Our August 2013 visit to Redwoods National and State Parks included stops at four of the five visitor centers. From north to south along the Redwood Highway, the five visitor centers are Hiouchi Information Center, Jedediah Smith Visitor Center, Crescent City Information Center, Prairie Creek Visitor Center, and Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. The Redwood Highway starts in Grants Pass, Oregon as US 199 heading south to Crescent City, California. US 199 ends at its junction with US 101, but the Redwood Highway name continues south on US 101 to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Hiouchi Information Center
This small, seasonally operated facility is located on US 199 in the community of Hiouchi, California, about nine miles east of Crescent City. We watched the excellent 12-minute park video, browsed through the small bookstore, got some tips about what to see and do from a park ranger and had a picnic under the trees. Restroom facilities are in a separate building. A short interpretive walk between the parking area and the visitor center has examples of all three subspecies of redwood that were planted in 1981. The information below each picture is quoted from the interpretive signs at each tree:
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
Dominating the coastal landscape from the Oregon boarder to Monterey, CA, the coast redwood takes advantage of the temperate climate and moist, alluvial soils on the western slope of the coastal range. Cathedral-like stands in the north inspire the poet and artist inside everyone who visits. The redwood plays a major role among the Tolowa in their account of genesis. As you explore the redwood country, note the difference in redwood stands by a stream, on a ridge, or next to a mighty river. What trees and shrubs accompany these skyscrapers?
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron gigantea)
Out of its element here, this giant sequoia shares a heritage with the coast redwood. Mature sequoias do not reach the lofty heights of the tallest coast redwoods. Notice the difference between this tree and the nearby coast redwood, planted at the same time. Tolerant of extreme cold and heat, this mammoth thrives on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Unlike the coast redwood, the giant sequoia requires fire in the reproduction process.
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
A distant relative of the coast redwood, the dawn redwood was thought to be extinct until living specimens were discovered in an isolated part of central China in 1944. Notice the cones of the two trees are almost identical. Rare among conifers, the dawn redwood is deciduous, losing its needles in the winter. Of the three redwoods planted here in 1981, the dawn redwood is the smallest, seldom exceeding a height of 140 feet and a diameter of six feet.
The Jedediah Smith Visitor Center is also located in Hiouchi, but it is located across the Redwood Highway in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. There is a day use fee of $8 per vehicle to visit the park. However, that fee is waived for holders of a variety of national park passes. We did not visit this facility.
Crescent City Information Center
The Crescent City Information Center is located on the ground floor of the park headquarters at 1111 Second Street, one block west of southbound US 101. The unusual design of the building is due to the geography of Crescent City. The shape of the coastline and the adjacent ocean floor make Crescent City susceptible to tsunamis. The 1964 Alaska earthquake created a tsunami that killed a dozen people and destroyed 29 blocks of the city. By designing the building so that flood waters can pass under it, the park service hopes to be able to quickly resume operations after the next tsunami. The information center houses a restroom, bookstore and information desk. Rangers of both the National Park Service and the California State Parks work together to provide information about the parks. Free parking is available in a lot across K Street to the west of the building.
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| The information center is housed in the ground floor glassed area |
Prairie Creek Visitor Center
The Prairie Creek Visitor Center is located on Prairie Creek Road near its intersection with Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. This intersection is just over a mile north of the southern end of the parkway. The visitor center is about 6.5 miles north of Orick. While rustic, this building is not typical of park service architecture. This is because it was designed and built by California for the Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. The building houses a bookstore, small theater, museum and offices. Restrooms are available at a nearby building.
Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center
Located on US 101 just west of Orick, this is the largest visitor center in the park. It houses a theater, museum area, information desk, bookstore, restrooms and outdoor exhibits. Paved parking is available for automobiles, recreational vehicles and buses.
Entrance to Redwood National Park is free. However, Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek Redwoods California State Parks have a day-use fee of $8 per vehicle at campground entrance stations. However, all three state parks honor the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. This pass is valid for one year for $80. A lifetime National Park Senior Pass is available for $10 for those 62 years of age or older.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm.
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