Redwood National and State Parks, National and state park group in northern California, United States
Redwood National and State Parks combines Redwood National Park, created in 1968, with Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks, all managed as one unit since 1994. The four units cover 139,000 acres in Del Norte and Humboldt counties and hold 45 percent of the remaining old-growth coast redwood forest. Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) rise with reddish-brown, deeply furrowed fibrous bark and no lower branches, among ferns and moss on the forest floor.
Congress authorized the national park in 1968 after conservationists campaigned to protect remaining old-growth stands from industrial logging. Three existing California state parks later merged into the federal system to create a unified management zone.
The Chilula, who lived along Redwood Creek until the 1860s, held the redwood to be a gift from the creator; elder Minnie Reeves called her people "the people inside the redwood trees." Yurok tradition treats the trees as sacred beings standing as guardians over holy places, and plank houses built from redwood were themselves considered living things.
Roads through the reserves wind between the groves and may be narrow in places, so drivers should watch for wildlife crossing and proceed slowly. Trails range from short loops near parking areas to longer routes into backcountry zones, and sturdy footwear helps on uneven ground.
Park officials keep the locations of the tallest specimens secret to prevent visitor damage to their root systems and surrounding soil. Only a handful of researchers know where to find them, and trails do not lead directly to these record holders.
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