Jedediah Smith Redwoods Sp Campground

Jedediah Smith Redwoods Sp Campground

Season for Peak Fees: 05/15 to 09/15

Established in 1929, this 10,000 acre predominately old growth coastredwoods park is bisected by the last major free flowing river inCalifornia Smith River. This is a World Heritage Site and BiosphereReserve. Almost all of the park land is water shed for the Smith Riverand Mill Creek, a major tributary. Conifers other than redwoods includewestern hemlock, Sitka spruce, grand and Douglas fir, as well as the lesscommon Port Orford cedar. Primary examples of the understory includetanoak, madrone, red alder, big l and vine maple, and California bay.Ground cover is dense with a wide range of species and varieties ofshrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, mosses and lichens common to the coastredwood environment.

Wildlife of the park is both abundant and varied including such animalsas black bear, deer, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, skunks, fox, beaver,river otter, squirrels, chipmunks and many others. Some of the rare oruncommon examples of bird life identified include the bald eagle, spottedowl, pileat woodpecker and marbled murrelet. The Smith River and MillCreek are especially known for the king salmon and steelhead trout runsin the fall an winter. Mill Creek is a spawning ground for these fish.

The park is named after the intrepid explorer, Jedediah Stong Smith whowas the first white man to explore the interior of northern California.His journey through the coast redwood belt was part of a remarkable two-year trapping expedition which began in 1826. Smith pioneered a trailsouthwest from the Great Salt Lake across the Mojave Desert through theSan Bernadino Mountains into California.

Discovery of gold along the Sacramento and Trinity Rivers in the mid-1800A?s drew many thousands to northern California. The need for a supplyroute to remote mining camps initiated a spurt of exploration thatmotivated settlement of Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Park Kiosk Hours:

• Hi Season: 8am - 10pm
• Lo Season: Varies

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