by Alex Gugel , all rights reserved
![]() | Prairie Creek RedwoodsPark Brochure |
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covered parks
Prairie Creek
Redwoods
State Park
Our Mission
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
In Fern Canyon,
earth-fragrant morning
mists silence the lush
greenery, while distant
bird songs blend with the
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(707) 465-7335. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
SaveTheRedwoods.org/csp
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Redwood National
and State Parks
127011 Newton B. Drury Parkway
Orick, CA 95555
(707) 465-7335
Cover photo courtesy of Save The Redwoods Photo Archives
© 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)
rippling sounds of nearby
Home Creek.
A
long California’s
rocky north coast,
Prairie Creek
Redwoods State
Park offers sandy
beaches and open
meadows grazed by
herds of Roosevelt
elk. Ferns appear
to flow like a green waterfall down steep
canyon walls, and old-growth redwoods
stand in primeval majesty.
Summer brings morning fog, which usually
burns off by midday. Winter rains bring
needed water to the redwoods and ferns.
PARK HISTORY
Native California Indians
Yurok people have lived in and around
today’s Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
for generations. The temperate climate
and abundant wildlife of the north coast
promoted a culturally rich way of life that
continues today. Yurok people built villages
of redwood planks along major waterways.
Traveling by dugout canoe, they fished for
salmon. They also hunted elk, deer, and
other small game and gathered plants.
In 1850, when gold was found near
today’s Fern Canyon, the Yurok people
were overwhelmed by an influx of settlers.
Conflict over the land took many forms.
The native people were hunted down; any
who survived the attacks were forced onto
reservations. Newly introduced diseases
further decimated their numbers.
Today, the Yurok have made a remarkable
recovery. As the most populous tribe
in California, nearly 5,500 Yurok live in
Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Tribal
members are building a future by revitalizing
their ancestral language and traditions based
on customs of the past.
Settling the North Coast
The first marine explorers along the
Humboldt-Del Norte coast were Spaniard
Bartolome Ferrelo in 1543, Englishman
Sir Francis Drake in 1579, and Spaniard
Sebastian Vizcaíno in 1602. The first shore
landing, near Trinidad Head, was made by
Bruno Hezeta and Juan Bodega in 1775.
In May 1850, miners crossing today’s Gold
Bluffs Beach saw bits of gold in the sand.
Removing the gold proved too laborious, so
the prospectors moved on.
Yurok plank houses near Trinidad
Illustration by J. Goldsborough Bruff
ca. 1851
However, settlers needed raw materials
to build their homes and towns. By the
1890s, several short-line railroads and
steam donkeys had helped create a boom
in commercial logging. Lumber quickly
became the west’s top industry — Eureka
alone had nine sawmills.
By the end of the 19th century, farms,
ranches, and dairies had been developed
along the north coast. Today, several of
these historical dairies remain a vital part
of the north coast’s economy.
Conservation and State Parks
Between 1880 and the early 1900s,
thousands of acres of old-growth
redwoods had disappeared; in many
areas, the trees had been cut to the
bare ground.
Alarmed, conservationists established
the Save the Redwoods League in 1918 to
protect the groves, obtaining donations
from lumber companies and concerned
citizens. The League and the State of
California were able to buy thousands of
acres adjoining Prairie Creek. By 1923, some
of the grandest old-growth tree stands on
the planet had been acquired by the State.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC),
a national work program, began during
the Great Depression of the 1930s. CCC
members built themselves a camp at Elk
Prairie, where they lived while building
the present visitor center, trail system,
campground, and picnic facilities.
Redwood National and State Parks
In October 1968, the National Park Service
(NPS) created Redwood National Park in
Del Norte and Humboldt counties.
On September 5, 1980, the United
Nations designated Redwood National and
State Parks as a World Heritage Site and
International Biosphere Reserve.
In 1994, NPS and California State Parks
agreed to co-manage four parks: Del Norte
Coast, Prairie Creek and Jedediah Smith
Redwoods State Parks, and Redwood
National Park. Both entities agreed that
managing the parks together would ensure
commitment to greater protection and
preservation of more than 105,000 acres of
redwood forest.
NATURAL HISTORY
Coast redwoods have existed along the
north coast for about 20 million years. Ever-
present coastal fog meets about one-third
of their annual water needs. Experts fear
that Earth’s changing climate endangers
the redwoods’ survival as temperatures
increase and coastal fog diminishes.
The redwoods and the “soil mats” of
leaf litter that collect in the redwood
canopy support a variety of other plants
and animals.
Coast Douglas-fir also grows among
the Sitka spruce, tanoaks, oaks,
rhododendrons, and azaleas.
Fern Canyon
This spectacular, shady canyon’s 50-foot
walls, draped with seven kinds of ferns,
resemble a hanging garden. Prairie Creek’s
Fern Canyon is draped in mounds of fivefinger, deer, lady, sword and chain ferns.
The canyon’s restful
quiet is broken only by
far-off bird songs and
the distant sound
of breaking waves.
Northern
red-legged frog
Wildlife
Many species — including brown bats,
red squirrels, black bears, and even
coyotes — feed on berries.
