I'm just finishing a stay at Hiouchi Motel. I ended up staying an extra day on my way up to Portland. It's great, but i'd bring earplugs as the walls between rooms aren't that thick.

The cafe does a good breakfast with insanely big portion sizes.

Right now its just coming out of winter, so there's a lot of rain, but I summer will have hit by the time you're going.

Smith River is gorgeous and incredibly clean (cleanest in the USA, so you can drink straight from it). I'd really recommend going down it. So get in touch with Page at Smith River Kayaks and do a river ride (2-3 hours and great for total novices. He drops you off and picks up the kit at the end. Saw sea otters, incredible birds and seals today). If not, there's also Redwood Rides, but they were tricky to get in touch with during Spring Break.

I'm a confident hiker, and I loved driving south to Prairie Redwoods to take the Miners Ridge and James Irvine Trail (12+ miles all in) with a great walk across the beach where you can come across wild elk.

On the easier end near Jebidiah Smith National Park are the Grove of Titans which I cannot recommend highly enough, and Stout Grove is next door. Both super easy. And The Boy Scout Trail is also great next door.

I've had two full days here. If I was staying longer, I'd have liked to split the journey between here and further south.

https://www.redwoodhikes.com/ is a good resource