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Humboldt Redwoods State Park
The "Darkness at Noon" effect is synonymous with Redwood Groves.
Location	California, USA
Nearest city	Rio DellNearest city: Rio Dell
Coordinates	40°18′43″N 123°58′18″W / 40.31194°N 123.97167°W / 40.31194; -123.97167Coordinates: 40°18′43″N 123°58′18″W / 40.31194°N 123.97167°W / 40.31194; -123.97167
Area	53,000 acres (210 km2)
Established	1921 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 are 23,600 acres (96 km²) of old-growth forests^[1], including 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,^[2] is a pristine, diverse ecosystem unequaled by any other in any of the other Redwood parks, including Redwood National and State Parks.

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

Meadow adjacent to Albee Creek Campground.

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.

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-fir.

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.^[3]

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.

References

1. ^ Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (1993), Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington, United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197, http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rb197.pdf  
2. ^ http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=425 Humboldt Redwoods State Park
3. ^ Prof Stephen Sillett's webpage

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