Prairie Creek Redwoods Video Trends

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, a 14,000-acre sanctuary for old-growth coast redwoods in Humboldt County, was established in 1923 with an initial land donation to the Save the Redwoods League. It is cooperatively managed with the National Park Service as part of the Redwood National and State Parks, a designated World Heritage Site. The park is named after Prairie Creek, which flows through a meadow that is a central feature and a grazing area for herds of Roosevelt elk. Beyond the prairie, the park boasts 75 miles of hiking trails and three scenic drives that wind through lush forests and along the coast. Some of the world's tallest living trees reside here, with many redwoods exceeding 300 feet in height. The park contains 14 of the 30 largest known coast redwoods, including notable giants like "Big Tree" and "Iluvatar". These ancient trees can live for over 2,000 years, their survival aided by thick, fire-resistant bark and a high tannin content that repels insects. A popular destination within the park is Fern Canyon, a narrow gorge with 60-foot walls draped in ferns. This unique landscape was so otherworldly that it was used as a filming location for scenes in "Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World." Access to Fern Canyon and the adjacent Gold Bluffs Beach requires a permit during the peak season from May 15th to September 15th. The land that is now the park is part of the ancestral territory of the Yurok people. In a landmark agreement, a 125-acre property at the confluence of Prairie Creek and Redwood Creek, known as 'O Rew, is being restored and will be conveyed to the Yurok Tribe in 2026 to be co-managed as a gateway to the parks. Ongoing restoration efforts in the park focus on reviving vital salmon habitat within Prairie Creek. These projects, often in partnership with the Yurok Tribe, remove remnants of past logging operations to restore the natural flow and health of the creek for the benefit of coho salmon and steelhead trout.