Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve - California
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve was established to preserve 805 acres (326 ha) of coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). The reserve is located in Sonoma County, just north of Guerneville. The reserve is in a temperate rainforest. The climate is mild and wet. The park receives an average of 55 inches (1.4 m) of rainfall per year, almost all between September and June. Abundant fog during the summer months helps to maintain the moist conditions required by the coast redwoods.
brochures Armstrong Redwoods / Austin Creek - Brochure Brochure of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (SNR) and Austin Creek State Recreation Area (SRA) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Austin Creek - Campground Map Campground Map of Austin Creek State Recreation Area (SRA) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Redwoods_State_Natural_Reserve
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve was established to preserve 805 acres (326 ha) of coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). The reserve is located in Sonoma County, just north of Guerneville. The reserve is in a temperate rainforest. The climate is mild and wet. The park receives an average of 55 inches (1.4 m) of rainfall per year, almost all between September and June. Abundant fog during the summer months helps to maintain the moist conditions required by the coast redwoods.
Armstrong Redwoods
State Natural Reserve
Austin Creek
State Recreation Area
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.
The cathedral-like
trees of Armstrong
Redwoods State Natural
Reserve complement
the rolling, tree-studded
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(707) 869-2015. 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
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
Austin Creek State Recreation Area
17000 Armstrong Woods Road
Guerneville, CA 95446
(707) 869-2015 or (707) 865-2391 District Office
© 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
hills of neighboring
Austin Creek State
Recreation Area.
A
rmstrong Redwoods State Natural
Reserve and Austin Creek State Recreation
Area share a boundary, but the parks are
quite different from each other. Serene,
805-acre Armstrong Redwoods — shaded
by ancient coast redwoods — has been a
cool summer escape for generations of park
visitors. Temperatures are moderate, with fog
year-round. The nearly 6,000 tree-studded
acres of Austin Creek provide a bright, sunny
place best experienced in spring and fall;
summer temperatures here can reach
100 degrees.
PARK HISTORY
Native People
Before the early 1800s, the Kashaya Pomo
people lived along the coast and what is
now called the Russian River. The ocean and
the river’s plentiful resources sustained the
Kashaya people.
With the construction of nearby Fort Ross in
1812, the lives of the Kashaya were abruptly
altered. Fur trappers from the RussianAmerican Fur Company arrived at the fort,
seeking sea otter pelts and a place to grow
food for their Alaskan outpost. For nearly
30 years, the Russians employed numerous
Kashaya Pomo people as agricultural
laborers—many of whom lived around the fort
or in nearby villages. Some Kashaya women
intermarried with the Russian immigrants.
Today Kashaya Pomo and other native
groups still live in or visit the area to gather
leaves, roots, and other natural ingredients
needed to make some of the world’s finest,
most sought-after Native American baskets.
Colonel James B. Armstrong
Ohio native Colonel James B. Armstrong
was one of the very few 19th-century lumber
barons who appreciated both the intrinsic
beauty and the commercial uses of the
redwood groves.
In 1874 Armstrong moved to Sonoma
County with his wife and family. They built
their home in Cloverdale, where he invested
in orchards and real estate there and in Santa
Rosa. Working with crop plants, Colonel
Armstrong became a lifelong friend of
agricultural pioneer Luther Burbank.
Upon his arrival in Sonoma County,
Armstrong began to purchase land in the
dense redwood forest 2.5 miles north of
Guerneville. He saw that thousands of acres
of seemingly inexhaustible redwoods were
being reduced to clear-cut tree stumps
(thus inspiring Guerneville’s original name,
Colonel James Armstrong
in 1883
Elizabeth Armstrong
Jones, ca. 1900
Colonel Armstrong Tree
“Stumptown”). To preserve some of his
land from this fate, he deeded 600 acres of
the ancient forest to his daughter Kate, with
plans for an arboretum and natural park.
The Armstrong family allowed the public
to visit and enjoy the beauty of the
peaceful redwoods.
Armstrong later bought the Big Bottom
Sawmill and cut and processed millions of
feet of redwood lumber. The redwoods he
had deeded to Kate remained intact; 400 of
those acres eventually became Armstrong
Redwoods State Natural Reserve (SNR).
