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Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Nearby Parks:
Humboldt Lagoons State Park
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| State Park Contact Information: |
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Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Phone: 707-465-7347
Reservations: 800-444-7275
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| Adopt-A-Park Contacts: |
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Photography: add your photos
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| State Park Reservations: |
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Reservations: 
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| State Park Overview: |
| Set aside in the early 1920?s by the forethought of the people of California and the generosity of the Save-the-Redwoods League, Prairie Creek is a 14,000 acre sanctuary of old growth coast redwood.
Prairie Creek offers hiking, nature study, wildlife viewing, beach combing, picnicking, a visitor center with exhibits and a nature store.
This park, along with Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and the National Park Service's Redwood National Park, are managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. These parks make up 45 percent of all the old-growth redwood forest remaining in California.
Set aside in the early 1920?s by the forethought of the people of California and the generosity of the Save-the-Redwoods League, Prairie Creek is a 14,000 acre sanctuary of old-growth coast redwood. Designated as a World Heritage Site & Man in the Biosphere Preserve, the park has over 280 Save-the-Redwoods League memorial groves.
There are over 70 miles of hiking trails through lush forests and along wild and scenic beaches. As the park is a preserve of uncut forest, all trails lead you through the world?s tallest trees. Nowhere can you better appreciate the splendor of an ancient redwood forest. Take time to walk some of the many and varied trails. There are all-day hikes and short leisurely strolls. The terrain is relatively mild with only 800? of elevation gain throughout the park.
The park has two developed campgrounds. The Elk Prairie has 75 campsites that can accommodate up to 24? trailers and 27? motor homes. Elk Prairie campground is located 6 miles north of Orick on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. The Gold Bluffs Beach campground has 25 campsites and is reached by way of Davison Road, off HWY. 101, 3 miles north of Orick (vehicle size restriction apply). Both campgrounds offer fire rings, tables and bear proof food lockers with water nearby. There are rest rooms with flush toilets and hot showers. Both campgrounds are open all year. The Gold Bluff Beach camp is on first-come-first-served basis. The Elk Prairie camp can be reserved during the summer by calling (800) 444-7275.
The park also has two backcountry camps and an environmental camp. Backcountry campers are reminded they must register and park at the visitor center and must camp in the designated campsites at Ossagon Trail camp and Miner?s Ridge camp. Both camps are open all year and registration and fee payment is required.
Watch for native Roosevelt elk in the prairie along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway and on spectacular Gold Bluffs Beach. Gray whale, rabbit, squirrel, raccoon, mink, otter, fox coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, and bear might also be spotted. And of course the infamous banana slug, an important and welcome resident of the forest, is readily viewable.
Over 260 species of birds have been sighted within the park boundaries. The combination of open prairie, forest, streamside woodlands, coastal headlands, beach and ocean provides a wide variety of habitats. Some species of special note include the spotted owl and marbled murrelet, both believed to be dependent on old-growth forest.
Prairie Creek offers hiking, nature study, wildlife viewing, beach combing, fishing, picnicking, a visitor center with exhibits and a nature store. |
| Nature of the Area: |
| Mostly old growth forest of coast redwood, western hemlock and Douglas fir with Sitka spruce and red alder near the 10 miles of sandy coast line. Because of prevalent coastal fog, the understory of the forest is very dense. Tanoak, cascara, big leaf and vine maple and California bay can be found on edges of prairies. Ground cover is dense with a wide range of species and varieties of shrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, mosses, and lichens common to the coast redwood environment. Western azalea and rhododendron bloom in May/June and offer bright accents to the dense green of the forest. The Rhododendron Trail is a favorite for seeing this showy display.
Park wildlife is both abundant and varied including such animals as black bear, Roosevelt elk, deer, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, skunk, fox, squirrel, chipmunk and many others.
14,000 acres of old growth redwood including prairies and 10 miles of scenic Gold Bluffs Beach
Designated as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
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Three Generations have Stayed Here
My Grandmother used to stay here every year. Now I stay here with my two kids. We LOVE PCSP!
