Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Encyclopedia
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is located 30 miles (48.3 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 53000 acres (214.5 km²) through acquisitions and gifts to the state. It is part of the Northern California coastal forests
ecoregion and has 23600 acres (95.5 km²) of old-growth forests that include the largest contiguous remaining old-growth redwood forest in the world. At 17000 acres (68.8 km²) this forest, comprising the entire Bull Creek watershed
and the Rockefeller Forest, is a pristine, diverse ecosystem unequaled by any other in any of the other Redwood parks, including Redwood National and State Parks
.
Nearby U.S. Route 101, which generally follows the Eel River
and its South Fork
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.
.
Over 100 of the 137 known trees over 106.7 meters (350 ft) tall (all coast redwoods) occur in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is home to the 4th tallest measured living redwood, the Stratosphere Giant
, which was measured at 112.94 meters in 2004. Stratosphere Giant was the tallest known living redwood until the discovery of three taller trees in Redwood National Park; the tallest, Hyperion
, 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 meters high when it fell in March 1991. It was estimated to be 1600 years old.
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
in southern Humboldt County
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
, within northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Established by the Save-the-Redwoods League
Save-the-Redwoods League
The Save the Redwoods League is an organization dedicated to the protection of the remaining Coast Redwood trees in the state of California. It was founded in 1918 by Frederick Russell Burnham, Madison Grant, John C. Merriam, and Henry Fairfield Osborn....
in 1921 with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling
Raynal Bolling
Colonel Raynal Cawthorne Bolling was the first high-ranking U.S. officer to be killed in combat in World War I. He laid the foundation for the United States Army Air Service in the American Expeditionary Force...
Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third largest park in the California State Park System, containing nearly 53000 acres (214.5 km²) through acquisitions and gifts to the state. It is part of the Northern California coastal forests
Northern California coastal forests
The Northern California coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of coastal Northern California, USA.-Setting:The ecoregion lies close to the Pacific Ocean, and is kept moist by Pacific Ocean storms during the winter months, and by coastal fogs in the summer months...
ecoregion and has 23600 acres (95.5 km²) of old-growth forests that include the largest contiguous remaining old-growth redwood forest in the world. At 17000 acres (68.8 km²) this forest, comprising the entire Bull Creek watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
and the Rockefeller Forest, is a pristine, diverse ecosystem unequaled by any other in any of the other Redwood parks, including Redwood National and State Parks
Redwood National and State Parks
The Redwood National and State Parks are located in the United States, along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park and California's Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks , the combined RNSP contain...
.
Eel River (California)
The Eel River is a major river system of the northern Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. Approximately 200 miles long, it drains a rugged area in the California Coast Ranges between the Sacramento Valley and the ocean. For most of its course, the river flows northwest, parallel to the...
and its South Fork
South Fork Eel River
The South Fork Eel River is the longest and largest tributary of the Eel River, in the north-central part of the U.S. state of California. The river flows north from Laytonville to Dyerville/Founders' Grove where it joins the Eel River on the left bank...
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.
Redwoods
The park is famed for its coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), many of which grow to over 90 m in height. The forests on alluvial flats are almost pure redwood forest, but the forests on the slopes contain also Coast Douglas-firCoast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii, known as Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer species native to western North America. Its variety Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, also known as coast Douglas-fir grows in the coastal regions, from west-central British Columbia, Canada...
.
Over 100 of the 137 known trees over 106.7 meters (350 ft) tall (all coast redwoods) occur in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is home to the 4th tallest measured living redwood, the Stratosphere Giant
Stratosphere Giant
Stratosphere Giant was once considered the tallest tree in the world. It was discovered in July 2000 in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, measuring 112.34 metres tall....
, which was measured at 112.94 meters in 2004. Stratosphere Giant was the tallest known living redwood until the discovery of three taller trees in Redwood National Park; the tallest, Hyperion
Hyperion (tree)
Hyperion is the name of a Coast Redwood in Northern California that was measured at , which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree. Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.Hyperion was discovered August...
, 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 meters high when it fell in March 1991. It was estimated to be 1600 years old.
External links
- Humboldt Redwoods SP - official site (California Department of Parks & Recreation)
- Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association - extensive information on the park's cultural resources, history, and preservation of assets
- Landmark Trees Archive - complete list of largest & tallest redwoods by the Tall Trees Club