Redwood National and State Parks
Protects 45% of remaining old-growth coast redwood forests.
Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one United States national park and three California state parks located along the coast of northern California. The combined RNSP preserve 45 percent of all remaining old-growth coast redwood forests, including the tallest, among the oldest, and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. The parks protect 37 miles of pristine coastline, indigenous flora, fauna, grassland prairie, cultural resources, and waterways, and were designated a World Heritage Site in 1980.
Quick Facts
- Iucn Category
- V
- Location
- Humboldt County and Del Norte County, California, US
- Nearest City
- Crescent City
- Established
- October 2, 1968
- Area
- 139091 acre
- Visitation Num
- 458,400
- Visitation Year
- 2022
- Governing Body
- National Park Service and California Department of Parks and Recreation
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The parks are located in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, in a region that is highly seismically active and prone to tsunamis. The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) thrives in the humid temperate rainforest. Redwood forest originally covered more than 8,100 km² of the California coast, and the region remained largely wild until after 1850. The Gold Rush and attendant timber business unleashed a torrent of activity, adversely affecting indigenous peoples and supplying lumber to the West Coast. Decades of unrestricted clear-cut logging ensued, followed by ardent conservation efforts. In the 1920s, the Save the Redwoods League helped create Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks. After lobbying from the league and the Sierra Club, Congress created Redwood National Park in 1968 and expanded it in 1978. In 1994, the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation combined Redwood National Park with the three abutting Redwoods State Parks into a single administrative unit. Modern management seeks to protect and restore the coast redwood forests to their condition before 1850, including by controlled burning.
Reader's Guide
The parks' significance lies in their preservation of a rare ecosystem and cultural history, recognized by the United Nations World Heritage designation in 1980. The parks protect threatened animal species such as the Chinook salmon, northern spotted owl, and Steller's sea lion. Local tribes declared an Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area in 2023, protecting the parks region, coastline, and coastal waters. The parks are free to enter except for special permits, and visitors may camp, hike, bike, and ride horseback along about 200 miles of trails. The history of the area includes millennia of indigenous habitation by nations such as the Yurok, Tolowa, Karuk, Chilula, and Wiyot, who relied on redwood for construction and featured the trees in their mythology. European American exploration began with the Cabrillo expedition in 1543, and Jedediah Smith explored the interior in 1828. The Gold Rush brought conflict and displacement of native peoples, followed by extensive logging. Conservation efforts by the Save the Redwoods League and Sierra Club led to the creation of state parks and eventually the national park, culminating in the combined administrative unit in 1994.
More in World Heritage Sites in the United States 1-24
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