(name not given)
4-Jun-2008
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A gem! Calm, peaceful.
A park that is one of a kind in the WORLD!
Wonderful family camping.
(name not given)
21-Oct-2008
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Absolutely stunning, loved it here!!
(name not given)
18-Jun-2009
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| Trails: |
| Fern Canyon, James Irvine, Clintonia, Miners Ridge Trails Loop through Fern Canyon 1 mile round trip; via Gold Bluffs,Gold Bluffs Beach is 6.5 miles round trip with 500-foot elevation gainDim and quiet, wrapped in mist and silence, the redwoods roof a moist and mysterious world. Park trails meander over lush ground and the walker is treated to the cool feeling and fragrance of wood and water.
A couple beautiful ?fern canyons? are found along the North Coast, but the Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is undoubtedly the most awe-inspiring. Five-finger, deer, lady, sword, and chain ferns smother the precipitous walls of the canyon. Bright yellow monkeyflowers abound, as well as fairy lanterns, those creamy white, or greenish, bell-shaped flowers that hang in clusters. Ferns are descendants of an ancient group of plants which were much more numerous 200 million years ago. Ferns have roots and stems similar to flowering plants, but are considered to be a primitive form of plant life because they reproduce by spores, not seeds.
Gold Bluffs was named in 1850 when prospectors found some gold flakes in the beach sand. The discovery caused a minor gold rush. A tent city sprang up on the beach but little gold was extracted.
Gold Bluffs Beach is a beauty? eleven miles of wild, driftwood-littered shore, backed by extensive dunes. Sand verbena, bush lupine, and wild strawberry splash color on the sand.
This walk explores some of the highlights of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park?Fern Canyon, magnificent redwood groves, and Gold Bluffs Beach. |
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| Related Links: |
| Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park | Redwood National Park | California - The guide to vacations, travel destinations, and hote ls, in the U.S. and Canada ... Destinations ?? California ONroute Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - California Home HotelGuide Destinations ... | | Onroute Destinations - Del Norte Redwoods State Park, Redwood National Park, California - The guide to vacations, travel destinations, and hotels, in the U.S. and Canada ... ten miles north of the edge of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Highway 101 crosses into Del Norte County and ... | | Fern Canyon Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - A Special Place - Sierra Club - ... to you. Big majestic places, or everyday places. Who: John Where: Fern Canyon Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Why: Fern Canyon is one of the many hiking trails in the Prairie Creek area of ... | | California Guide - Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, north California - description and photographs ... SP | Redwood NP Photographs Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Prairie Creek is quite a small ... | | California Guide - Pictures of Redwood National and State Parks, Prairie Creek Redwoods St - Photographs of Redwood National and State Parks, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California ... Redwoods along the Miners Ridge Trail Redwood National and State Parks | Back to previous page | | Day 11 Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park to Eureka, CA - Tom continues his bicycle tour in Northern California, through Trinidad to Eureka ... Cycling Seattle to San Francisco Day 11 Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park to Eureka, CA Big Tree The weather was ... | | Day 10 Harris Beach State Park to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, CA - Tom cycles into California through Cresent City into the Redwoods ... San Francisco Day 10 Harris Beach State Park to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, CA Welcome to California I left camp around 8 ... | | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Overview - Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park overview ... Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (Redwood Coast Sector) Set aside in the early 1920?s by the forethought of the people of California and the ... | | Area Campgrounds | | |
| Directions: |
| 50 miles north of Eureka and 25 miles south of Crescent City on Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway off of Highway 101. Latitude/Longitude: 41.4072 / -124.0192
The visitor center & Elk Prairie Campground are located at the southern end of the Parkway.
Gold Bluffs Beach Campground and Fern Canyon are accessed by Davison Road, which is, located 3 miles north of Orick off of Highway 101. 50 miles from Eureka and Crescent City.
Davison Road, the access road to Fern Canyon and Gold Bluffs Beach, has vehicle limitations 8' wide and 24' long. No trailers are allowed. |
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