Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park
The "darkness at noon" effect is synonymous with redwood groves
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Location	Humboldt County, California, United States
Nearest city	Rio Dell, California
Coordinates	40°18′43″N 123°58′18″W / 40.31194°N 123.97167°W / 40.31194; -123.97167
Area	51,651 acres (209.02 km2)
Established	1921
Governing body	California Department of Parks and Recreation

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. It is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Eureka, California, near Weott in southern Humboldt County, within Northern California, named after the great German nineteenth-century scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. The park was established by the Save the Redwoods League in 1921 largely from lands purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company. Beginning with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third-largest park in the California State Park system, now containing 51,651 acres (20,902 ha) through acquisitions and gifts to the state.^[1]

It is part of the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion and has 23,600 acres (96 km²) of old-growth forests.^[2] 17,000 acres (69 km²) are old-growth redwoods, comprising the entire Bull Creek watershed and the Rockefeller Forest.^[3] Only 5% of old coastal redwood forests remain.^[4]

Nearby U.S. Route 101, which generally follows the Eel River and its South Fork in this part of the North Coast, offers easy access to the park and nearby towns with connections to the scenic highway, Avenue of the Giants, also mostly located within or near park boundaries.