Notes: Hail Storm, also known as Girl Scout Tree because it resembles Boy Scout Tree nearby, is the world's 4th largest tree and the largest coast redwood. Hail Storm has the lowest-density wood of any coast redwood yet measured.

In spring 2007, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the California State Parks Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, and Save the Redwoods League paid Sanborn Mapping Services $183,000 to conduct an aerial LiDAR survey of Redwood National and State Parks, the Headwaters Forest Reserve, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Over a period of three months, Sanborn's 1968 Aero Commander 500S aircraft, carrying Leica Geosystems topographic LiDAR sensors, flew back and forth above the parks, at an altitude of 2,625 ft (800 m), while a laser, firing through a hole in the bottom of the fuselage, scanned the terrain below. The aircraft traveled more than 13,500 mi (21,726 km) during the survey while LiDAR sensors recorded the precise location, between the ground and the treetops, of 85,000 points every second to generate a three-dimensional map of the forest. After researchers processed the LiDAR data to estimate the height, width, and volume of several trees in each park, naturalists hiked to the tallest and largest specimens to confirm their dimensions.

The Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park docent meeting presentation Redwoods 101 includes a segment about Hail Storm which mentions its status as the world's 4th largest tree and the largest coast redwood. The Canopy Climbing Collective film Chasing Adventure - The Arborist includes two segments (1 and 2) about Hail Storm.

The largest coast redwood (Hail Storm) and the largest giant redwood (General Sherman) grow 460 mi (740 km) apart, the largest coast redwood (Hail Storm) and the tallest giant redwood (Near Sherman) grow 460 mi (740 km) apart, and the largest (Hail Storm) and the tallest (Hyperion) coast redwoods grow 40 mi (64 km) apart.

Drive: Hail Storm is is 291 mi (468 km) north of San Francisco near Crescent City.

Northbound: From U.S. Highway 101, exit Humboldt Road just south of Crescent City. Turn right onto Humboldt Road and drive north 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to Howland Hill Road. Turn right onto Howland Hill Road and drive north 3.1 mi (5.0 km), past Howland Hill Giant, to the Boy Scout Tree Trail sign and parking area located at 41.76856 -124.11022.

Southbound: From U.S. Highway 101, exit Elk Valley Road just south of Crescent City. Turn left onto Elk Valley Road and drive east 1.1 mi (1.8 km) to Howland Hill Road. Turn right onto Howland Hill Road and drive 3.6 mi (5.8 km) to the Boy Scout Tree Trail sign and parking area, located at 41.76856, -124.11022.

Hike: GPS-assisted navigation is recommended for this hike. From the trailhead, hike 1.3 mi (2.1 km) northwest on Boy Scout Tree Trail to the trail exit point, near 41.77845 -124.12417, beside a small tree in the middle of the trail. Exit the trail here and, using a GPS device, hike northeast 400 ft (122 m) off-trail to Hail Storm.

View Hail Storm Tree location in Google Maps

Panorama: Click panorama to take a virtual tour of Hail Storm Tree

Photos: Pictures of Hail Storm Tree taken from different sides