| Tolowa Dunes State Park | |
|---|---|
Tolowa Dunes State Park, August 2016 | |
| Location | Del Norte County, California,United States |
| Nearest city | Crescent City |
| Coordinates | 41°52′N124°12′W / 41.867°N 124.200°W /41.867; -124.200 |
| Area | 4,000 acres (16 km2) |
| Established | 1925 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Tolowa Dunes State Park is a 4,000-acre (16 km2)California State Park located inDel Norte County, on theNorth Coast ofCalifornia.[1][2]
The park surrounds the 6,100-acre (25 km2) Lake Earl Wildlife Area includingLake Earl and Lake Tolowa, and encompasses a significant portion of the relatively large adjacent coastal plain around them includingYontocket, California. Tolowa Dunes State Park and the adjacent Lake Earl Wildlife Area is a sanctuary for bird life includingCalifornia quail,ruffed grouse,canvasback, andwestern grebe.[3] It is easily reached byUS 101, and is just north ofCrescent City. The Pala Road parking lot in the north part of the park includes access to a short trail crossing Yontocket Slough to reach an historic cemetery. The East Pond Loop Trail leaves the cemetery offering visitors a ridge trail and opportunities to enjoy views of wildlife using the ponds and wetlands. The south end of the park offers a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) round trip on the Sweetwater Creek Trail accessed from a parking lot at the end of Sand Hill Road.[4]
The name refers to theTolowa people, anindigenous tribe whose homeland was in the area, and relatively undisturbed previous to American colonization in the 1850s. Their oral history includes stories oftectonic activity along theCascadia subduction zone which has caused local sea level changes at intervals of several centuries.[5] The park remains within a tsunami hazard zone[6] and the plain may support fresh water wetlands orSitka Spruce forests following uplift events andsalt marsh or inundatedshellfish beds following subsidence events.
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