This area has always been one of the Keefer family's favorite bio-regions. Although forests containing coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) can be found near the California Coast from Southern Monterrey County (where they occur in small, scattered groves) to just north of the Oregon border, the name Redwood Empire commonly refers to those counties north of San Francisco that contain redwood groves. Indeed, Keefer family members have always preferred to visit Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (the heart of the region), although we have on occassion visited some beautiful redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains (south of San Francisco).

Fortunately, many of these magnificent groves have been saved for future generations by concerned organizations such as the Save the Redwoods League.

Did you know that Sequoia sempervirens is the only naturally-occurring hexaploid conifer? Or that non-photosynthetic white redwood trees exist in the wild (do you wonder how they survive)? If you are interested in this and other fascinating facts about the Coast Redwood, I recommend this great article in the Gymnosperm Database.

Now, here is some information about several of our favorite redwood parks...

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park has always been one of our favorite redwood parks. We had a lot of fun camping out in the Burlington Campground, which is also the administrative center of the park. Since we last camped there, a new interpretive center has been built and it is well worth a visit.

del Norte Redwoods

Del Norte Redwoods Coast State Park has also become a favorite place for us to visit.