Fellow parents in the toddler trenches, you’ll thank me later when your kid sleeps soundly through the night.

Tucked away in Grizzly Peak at California Adventure, just across the pathway from Grizzly River Run, you’ll find plenty of towering pine trees and lush forest landscaping that mimics the redwood-covered mountains of Northern California. And if you’ve ever wondered what, exactly, is hiding behind those trees, it’s one of Disneyland Resort’s best hidden gems: Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

An opening day attraction at California Adventure, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is often overlooked. If you don’t have kids, there’s not a ton for adults to enjoy here – and if you have kids who are tall enough to ride most of the park’s more thrilling attractions, those are a much bigger draw. 

But for toddler parents, Redwood Creek is a magical spot where you can have some fun, let your kid run around, and even find attractions sized just for them. 

Whether your toddler is frustrated after waiting in attraction lines or simply restless to get out of the stroller – or you need to achieve just the right amount of sensory stimulation to get a good night’s sleep – I swear by Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Find out why this under-the-radar attraction is a can’t miss for my family.

What is Redwood Creek Challenge Trail?

Photo by Heather Adams

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is an outdoor space filled with interactive playgrounds, kid-friendly attractions, and areas to explore. 

Designed to mimic California’s renowned forests, Redwood Creek will make you feel like you’ve been transported to Sequoia National Park or Redwood National and State Park. The towering trees, iconic ranger watch towers, and even the animal signage and waterways all feel authentic. Plus, little details like regional maps and historical touches add authenticity to the area.

Most importantly, though, this is an attraction unlike any other at Disneyland Resort. It’s a large area, and it offers kids the freedom to roam, run, and just play. There’s no waiting in line (unless you’re visiting with older kids who want to ride the zipline or larger slides), and you can spend as much or as little time as you’d like here. The flexibility and freedom are made for toddlers’ attention spans.

Toddler-Friendly Activities at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Wondering what there is for your under-3-year-old to explore and enjoy throughout Redwood Creek Challenge Trail? While there are a few selection attractions reserved for older kids (no, your toddler won’t be ziplining!), parents will be pleased to discover that nearly everything is open to kids of every age.

Below, I’m sharing some of the best toddler activities to try inside Redwood Creek.

Suspended Rope Bridges

The suspended rope bridges hanging over much of Redwood Creek Challenge Trail are one of the most exciting draws for toddlers. As you wander the area’s pathways, you’ll automatically find your way to staircases that lead to the lookout towers – and all of those towers are connected via suspended rope bridges.

While some of these bridges are true rope bridges, meaning they have multiple layers of rope netting for kids to walk across, others are suspended wood bridges held up with ropes. For toddlers, these are perfect.

My son spent hours running back and forth over the wood suspended bridges, enthralled with their motion and how bouncing and walking made them wiggle. With bridges of all different lengths (and plenty of width to share with other guests), your toddler can explore, practice walking and running, and bounce until they’re all tired out.

Best of all, the bridges lead to different levels of the lookout towers, so there’s always a cool view to catch as your family explores. Toddlers can peer down below, check out roaring streams and waterfalls, and even bump into some characters.

Character Meet and Greets

Photo by Heather Adams

It’s not widely advertised (much like many of the character meet and greets throughout Disneyland Resort), but there are characters inside Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. In fact, you never know when they might pop up as you’re exploring the area.

While Russell and Dug are known to be in Redwood Creek or hanging out outside of the attraction, and Santa often stops by during the holidays, other characters can appear, too. You might catch them wandering the pathways and trails, or they may stop by one of the lookout towers, hanging out on the platform to greet guests and snap photos.

Characters we’ve encountered include Dug, Chip ‘n’ Dale, and Raya (who typically appears during the Lunar New Year Celebration). Often, the characters will surprise you; for example, we most frequently run into Chip ‘n’ Dale at the Mount Shasta Lookout tower.

Just note there are no Disney PhotoPass photographers accompanying these roaming characters inside Redwood Creek, so you’ll want to have your own camera handy.

Tunnel Tree

Toddlers love nothing more than running freely, and over at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail’s Tunnel Tree, that’s exactly what parents can let little ones do. 

This recreated fallen redwood tree is kid-sized and made for crawling, hiding, and exploring. It’s roomy enough that adults can fit inside – you may just need to be on your knees, though I can stand up inside at 5 feet tall – so you can follow your toddler as they explore the different “branches” and hiding spots.

Tunnel Tree is especially great for toddlers who love to play peek-a-boo or hide and seek. With multiple entry points, multiple family members can play from inside and outside the tree. Toddlers can run around inside the tree, and the ground underneath is bouncy and slightly cushy for your own adult knees.

And you’re sure to get plenty of laughter if you lift your little one up through the “skylight” overhead!

Pine Peril Bridge

This teeny-tiny bridge is sized just right for toddlers, though be warned: It doesn’t bounce or shake like the suspended rope bridges (a huge disappointment to my son!).

Right near the Tunnel Tree, this narrow little bridge sits over a quaint creek, looking just like a miniature version of the larger bridges you’ll see overhead. If your toddler is a bit too wary of the suspended bridges, this is a great place to play instead – plus, if your little one loves water, you can spend plenty of time checking out the creek. 

Kenai’s Spirit Cave

Photo by Heather Adams

While your little one might not yet be familiar with Disney’s Brother Bear, this cave is still a cool space to let them explore. 

Inside, cave drawings inspired by the animated film’s lore light up. Kids don’t have to do anything to make the cave activate, but there is one spot at the center (high up for toddlers, so you’ll need to pick them up!) where kids can place their hand and activate the sparkling magic. 

Note that while magical, Kenai’s Spirit Cave is a little dark inside, and it may spook some toddlers. My son didn’t love getting deeper into the cave – but there are plenty of magical effects you can check out right from either side entrance.

Outside of the cave, there’s plenty of open space for toddlers to run around, too. They can splash in the shallow faux creek outside the cave, hang out on the rope bridge, or even take a break in the shade on the nearby seating. If they’re big enough, they can even check out the dual rock slides nearby, which are much smaller versions of the Hoot n’ Holler Log Slides.

Visit Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at the End of Your Disney Day

With so many different areas and activities to explore, I highly recommend working Redwood Creek Challenge Trail into your Disneyland visit. It offers everything toddlers (and parents) want, from a secure enclosed space to run freely and plenty of interactive areas that engage different senses.

Most importantly of all, toddlers will get to have some agency in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. In my experience, that’s one of the toughest challenges of visiting the theme parks with a kid under 3. Parents dictate the day, deciding where they’ll go and what they’ll experience. But in this unique (and large!) area of California Adventure, toddlers can run, jump, play, and choose their own adventure.

And parents: You’ll absolutely be tired after crawling through pint-sized logs and running back and forth on rope bridges. But the best news of all? Time and again Redwood Creek has delivered a solid 9- to 10-hour night of sleep for my difficult sleeper – so your odds of sleeping in the next morning are high!

Just note that Redwood Creek does typically close earlier than other attractions in the park, so you’ll want to head here before dinner to ensure your little one can enjoy the entire area.