Redwood National Park

Notes: Redwood National Park, America's 34th national park, was established on October 2, 1968 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation which preserved 91 mi2 (235 km2) of old-growth coast redwood forest in Northern California and associated creeks, rivers, and coastline for purposes of public inspiration, enjoyment, and scientific study. The new park boundary encompassed three existing California state parks: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

On March 27, 1978, Redwood National Park nearly doubled in size, expanding by 75 mi2 (194 km2), when President James E. Carter signed legislation which preserved additional tracts of coast redwood forest (much of which had already been logged) along Redwood Creek and its tributaries and protected existing tracts from damaging effects of logging operations upslope and upstream to create a more meaningful Redwood National Park for the use and enjoyment of visitors. In 1994, the National Park Service and California Department of Parks and Recreation agreed to manage Redwood National Park and the three neighboring state redwood parks together as Redwood National and State Parks.

On December 20, 2005, Redwood National Park expanded for the last time after President George W. Bush signed legislation which added the 39 mi2 (101 km2) Mill Creek Addition, which included the upper Mill Creek and Rock Creek watersheds, to the park. On September 5, 1980, the United Nations designated Redwood National and State Parks a World Heritage Site and, on June 30, 1983, declared the parks part of the California Coast Ranges Biosphere Reserve.

Today, Redwood National and State Parks encompass more than 206 mi2 (534 km2) of terrain and include nearly 61 mi2 (158 km2) of old-growth coast redwood forest which represent 45% of remaining old-growth coast redwoods on Earth. Redwood National Park contains more than 200 mi (322 km) of hiking trails and receives over 500,000 visitors annually.

Redwood National Park includes the world's tallest tree (Hyperion), 4 former world's tallest trees (Harry Cole, Helios, Howard Libbey, and Nugget), the oldest coast redwood (undisclosed), the tallest tree discovered by light detection and ranging (LiDAR) (Orion), the 3rd (Emerald Giant) and 5th (Nugget) fastest-growing redwoods, 9 of the 30 tallest trees on Earth (Daedalus, Gulch Tower, Harry Cole, Helios, Hyperion, Icarus, Nugget, Orion, and Paul Zahl), and 3 of the 30 largest coast redwoods (ARCo Giant, Melkor, and Redwood Creek Giant). The park contains 36 trees taller than 350 ft (106.68 m), 13 trees taller than 360 ft (109.73 m), 5 trees taller than 370 ft (112.78 m), 1 tree taller than 380 ft (115.82 m), 6 trees larger than 20,000 ft3 (566 m3), 3 trees larger than 25,000 ft3 (708 m3), and 2 trees larger than 30,000 ft3 (850 m3).

Hyperion is the tallest tree and Melkor is the largest tree in Redwood National Park.

Redwood National Park is directly in the path of the August 12, 2045 total solar eclipse.

Redwood National Park includes 19 coast redwood groves:

  • The Donald and Ann Bernstein Family Grove
  • Bradulov-Meko Grove
  • John F. Curry and Eleanor M. Curry Grove
  • Forty Four Grove
  • Helios Grove
  • Hyperion Valley
  • The Jeangerard Family Grove
  • Ladybird Johnson Grove
  • Althea P. Lang Grove
  • Doris and Richard Leonard Grove
  • Richard J. Mazurek, M.D. Grove
  • H. P. Nerger Grove
  • Thomas J. Nerger Grove
  • Orion Grove
  • The Redwood Volunteers Grove
  • Saperstein Family Grove
  • The Schneider Family Grove
  • The Sierra Club Presidents Grove
  • Tall Trees Grove
  • Charles C. Wagner Grove

Redwood National Park includes the following coast redwoods:

  • ARCo Giant
  • Baby
  • Bond Behemoth
  • Broken Neck Gulch
  • Cirque Bowl Tower
  • Crown Jewel
  • Daedalus
  • Dark Horse
  • Deadwood Giant (fell 2019)
  • Devils Tower
  • Dog Soldier
  • Elam's Beast
  • Emerald Giant
  • Episkopos
  • Foggy Burl
  • Forty Four
  • Gemstone
  • Soletude
  • Soletude Heights
  • Spiral Stovepipe
  • Steep Hill
  • T25
  • T28
  • T36
  • T47
  • Tom McDonald
  • TT5
  • TT14
  • TT17
  • TT18
  • Twin Towers
  • Twister
  • Warrior
  • West Slope

Visit nps.gov/redw for seasonal hours and more information.

Drive: Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center in Redwood National Park is located at 119441 U.S. Highway 101 in Orick, California 258 mi (415 km) north of San Francisco.

Exit U.S. Highway 101 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Orick.

Photos: Pictures of Redwood National Park

Redwood National Park - Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center Redwood National Park - Lower Redwood Creek Redwood National Park - Bald Hills Road Redwood National Park - Redwood Creek Overlook Redwood National Park - Redwood Creek Redwood National Park - Redwood Creek Trail Redwood National Park - Tall Trees Grove Redwood National Park - Hill-Davis Tree Redwood National Park - Melkor Tree Redwood National Park - ARCo Giant Tree Redwood National Park - Emerald Giant Tree Redwood National Park - Nugget Tree Redwood National Park - Orion Tree Redwood National Park - Hyperion Tree