Humboldt Redwoods State Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Meadow adjacent to Albee Creek Campground.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park
The "Darkness at Noon" effect is synonymous with Redwood Groves.
Location	California, USA
Nearest city	Fortuna
Area	53,000 acres (210 km²)
Established	1921
Governing body	California Department of Parks and Recreation

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is located 30 miles (50 km) south of Eureka, California in southern Humboldt County, within northern California. Established by the Save-the-Redwoods League in 1921 with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third largest park in the California State Park System, containing nearly 53,000 acres (210 km²) through acquisitions and gifts to the state. Among its assets is the largest, contiguous remaining old-growth redwood forest in the world. At 17,000 acres (69 km²) this forest, comprised of the entire Bull Creek Watershed and the Rockefeller Forest,^[1] is a pristine, diverse ecosystem unequaled by any other in any of the other Redwood parks.

Nearby U.S. Route 101, which generally follows the Eel River in this part of the North Coast, offers easy access to the park and nearby towns with connections to the scenic highway, Avenue of the Giants, also mostly located within or near park boundaries.

Three park campgrounds, complete with potable water, bathrooms, and showers, contain more than 250 campsites.

[edit] Redwoods

Rockefeller Forest contains the largest tract of old-growth Redwood tress in California.

The park is famed for its coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), some of which grow to over 90 m in height. It is also home to the 2nd tallest living redwood, the Stratosphere Giant, which was measured at 112.83 metres in 2004. Stratosphere Giant was the tallest living redwood until the discovery of Hyperion, a tree in Redwood National Park, measuring 115.55 m in September 2006.

Before the discovery of Hyperion, the tallest redwood ever measured was the "Dyerville Giant", also in Humboldt State Park. The tree, the tallest tree ever measured, was 113.4 metres high when it fell in March 1991. It was estimated to be 1600 years old.

Most of the original old growth redwoods surrounding the park have been clearcut over the past several decades.^{[citation needed]}