Redwood National and State Parks

One of the most widely visited national parks is Redwood in northern California. This is actually a combination of national and state parks that have grown to become one continuous area as the governments make an effort to protect the environment. The main attraction of the parks are the large redwood trees.

The Redwood National and State Parks actually comprise four different parks that are all connected together. This would include the national park plus the Del Norte Coast, Jebediah Smith and Prairie Creek State Parks. The state parks were created much earlier than the national park which is why this confusing system exists. One of the results of this system is that it requires the state and the federal governments to work together to protect the area which is not always the most harmonious of endeavors and often leads to disagreements between the two parties.

The state parks were first created in the twenties when it was clear that if something were not done the entire redwood population would be cut down. The area had been heavily logged as the massive trees were in huge demand for lumber. Because it takes hundreds of years for redwoods to grow it was not simply a matter of making sure that new trees were planted, it would also be necessary to make sure that areas would be protected and not allow the trees to be cut down. The federal government significantly added to the area in 1968 when they created the national park. Not only are the parks important for protecting the redwoods but also for the wildlife that relies on them. There are several endangered species that live in the park.

While the goal of creating the parks was to protect the area there is some debate as to how effectively this has been done. A big part of the problem is that there is not enough funding to protect such a large area. The other issue is that over the years loggers in neighboring areas have replanted non-native species of trees. This has resulted in a considerable amount of non-native vegetation and wildlife invading the park. This has threatened a lot of the native species as they must now compete for resources.

As state and national parks the area is open to the public with many recreational offerings available. The state parks allow for much more than the national park does. You can camp in all of the parks although in the national park the only camping areas are in the back woods which you will have to hike to get to. The state parks in particular also offer activities like boating, swimming and hiking. While camping in the parks is possible most of the people who visit them will actually stay in accommodations in the towns located around the parks.