Basic Visit Information
The park offers a variety of activities for all ages. Whether you're camping, hiking, wildlife watching, swimming, fishing, or just relaxing in your campsite, you'll find many opportunities for fun.
This page will give you a quick overview of the park. For more details, follow the links at left.
Click here to download the
free park brochure (1MB PDF file) |
| How to get here: | Park is located 45 miles south of Eureka and 20 miles north of Garberville on Highway 101. A majority of the park is accessed along Avenue of the Giants. |
| Visitation: | 750,000 visitors per year. |
| Location/Directions: | Located in southern Humboldt County. From the north, drive 45 miles south of Eureka and take any exit onto the Avenue of the Giants. (Exits are: Pepperwood, Redcrest/Holmes, Redcrest, South Fork, Weott, Myers Flat, Miranda, Phillipsville.) From the south, drive 20 miles north and take any exit onto the Avenue of the Giants. |
| Address: | P.O. Box 100, Weott CA 95571 U.S.A. |
| Telephone: | (707) 946-2409 |
| Operating hours/seasons: | Open all year. Day use-sunrise to sunset. |
| Climate/recommended clothing: | Inland/coastal/temperate. Summer 80-90 degrees. Winter 40-50 degrees. Dress for rain from November to May. May receive more than 65 inches of rain annually. |
| Fees/costs/rates: |
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| Facilities: | 100+ miles of hiking, horse, nature and bicycle trails. Visitor center with exhibits and bookstore, auto tour, picnic areas, Avenue of the Giants, fishing, canoeing and swimming in the Eel River. Developed, environmental, and primitive campgrounds, group camp, group horse camp, hike and bike camp. Developed campgrounds have hot showers (coin-operated) and fully accessible restrooms. |
| Reservations/permits: | Recommended for family, environmental, group horse camp, and group car camps during summer season. Not available during rest of year. Trail, and Hike and Bike camps are first come-first serve all year. |
| Basic visit recommendations: | Stop in the visitor center for exhibits, books and directions. Visit Founders Grove and drive along the Avenue of the Giants. Drive Mattole Road through the Rockefeller Forest. |
| Special events/programs: | Marathons in May and October, Annual Christmas Tree Lighting. Nature walks, campfire programs, Junior Ranger programs daily in summer season. |
| Visitor impacts: | Avenue of Giants is heavily used in July and August. The rest of the park receives lighter use. |
| Adjacent visitor attractions: | Richardson Grove State Park and Benbow Lake State Recreation Area to the south. Fort Humboldt State Historic Park and Pacific Lumber Co. mill tour at Scotia to the north. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park is northeast. |
Park Rules |
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| Dogs | Dogs must be kept on a leash during the day, and in your vehicle or tent at night. They are not allowed in the trail camps or environmental camps. Noisy or vicious dogs are not permitted. Dogs are not permitted on trails. |
| Camping | Camping is permitted in designated sites only. |
| Smoking | Smoking is not allowed on trails, in State buildings, or at interpretive activities. |
| Fires | Fires are permitted only in the barbecues or fire rings provided. You may use your own camp stove in the campground and picnic areas, but ground fires are not permitted. |
| Bicycles and horses | Bicycles and horses are allowed only on trails designated for riding. See map for details. |
| Plants and animals | All plants and animals in the park are protected by law. No collecting is allowed. |
| Firewood | Firewood or downed wood may not be collected in the park. Firewood may be purchased at each campground. |
| Peace and quiet hours | Peace and quiet hours are from 10 p.m. until 6 a. m. |
| Generator hours | Generators may be operated in the campgrounds from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. |
| Accessibility | |
| The Visitor Center building has a wheelchair ramp. Burlington, Albee Creek, Hidden Springs, and Cuneo Creek Campgrounds have wheelchair accessible restrooms and shower facilities. Showers are coin-operated. Burlington has two paved campsites located next to the restrooms. Site 54 (paved) may be reserved by wheelchair users through Reserve America subject to availability. Albee Creek has two sites near the restrooms, paved with gravel, for wheelchair users. | |
| Publications | |
| We have several publications available in German. Several Braille publications are available for browsing in the Visitor Center. The park overview is available in French, Spanish, German. | |
Overview of the park
The Sinkyone Indians, who lived in this region for thousands of years, had relatively little impact on the redwood forest. They were hunters and gatherers for whom salmon and tanoak acorns were staples. Redwood planks were used for housing. Redwood root fibers were used for basket making. Redwood logs were used to make canoes. As elsewhere in California, the Gold Rush changed their way of life forever.
Beginning in 1850, many non-native people began to pass through and settle in the area. They established homesteads, built railroads, and developed large-scale logging operations to harvest the trees.
In 1917, the organizers of the Save-the-Redwoods League visited the area and saw that the magnificent redwood forests of this area would be lost within a few years unless something was done to save them. Their concern and foresight led to the creation of the League in 1918. Through their efforts, the first acres were purchased, legislation was established that led to the development of a statewide system of parks, and the first state park bond act provided $6 million in matching funds for the acquisition of additional redwood forest lands.
Today, Humboldt Redwoods State Park includes more than 52,000 acres offering magnificent groves of old growth coast redwoods. The park offers: more than 100 miles of hiking trails; fishing canoeing and swimming in the Eel River; family, group, horse, bicycle and backpack camps; a visitor center with exhibits and bookstore; scenic drives; and seasonal interpretive programs such as campfires, nature walks, and Junior Ranger programs.
There are three campgrounds offering 250 campsites that can accommodate tents and up to 24 foot trailers and 33 foot motor homes. Burlington Campground is open year-round and is also reservable year-round. Albee Creek and Hidden Springs Campgrounds are open mid-May through mid-September. There are no hookups in any of the campgrounds. Reservations can be made by calling Reserve America at (800) 444-7275.