California's Small, Wildly Enchanting State Park Boasts Otherworldly Redwood Groves Far Off Tourist's Trail

Among other things, California is famous for the otherworldly Redwood National Park, home to the world's tallest trees. And though the national park may get all the glory, California offers an impressive 49 state parks that are home to the state's most noble tree — the California coastal redwood. While the experience of stepping into any of these reserves' old-growth forests is remarkable, some feel more ethereal and serene than others, thanks to a lower density of tourists. Tucked away in Humboldt County, Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park offers an experience to rival the giants without all the crowds.

This small but mighty park, covering less than 1 square mile of land, still contains a wealth of biodiversity. It became a public preserve in 1943, with its best redwood grove donated in 1984 by Owen R. Cheatham, the founder of Georgia-Pacific. While it may not carry the acclaim of other nearby forests (Humboldt Redwoods, America's "highest-rated state park," comes to mind), Grizzly Creek is so removed that it's likely you'll be the only human in the forest if you visit on a casual weekday — a photographer's dream. Better yet, it isn't even that far out of the way, as it's just a short 17-mile drive off Highway 101.

While you may not have heard of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, you've probably seen it on film. The famous scene from "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi," in which Luke and Leia chase Stormtroopers on speeder bikes across the moon of Endor, was filmed in Cheatham Grove. A year after the film's release in 1983, the grove was officially donated to the park. It has since become a pilgrimage site for avid fans of the franchise.

The park includes 5 miles of trails across 430 acres, where you too can pretend to be a Jedi among Ewoks. Each of the four easy-to-moderate walks is only around a mile in distance, concisely showing off the park's natural attributes, from the cinematic trees of Cheatham Grove to the broad Van Duzen River and the gurgling waters of Grizzly Creek. There's a nature trail with interpretive signs about the forest's ecology, which is especially ideal for families. Meanwhile, the river invites safe swimming in summer and autumn (but turns into a whitewater rafting and kayak adventure in winter and spring). Steelhead trout and salmon migrate upstream in the autumn and winter, and each year there's a calendar of children's events and activities — including a Junior Ranger program — between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

However, the thing Grizzly Creek Park is probably best known for is its pristine, family-friendly camping experience in the shadow of the ancient forest, far from any sign of human development. The campground offers modern services at its 28 sites, such as hot showers, restrooms, and picnic tables, plus an old-fashioned campfire program on summer weekends.

Grizzly Creek Redwoods is located about 4.5 hours from both Sacramento and San Francisco. The park itself is divided by Highway 36, a winding and narrow two-lane road that connects Fortuna and Red Bluff (part of the park's off-the-beaten-path charm). An overnight trip is really the best way to appreciate the park's utter seclusion. But even if camping isn't for you, the park is worth a stop for its unrivaled sense of seclusion.

Since Grizzly Creek is less than an hour from the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center, you could easily incorporate both parks into the same outing, comparing the stillness and size of Grizzly to Humboldt's larger groves. The journey from San Francisco will carry you down the Avenue of the Giants — a 32-mile stretch of highway that once served as an epic wagon trail to settlers in the 1880s. Around 40 minutes west of Grizzly, you'll find the tight-knit community of Ferndale, a Victorian town called "California's prettiest." The shops on historic Main Street and the adorable bed and breakfasts make it worth the detour. If you want additional accommodation options, a further 25-minute drive north will land you in Eureka, another underrated Victorian-era town hugging California's coast.