Armstrong’s other daughter Elizabeth
(Lizzie) and her husband, Reverend
William Ladd Jones, dedicated the Colonel
Armstrong Tree. This “monarch of the
forest,” chosen before his death in 1900,
commemorates Armstrong’s vision of
saving ancient redwoods.
The State of California acquired the grove
in 1934; by 1936 Armstrong Redwoods State
Park was open to the public.
Armstrong Redwoods became a reserve
in 1964, after insight into its ecological
importance suggested that this vital
resource should be more effectively
managed. That same year, the State began
acquiring the land which now comprises
Austin Creek State Recreation Area (SRA) to
provide camping and recreational facilities
and preserve important wildlife corridors.
Since then, Save the Redwoods League
has protected nearly 1,700 acres in Austin
Creek SRA.
NATURAL HISTORY
The remaining coast redwoods (Sequoia
tree voles. Hound’s tongue
and common madia make
seasonal displays in the
sparse understory, which is
also home to wood
Austin Creek State Recreation Area
Bullfrog Pond Campground
17000 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville, CA 95446
(707) 869-2015 or (707) 865-2391 Russian River District Office
Austin Creek State Recreation Area is adjacent to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and is
accessed through the same entrance. Austin Creek offers twenty miles of trails for hiking, backcountry
camping and equestrians. Campsites at Bullfrog Pond are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tables, fire rings, flush toilets and potable water are provided, but no showers are available.
PARK FEES are due and payable upon entry into
the park. Use the self-registration system at the
campground entrance. The campsite fee covers
one vehicle. There are additional fees for extra
vehicles, with a maximum of two vehicles.
VEHICLES: You may park up to two vehicles at
each campsite. For safety reasons, vehicles more
than 20 feet long or towing any type of trailer are
not permitted at Austin Creek SRA. Vehicles may
only be parked in your assigned campsite or the
overflow parking areas.
OCCUPANCY: Eight people maximum are
allowed per campsite.
GENERATORS may only be operated between
the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
ALCOHOL and glass containers are not allowed
beyond your campsite.
FIRES/FIREWOOD: Fires are only allowed in fire
rings provided. Collecting dead or downed wood
is prohibited. Firewood is available for sale at the
entrance station.
BICYCLES are allowed only on paved roads or
fire roads. Bicycle riders under age 18 must wear
a helmet. Bicycles ridden after dark must have a
light. Please ride safely.
CHECK-OUT TIME is noon. Please vacate your
site by that time. Check-in is 2 p.m.
DOGS must be kept on a leash no longer than
six feet and under human control at all times.
They are permitted on paved roads or in your
campsite only. Dogs are not permitted on fire
roads or trails (except for service dogs). Dogs
must be confined to a vehicle or tent at night.
Please clean up after your pets.
SPEED LIMIT: The maximum speed limit is 15
mph. When pedestrians, bicyclists and children
are present even 15 mph might be too fast. Use
good judgment.
Austin Creek SRA
Armstrong Redwoods SNR
Bodega
Bay
Hwy 12
QUIET HOURS are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Radios
and other sound-producing devices must not be
audible beyond your immediate campsite. To
ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone,
please do not disturb other campers, regardless
of the time of day or night.
Discover the many states of California.TM
California State Parks General Info: (800) 777-0369 or 711, TTY relay service or www.parks.ca.gov
ALTERNATE FORMAT: This publication can be made available in alternate formats.
Contact interp@parks.ca.gov or call (916) 654-2249.
Austin Creek State Recreation Area
Bullfrog Pond Campground
Ranger Station
(707) 869-2015
24
LEGEND
Extra Parking
Locked Gate
Restrooms
Bu llf ro g
23
Unpaved Road
Po nd
Water Faucet
22
1
4
2
st
dg
Fi
re
Campground
Entrance
3
5
e
Self
Registration
Ri
to Ranger
Station, 3 miles
13
14
7
Ea
Vista
Point
Lot
R ig
9
15
17
19
N
16
18
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21
10
gs
11
12
Fir
e
Rd
.
Map not to scale.
Rd
8
6
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For Emergencies Dial
9-1-1.
© 2011 California State Parks