In this deep, rich soil, salamanders and
slugs thrive. Mountain lions, coyotes and
bobcats hunt at night for black-tailed deer,
elk, and small game.
Endangered marbled murrelets (closely
related to puffins) nest in old-growth
redwood trees. Since corvids (crows,
ravens, and jays) prey upon murrelet eggs
and chicks, do not feed wildlife or drop
food or scraps.
Photo courtesy of Brian Reub
Double-crested and
pelagic cormorants,
common murres, and surf
scoters can be seen off
the coast, while federally
threatened Western
snowy plovers, gulls,
great blue herons, and
peregrine falcons fly along
Gold Bluffs Beach.
Western garter snakes,
Roosevelk elk roam free in the park meadows.
northern red-legged frogs
and rough-skinned newts are common. Look
Backcountry hikers can park at the lot
for Pacific gray whales and dolphins offshore.
near the visitor center. Hikers and their
California sea lions, harbor seals, and Steller
cars must show a free backcountry permit,
sea lions lie on rocks just off the coast.
available at Kuchel Visitor Center in Orick.
Roosevelt Elk
Once teetering on the brink of extinction,
the Roosevelt elk now thrive in their habitat.
During the elks’ mating season — six weeks
from August to October — the air resounds
with the calls of bulls challenging each other
for mating rights. Bull elk and cows with
calves can be extremely dangerous.
Approaching elk is not only hazardous, it is
also against state law. When taking pictures,
please stay on trails, use a telephoto lens or
purchase postcards at park headquarters.
Boyes Prairie, commonly used by one of
the park’s elk herds, is closed to visitors. For
your safety and that of the elk, do not veer
off any trails while hiking or cycling.
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Trails — The park’s 75 miles of trails are rated
from very easy to strenuous. The “Trails”
chart on the map shows mileage and degree
of difficulty. Use caution and bring water.
Camping — Elk Prairie Campground has
75 family sites and hike/bike sites. For
reservations, call (800) 444-7275 or visit
www.parks.ca.gov. Gold Bluffs Beach
Campground has 26 tent or RV sites and
three non-reservable environmental sites.
RVs more than 8’ wide or 24’ long may not
use Davison Road or Coastal Drive. No
hookups or sanitation stations are available.
Call (707) 488-2171 for camping updates.
ACCESSIBLE FEATURES
Camping — Elk Prairie has three accessible
sites, restrooms, showers, and travel
paths. Gold Bluffs Beach is hard-packed,
not paved.
Trails — Big Tree Trail: 0.3 mile. Trailhead
north of Big Tree lot. Roadside parking.
Prairie Creek Trail: 1.5 miles. Trailhead off
Newton B. Drury Parkway.
Revelation Trail: interpretive 0.25 mile;
accommodates visually impaired users.
Be kind to the forest and stay on the trails.
Elk Prairie Trail: 1.3-mile loop from Visitor
Center. For accessibility updates and
details, visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.
NEARBY STATE PARKS
• Patrick’s Point State Park
4150 Patrick’s Point Dr., Trinidad 95570
(707) 677-3570
• Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP, 7 miles
south of Crescent City off Highway 101
(707) 465-7335
PLEASE REMEMBER
• Dogs must be on a leash no more than
six feet long and must be confined to a
tent or vehicle at night. Except for service
animals, pets are not allowed on trails.
• Natural and cultural features are protected
by law and may not be disturbed.
• Never approach elk or other wild animals.
• Do not feed wildlife. Keep a clean camp;
store food and scented items in lockers.
• All firearms are prohibited.
• Help keep your park clean and litter free.
If you bring it in, take it back out.
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This park receives support in part
through the nonprofit
Redwood Parks Conservancy
1111 Second Street
Crescent City, CA 95531
(707) 464-9150
www.redwoodparksconservancy.org
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© 2012 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)
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Easy
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Moderate
130.17
Strenuous
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127.27
Very easy
127.96
Moderate
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130.54
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DIFFICULTY
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1.3
0.6
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4.5
0.2
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0.3
0.3
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MI.
Ah Pah Interpretive Trail
Big Tree Wayside
Brown Creek Trail
CA Real Estate Assn (CREA)
Carruthers Cove Trail
Cathedral Trees Trail
Circle Trail
Clintonia Trail
Coastal Trail
Corkscrew Tree Trail
Davison Trail
Elk Prairie Trail
Fern Canyon Loop
Foothill Trail
Friendship Ridge Trail
Hope Creek/Ten Taypo Trails
James Irvine Trail
Little Creek Trail
Miner’s Ridge Trail
Moorman Pond Trail
Nature Trail
Ossagon Trail
Prairie Creek Trail
Redwood Access Trail
Revelation Trail
Rhododendron Trail
South Fork Trail
Streelow Creek Trail
West Ridge Trail
Zigzag 1 Trail
Zigzag 2 Trail
40
TRAILS
DRURY PARKWAY
MILE MARKER
Cre
idge
400
0
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Prairie Creek Redwoods
00
James Irvine
Trail
10
200
40
We
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200
600
Trail
400
800
to Crescent City
25 miles
eT
rail
60