Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a state park, located in Humboldt County, California, near the town of Orick and 50 miles (80 km) north of Eureka. The 57-square-kilometre (22 sq mi) park is a coastal sanctuary for old-growth Coast Redwood trees. The park is jointly managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service as a part of the Redwood National and State Parks. This group of parks (which includes Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and Redwood National Park) has been collectively designated as a World Heritage Site and forms a part of the California Coast Ranges International Biosphere Reserve. The meadow along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, with its population of Roosevelt elk, is considered a centerpiece of the park, located near the information center and campground. These open areas of grassland within the redwood forest are locally known as prairies; and the park takes its name from Prairie Creek flowing near the western edge of the meadow and along the west side of the parkway. Other popular sites in the park are Fern Canyon and Gold Bluffs Beach. The park is also home to the tailed frog and several species of salmon.