Richardson Grove State Park
Redwoods tower over the Eel River on either bank.
Map showing the location of Richardson Grove State Park
Map showing the location of Richardson Grove State Park
Map showing the location of Richardson Grove State Park
Map showing the location of Richardson Grove State Park
LocationHumboldt County, California, United States
Nearest cityRio Del
Coordinates40°01′N 123°48′W / 40.017°N 123.800°W / 40.017; -123.800
Area2,000 acres (8.1 km2)
Established1922
Governing bodyCalifornia Department of Parks and Recreation

Richardson Grove State Park is located at the southernmost border of Humboldt County, 75 miles (121 km) south of Eureka, California, United States, and 200 miles (320 km) north of San Francisco. The year-round park, which has approximately 2,000 acres (8.1 km2), straddles US 101, causing the narrowest point of its entire distance. Said to have the 9th largest tree of all remaining Coast Redwoods, it is known for swimming on the South Fork of the Eel River[1] and day use in addition to 159 campsites.[2]

The park is named after Friend Richardson, the 25th Governor of California between 1923 and 1927.[3]

Road widening

The first road through Richardson Grove, eventually to become US 101, was constructed in approximately 1915 and first surfaced, most likely with gravel and oil, in 1927.[4][5] A proposed project to adjust the alignment of Route 101 both inside and outside park boundaries to accommodate industry standard-sized trucks in compliance with the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) has been in development by Cal Trans (Caltrans).[6][7] STAA-compliant vehicles are currently prohibited north of Leggett, California on Route 101 through Richardson Grove State Park.[8] The feasibility of constructing a four-lane bypass of Richardson Grove State Park was analyzed in 2001, but deemed infeasible.[9]

Some north coast businesses, whose success is tied to shipping out of the area, favor the project.[10] According to Caltrans, 54 trees under 24 inches (610 mm) in diameter, none of which are old growth redwoods, would be removed for the project (32 trees in the park and 24 trees outside of the park).[11] Trees to be removed would not all be redwood, but would include Douglas Fir, Big Leaf Maple, Live Oak, Tan Oak, and Red Alder.[12] A total of two redwoods would be removed within the park itself.[13]

There are several preservation groups against the currently proposed changes in the road alignment. One of these groups, the Save the Redwoods League, worked with the state to increase the park to around 1,750 acres (710 ha).[14] Groups and community members against the project, whose website is entitled "Save Richardson Grove," posit that the result of widening the highway may cause Humboldt County to become a casualty of unlimited commercial development.[15] Some suggest, by removing redwoods from the grove, there would be adverse effects on the root systems of remaining massive old-growth redwoods, even causing death to unintended trees and habitat.

Campgrounds

Richardson Grove State Park offers 160 campsites and a large group site across three campgrounds: Huckleberry, Madrone, and Oak Flat. The campsites are mainly intended for tent camping but some can accommodate RVs/Trailers. Formerly, cabins were also available for rent. Each site has a picnic table, a food locker, a fire pit, and coin-operated showers are available at nearby restrooms.

The state park has a Visitors Center offering displays on the natural wildlife in the surrounding area, a general store, and offers hiking, swimming, fishing and picnic sites near the Eel River.[16]

Climate

Climate data for Richardson Grove State Park, California, 1961–2012
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 50.1
(10.1)		 54.6
(12.6)		 59.5
(15.3)		 64.3
(17.9)		 71.5
(21.9)		 78.0
(25.6)		 86.1
(30.1)		 86.6
(30.3)		 83.2
(28.4)		 70.3
(21.3)		 55.7
(13.2)		 49.3
(9.6)		 67.4
(19.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 37.3
(2.9)		 38.5
(3.6)		 39.5
(4.2)		 41.0
(5.0)		 45.3
(7.4)		 49.9
(9.9)		 53.1
(11.7)		 52.9
(11.6)		 49.3
(9.6)		 44.7
(7.1)		 40.9
(4.9)		 37.5
(3.1)		 44.2
(6.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 13.20
(335)		 10.34
(263)		 8.87
(225)		 4.53
(115)		 1.88
(48)		 0.64
(16)		 0.06
(1.5)		 0.37
(9.4)		 0.91
(23)		 3.88
(99)		 9.64
(245)		 13.69
(348)		 68.01
(1,727)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.1
(0.25)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.1
(0.25)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.1
(0.25)		 0.3
(0.76)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 15 13 13 10 5 2 0 1 2 6 13 15 97
Source: WRCC[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Richardson Grove State Park". California State Parks. 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Richardson Grove State Park" (PDF). Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Richardson Grove State Park". California State Parks. 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
  4. ↑ Hawke, Diane (2004). Touring the Old Redwood Highway - Humboldt County. Piercy: Hawk Mountaintop Publishing. p. 200. ISBN 9780967216249.
  5. ↑ "Richardson Grove Operational Improvement Project Final Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Assessment and Programmatic Section 4 (f) Evaluation" (PDF). Caltrans. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ Tracy, Erin (December 21, 2008). "Long-awaited highway fix to be scrutinized". Times-Standard. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Richardson Grove Improvement Project website". Caltrans. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Truck Networks on California State Highways, District 1" (PDF). Caltrans. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Richardson Grove Feasibility Study Report (2001)" (PDF). Caltrans. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  10. ↑ Tracy, Erin (December 21, 2008). "Long-awaited highway fix to be scrutinized". Times-Standard. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Richardson Grove Improvement Project fact sheet" (PDF). Caltrans. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment and Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation, May 2010, Layout Maps" (PDF). Caltrans. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Richardson Grove Improvement Project fact sheet" (PDF). Caltrans. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  14. ↑ Hawk, Diane (2004). Touring the old redwood highway : Humboldt County. Arcata, Calif.: Hawk Mountaintop Pub. p. 10. ISBN 0-9672162-4-9.
  15. ↑ "Roads and Redwoods". North Coast Journal. 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Richardson Grove SP".
  17. ↑ "RICHARDSON GROVE SP, CALIFORNIA (047404)". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
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