Facts About Redwood National Park

The world's tallest tree ever to be recorded - Hyperion, is found in the Redwood National Park.

National parks let us witness wilderness up close and personal. They preserve the biome around us and help us in sustaining and developing our green planet. They're one of Nature's best escapes from the concrete jungles that otherwise surround us.

America, is home to some of the world's greatest national parks that give us an opportunity to view the distinct difference between two worlds: one that always was, and one that we built, replacing the one that was. The Redwood National Park is not just a normal national park.

It is home to few of the world's most endangered species, hosts an ecosystem that is rare and is home to organisms that are claimed to be the oldest. This UStravelia article provides you with some more intriguing facts about the Redwood National Park; facts that will help you know more about this unique park.

The formation of this organization was much-needed at the time, given the unimpeded logging that was prevailing for decades. It was this organization that helped establish Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks among many others.

The Redwood National Park was established in 1968. For better management and administration, the National Park Service (NPS) and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) combined this park with the other three Redwood State Parks.

These existing trees are the remainder of those that were saved from extensive logging. The entire area under protection is approximately 39,000 acres. These redwoods have been here for at least 20 million years.

Also, they are related to another tree species that existed on our planet 160 million years ago! Wow! The tallest tree in the park is Hyperion, second is Helios and third tallest is Icarus. They measure 379.1 feet, 376.3 feet, and 371.2 feet respectively. These figures were recorded in September 2006.

Among the threatened species, we have the tidewater goby, chinook salmon, northern spotted owl, bald eagle, brown pelican and the Steller sea lion. Occasionally, we can see Pacific gray whales and dolphins offshore.

There, reptiles and amphibians are also found in considerable number. The most common among these are the northern red-legged frog, rough-skinned newt, Pacific giant salamander, and the northwestern ringneck snake.

Given the unique ecosystem and the cultural richness that exists in these parks, United Nations conferred them with this title on 5th September, 1980. 50 prehistoric archaeological sites exist in the parks, as old as 4,500 years! Mature trees live for 500-700 years; a few are 2,000 years old, and are thus, the longest living organisms on our planet.

However, campsites can be reached only after hiking for a while. Nevertheless, picnic spots are present in the parks.

The Pacific, North American and Gorda tectonic plates all meet just 100 miles from the parks, at the Mendocino triple junction. This fact makes the northern coastal region of California (including the park), the most seismically active region in the United States of America.