General Information
Jeff and I plan to get married amongst the majestic redwood trees in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Here is some general information from the California Department of Parks and Recreation website. Maps and Brochures are available online.Please pay attention to the weather overview at the bottom. We expect nice, warm weather, but we'd hate for anyone to be unprepared in case the North Coast brings on it's famous rain. :)
Humboldt Redwoods State Park encompasses nearly 53,000 acres, of which over 17,000 are untouched old growth coast redwoods. Created in 1921 with the small Bolling Memorial Grove the park has grown over the years to include a diverse ecosystem including the entire Bull Creek watershed and the Rockefeller Forest, the largest remaining old growth redwood forest in the world. This is the third largest California State Park and protects an environment unique to anywhere else on earth.
A wide variety of activities and facilities are available. There are over 250 family campsites in three different campgrounds, plus environmental camps, group camps, trail camps, and a horse camp. Over 100 miles of trail await exploration by hikers, bikers, and horse riders. The South Fork Eel River provides fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities, and there are many day use areas for picnicking, family activities, or for just enjoying the pristine environment.
Some favorite locations include the Founders Grove Nature Trail, the 32 mile Avenue of the Giants Auto Tour, and the Humboldt Redwoods Visitor Center. The Visitor Center offers a wide variety of fun and educational exhibits and activities, including a theatre, displays, a bookstore, and the famous Kellogg Travel Log. Auto Tour brochures are available at either end of the Avenue of the Giants and at the Visitor Center. During the summer season interpretive activities including nature walks, Junior Ranger programs, and campfire programs are held daily.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is the location of two marathons that occur within the first three weekends of May and October every year. These marathons close two of the main roads through the park for up to 6 hours. For more information or dates of these events, please call the park.
To help plan your trip be sure to check out all of the links located on the right side of the screen under Related Pages.
A wide variety of activities and facilities are available. There are over 250 family campsites in three different campgrounds, plus environmental camps, group camps, trail camps, and a horse camp. Over 100 miles of trail await exploration by hikers, bikers, and horse riders. The South Fork Eel River provides fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities, and there are many day use areas for picnicking, family activities, or for just enjoying the pristine environment.
Some favorite locations include the Founders Grove Nature Trail, the 32 mile Avenue of the Giants Auto Tour, and the Humboldt Redwoods Visitor Center. The Visitor Center offers a wide variety of fun and educational exhibits and activities, including a theatre, displays, a bookstore, and the famous Kellogg Travel Log. Auto Tour brochures are available at either end of the Avenue of the Giants and at the Visitor Center. During the summer season interpretive activities including nature walks, Junior Ranger programs, and campfire programs are held daily.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is the location of two marathons that occur within the first three weekends of May and October every year. These marathons close two of the main roads through the park for up to 6 hours. For more information or dates of these events, please call the park.
To help plan your trip be sure to check out all of the links located on the right side of the screen under Related Pages.
Location/ Directions
Park headquarters and the Visitor Center are located on the Avenue of the Giants, State Route 254, between the towns of Weott and Myers Flat. This is 45 miles south of Eureka and 20 miles north of Garberville off of Highway 101. Weott is 228 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 101. The 32 mile long Avenue of the Giants runs roughly parallel to Highway 101 from Phillipsville in the south to Pepperwood in the north.
Latitude / Longitude: 40.3225 / -123.9928
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
Summer: Highs in the 70’s to 90’s, lows in the 50’s.Winter: Highs in the 50’s to 60’s, lows in the 20’s to 30’s.
Visitors should come prepared for any type of weather. The park receives between 60 and 80 inches of rain per year, the vast majority of which falls between October and May. Rain in the summer season is unusual, but does occur. In the summer there is often morning fog which usually burns off by noon at the very latest. Summer temperatures can vary widely – there can be as much as a thirty degree temperature difference between the extreme north end of the park, closer to the ocean, and the southern end of the park, just 30 miles away. Winter snow is unusual but does occur at the higher elevations in the park, usually above 2000 feet. Layered clothing is recommended at any time of year.
Specific Campsite
Our wedding will be held at {drum roll please} Williams Grove Group Camp. It's a beautiful site with huge old-growth redwoods and awesome river access. Here is what the California State Parks has to say about it.
WILLIAMS GROVE GROUP CAMP - Open Memorial Day to Labor Day, Williams Grove is located in old-growth redwoods just one-half mile north of the town of Myer's Flat on the Avenue of the Giants. It has two group sites, one for 40 people and one for 60 people. These sites are adjacent and can be combined to fit 100 people. The sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and flush toilets. Campers are welcome to use the hot pay showers at nearby Burlington or Hidden Springs campgrounds. The South Fork Eel is just steps away for swimming or fishing, and a summer bridge provides access to miles of back country trails.
There is also a website dedicated specifically to Williams Grove
We're looking to reserve Group Camp A at Williams Grove, which can accommodate 60 people for camping and has RV Parking. *There are no RV Hookups at any campground in the Redwood National Park* RV Hookups are located fairly close by, check the Travel and Accommodations page for updates.
Towns Nearby
Myers Flat is about 1/2 mile from Williams Grove, and is a teeny-tiny little town. There is a coffee shop and a market, but that's about it :) There are also a couple wineries that call Myer's flat home, the one that looks the most promising is Riverbend Cellars which offers a tasting room, open 11-5, a gift shop, art gallery and a restaurant that serves dinner from 5:00 pm-9:00 pm. Directions from the campsite.
I thought the captions on this map were pretty funny :) The area labeled "Toothless Country" is the town of Myers Flat. I'm not sure about the Ewok territory, but it is entirely possible. The day use area is park of Williams Grove, where our wedding will be, and the yellow area where we will be camping, but I don't think they are as widely spaced as they appear in this graphic.
Garberville is the closest thing to a metropolis along this section of redwood forest. Garberville has several restaurants, gift shops, gas stations, banks, a larger grocery store and hotels, as well as a hospital and a rehab center- let's hope we don't have to visit either of the last two :)
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