Richardson Grove State Park is located at the southernmost border of Humboldt County, 75 miles (120.7 km) south of Eureka, California

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....

, United States, and 200 miles (321.9 km) north of San Francisco. The year-round park, which has approximately 2000 acres (8.1 km²), straddles US 101, causing the narrowest point of its entire distance. Local residents refer to this point as the edge of the "Redwood Curtain". Said to have the 9th largest tree of all remaining Coast Redwoods, it is known for swimming on the 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...

 of the Eel River

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 day use in addition to 159 campsites.

The park is named after Friend Richardson

Friend Richardson

Friend William Richardson , was an American newspaper publisher and politician. A member of the Progressive Party and later the Republican Party, Richardson was elected as the California State Treasurer from 1915 to 1923, and shortly afterwards as the 25th governor of California from 1923 to 1927...

, the 25th Governor of California

Governor of California

The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...

 between 1923 to 1927.

Current Issue: Road widening for commerce VS. Preservation

The portion of US Route 101 which dissects Richardson Grove is currently under consideration for widening by Cal Trans. A number of local businesses whose success is tied to shipping out of the area would like the narrow lanes to be widened to provide access to larger tractor trailer combinations to reduce freight costs. Cal Trans engineers communicate the road alignment project may take down some 40 trees in order to widen the road and adjust curves that exist in this remaining portion of the original two lane highway dating from the 1920's. There are several preservation groups which are against the currently proposed changes in the road alignment. Science has shown that removing redwoods from a grove can have adverse affects on the root systems of remaining massive old-growth redwoods; causing death to unintended trees and habitat. Additionally, groups and community members against the project, whose website is entitled "Save Richardson Grove," posit that the result of widening the highway may cause Humboldt County to become a casualty of unlimited commercial development.

External links

• Official Website for Richardson Grove State Park
• Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association: Richardson Grove State Park Overview