Redwood

Redwood National and State Parks protect 139,000 acres along the northern California coast, preserving 45% of the world's remaining old-growth coast redwood forests. Established as a national park on October 2, 1968, and unified with three California state parks in 1994, this park system contains the tallest trees on Earth, including coast redwoods exceeding 380 feet in height. The ancient forests harbor trees over 2,000 years old, creating cathedral-like groves with massive trunks reaching 20 feet in diameter.

The parks encompass diverse ecosystems ranging from Pacific coastline to oak woodlands and prairies, spanning elevations from sea level to 3,000 feet. The temperate rainforest climate, characterized by heavy rainfall exceeding 100 inches annually and persistent coastal fog, creates ideal conditions for coast redwoods. These towering giants depend on summer fog to provide up to 40% of their moisture needs during dry months. The parks protect critical habitat for threatened and endangered species including the marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, and coho salmon.

The region has been home to Native American peoples for thousands of years, with the Yurok, Tolowa, Karuk, and Chilula tribes maintaining deep cultural connections to the redwood forests. Following devastating 19th and early 20th-century logging that eliminated 95% of original old-growth redwoods, conservation efforts led by the Save the Redwoods League preserved these magnificent forests. The parks now protect 38,982 acres of old-growth forest, representing 35% of the world's remaining ancient coast redwoods.

Visitors experience the parks through 200 miles of trails, scenic drives including Newton B. Drury Parkway and Howland Hill Road, and attractions such as Fern Canyon, Lady Bird Johnson Grove, and Tall Trees Grove. The parks attract approximately 400,000 visitors annually.