1. Elk Meadow Cabins, Orick

From the front window, you might look out in the morning and see a Roosevelt elk. Then, within minutes, you can venture to some of the best hiking trails in the Redwood Empire at adjacent Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (Humboldt County). These cabins were lodging for employees in the 1960s, and they were rebuilt, remodeled and opened to the public in 2007. In that span, they have become among the most-loved destination in the region. Rooms can sleep six (or more) and rates start at $169 per night. It’s common for about a half dozen elk to roam within a mile of the cabins, and sometimes they show up right out front. Another sub-herd often is sighted in the meadow across from the campground at Prairie Creek Redwoods, and also along Davison Road. Hiking is spectacular at the park (see below). Elk Meadow Cabins, 866-733-9637, www.elkmead owcabins.com.

2. Emerald Forest cabins, Trinidad

In the past four years, new owners revamped this property, and the upgrades raised the bar above many other properties in the area. This is a privately operated site set on 12 acres of redwoods, located along Patrick’s Point Drive in Humboldt County. You’ll find a line of cabins that front a campground circuit for RVs and tents. You are minutes from both Patrick’s Point State Park (see below) and Trinidad Head. At Trinidad Head, you get a gorgeous beachfront on one side, the Seascape Restaurant (known for crab omelets) at the foot of an old pier on the other, and a short hike (Tsauri Loop) on the headland with a few lookouts for an ocean panorama. Rates start at $99 per night. Emerald Forest, 707-677-3554, www.emeraldforestcabins.com.

3. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

Jed Smith is located in Del Norte County on the pristine Smith River, which provides some of winter’s best prospects to fish for elusive giant steelhead. On the far side of the river (a short drive from Hiouchi, over the South Fork Bridge), you get access to the Stout Grove and the Boy Scout Tree Trail, or can drive on South Fork Road and beyond to the trailhead for the South Kelsey Trail. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, 707-465-7335, www.parks.ca.gov.

4. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Prairie Creek, just north of Orick in Humboldt County, is one of the state’s best parks for both wildlife viewing and day hikes. On the meadow across from Elk Prairie Campground, Roosevelt elk are common, often right along the fence or the road. Nearby trailheads include the Lady Bird Johnson Grove of mammoth redwoods, Fern Canyon (walls of ferns), the Coastal Trail (miles of wilderness beach on one side, forest edged with small waterfalls on the other), the Skunk Cabbage Trail (great in spring when the vegetation leafs out), the James Irvine Trail (world-class redwoods, Douglas fir, hemlock and spruce), and many more. The ambitious can link some of the trails to make for all-day treks. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, 707-488-2039, www.parks.ca.gov.

5. Patrick’s Point State Park

The state park is perched on an extended coastal headland near Trinidad in Humboldt County. The Rim Trail is routed in and out of vegetation along the bluff top, with spurs to a series of great ocean lookouts. They include Patrick’s Point, Wedding Rock (overlook), Abalone Point and several others. A few routes lead 200 feet down to secluded beaches, where you can scramble down to Agate Beach and others. The northern end of the park has the region’s best example of Octopus Trees. This is where Sitka spruce have sprouted from atop downed logs, and then sent their roots along the sides of the downed trees, kind of like octopus tentacles. Patrick’s Point State Park, 707677-3570, www.parks.ca.gov.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicle’s outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom Facebook: www.facebook.com/ tomstienstraoutdoors