GRIZZLY CREEK REDWOODS STATE PARK
The redwoods in the Grizzly Creek area were what inspired Owen R. Cheatham, founder of Georgia-Pacific Corporation, to preserve this site in perpetuity.
The Cheatham Grove is an exceptional stand of coast redwoods. The park is a quiet place to camp, hike, fish, swim and picnic. The Van Duzen River flows beside the campground.
30 campsites, canoe and kayaking, fishing & swimming in Van Duzen River, group camp &/or picnic area, 4.5 miles of hiking trails, horse shoe pit, environmental camp, visitor center with exhibits and bookstore.
Although Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park covers only a few acres, it is large enough to provide a sense of seclusion, and it receives so few visitors that on a weekday it is possible to be the only person in one of its groves of coast redwoods.
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
Inland/coastal/temperate. Summer 70-80. Winter 40-50. Dress for rain Nov.-May with up to 65" annually.
Adjacent visitor attractions
Victorian village of Ferndale and Ft. Humboldt to the north. Humboldt Redwoods SP with Avenue of the Giants to the south, Ruth Lake to the east.
Day-UseFishingyes
Hiking Trailyes
CampingPrimitiveyes
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park is located near Eureka, Fortuna
Memorial, Baird Trails
1.5 miles round trip longer hikes possible
One of the smallest of California's coast redwoods state parks, Grizzly Creek is also farthest from the coast - nearly 30 miles. Its location far from Highway 101/Avenue of The Giants tourist route, means few visitors discover the park's 300-foot redwoods or the six short trails that visit them.
The park is tucked in the Van Duzen River Valley, where Grizzly Creek meets the Van Duzen River. This locale may be remote, but lmmaker George Lucas found one of the park's virgin redwood groves so appealing he used the location in his Star Wars sequel, Return of the Jedi.
The park is located on Highway 36, a remote byway that links such out-of-the-way places as Mad River, Forest Glen, Wildwood and Beegum as it winds through the forest from Highway 101 to Interstate 5. So remote is this road, that it's difcult to believe that until 1918, before the completion of 101, this little road was the major route of travel between San Francisco and Eureka.
Worth a stop is Cheatham Grove, a stand of virgin redwoods located three miles west of the main part of the state park. A short loop trail explores the grove where six wonderful environmental campsites are located. They are more tranquil than those at Grizzly Creek Campground.
The park's fern-lined trails meander among the old-growth and second-growth redwoods. A nature trail interprets local ora.
During summer, the low water level permits installation of a footbridge across the Van Duzen River. The bridge gives access to 1.25 mile long Memorial Trail which loops through the forest. From Devil's Elbow, a bend in the river, hikers get a good view of the river and the park.
The park is 20 miles southeast of Eureka on HWY 101, then 17 miles east of HWY 36. Latitude/Longitude: 40.4842 / -123.9056.