
High59°F
Low43°F
Precip · in6.64
May
High61°F
Low47°F
Precip · in3.59
Jun
High64°F
Low47°F
Precip · in1.78
Jul
High66°F
Low53°F
Precip · in0.26
Aug
High66°F
Low51°F
Precip · in0.33
Sep
High67°F
Low50°F
Precip · in1.26
Oct
High63°F
Low45°F
Precip · in4.99
Nov
High58°F
Low41°F
Precip · in10.09
Dec
High54°F
Low38°F
Precip · in15.25
Redwood crowds in May
May averages 64,976 recreation visits, 68% of the peak monthly average in June.
LowestLowModerateHighPeakAverage month: 52,146May
Tips for your May visit
Check the approach before choosing the rest of the day.
AThomas H. Kuchel Visitor CenterBPrairie Creek Visitor CenterCCrescent City Information CenterDHiouchi Visitor CenterEJedediah Smith Visitor Center
- Park boundary
Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center
Normal road approach, subject to weather and individual site restrictions.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Crowds
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits, compared with the park’s own busiest month. Visits are not unique visitors or a count of people on a trail.
- Weather
- 1991-2020 climate normals. NOAA’s Klamath, CA station. These describe typical weather at the station, not every part of the park or a forecast.
- Roads & lodging
- Normal seasonal schedules. NPS guidance and official operator information. Confirm access, hours and availability before you travel.
Historical records and data-quality checks
- Visit history: 1979–2025 NPS monthly recreation visits.
- Weather history: 1948–2025 daily observations, separate from climate normals. We average daily highs and lows and total the rain for each month.
- Complete months only: every day must pass our quality checks for that metric. Missing or incomplete records stay blank; we never interpolate.
- Excluded measurements: flagged, presumed-zero and lagged values. Trace rain counts as zero measurable rainfall.