Explore Redwood National Park
Every spring the rhododendrons bloom in the redwood forest. (below) Redwood Creek. Photos courtesty National Park Service
Walking through a redwood grove on a fog-shrouded morning in Redwood National Park can be an unforgettable experience. Sounds are reduced to the musical gurgle of water trickling amongst ferns and mossy rocks. Light ebbs with the somber mist and shafts of sun hang like cobwebs. Stillness and peace weave their spells upon the respectful traveler.
Visitors are invited to walk, Hike, Bike Ride, Camp & Horseback Ride, when they visit Redwood National Park. Over 200 miles of trails weave through a variety of environments, including prairies, old-growth redwood forests, and beaches. Whether it's a day hike or backpack trip you are interested in, there is always something available.
Three California state parks - Prairie Creek Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods, Jedediah Smith Redwoods, and the Redwood National Park comprise 45 percent of all the old-growth redwood forest remaining in California. Together these parks are a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve, protecting resources cherished by citizens of many nations.
Nearly half of the remaining old growth redwoods are in this park system, including giants five stories taller than the Statue of Liberty. They can live to be 2000 years old and grow to over 360 feet tall. Spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, berry bushes, and sword ferns create a multiple canopied understory that towers over all visitors. The parks' mosaic of habitats include prairie/oak woodlands, mighty rivers and streams, and 37 miles of pristine Pacific coastline.
In late 2006, naturalists discovered a new world's tallest tree, called Hyperion. It is in Redwood National and State Parks in Humboldt County (near the original Tall Tree that was discovered in the 60s) in an undisclosed location. It rises to 379.1 feet, which is nearly six stories taller than the Statue of Liberty!
Check out this link for great pictures of the Parks (by Patrick Holleran) http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/Redwood/Redwood.html
Directions: Redwood National and State Parks is located in northern Humboldt County and throughout the coast of neighboring Del Norte County. Highway 101 takes you to all the parks in this area (Jedediah Smith Redwoods is just a few miles east on Highway 199. The central region of the parks near Prairie Creek Redwoods is only 45 minutes north of Eureka.