Redwood Sky Walk at Sequoia Park Zoo, Eureka, California
HEIGHT:
100 feet
LENGTH:
1,100 feet
BUILT:
2021
PROJECT DESIGN:
Greenway Partners
ENGINEERING FIRM:
Synergo
▸ COMPLETED: BUILT AND FUNDED
Walkway Updates
THREAT/OPPORTUNITY
- Redwoods have been around for about 240 million years and in California for at least 20 million years. In the last 150 years, the impact of humans has reduced the number of these ancient trees to a mere 5% of their former number through clear-cut logging and development.
- The local Coast Redwood tree can grow to 300 feet tall or more, yet its root system is only 6 to 12 feet deep. Redwoods need the support and protection of other tree species in the forest as well as time to grow tall – and in return, they provide plant and wildlife habitat and the strength to withstand powerful winds and floods by extending their roots more than 50 feet from the trunk and living in groves where their roots can intertwine, fuse, and share resources.
SOLUTION
- The sky walk is an ADA compliant ramp that leads to walkways, connected by catenary bridges composed of 1/3 walkways, 1/3 “adventure walkways” and a dynamic bridge, where they can see this old-growth redwood grove from a new perspective.
- Located in the city of Eureka and adjacent to Redwood National Park where more than 45 percent of California’s remaining protected old-growth redwoods forests grow.
- Redwood National Park is one of four neighboring state parks that together constitute an International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.
RESULTS
- Opened to the public in June 2021
- $4,000,000 project made possible through local lodging alliances, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Outdoor Environmental Education Facilities, Habitat Conservation Grant, and local donations.
BROADER IMPACT/NEXT STEPS:
- This will be the longest sky walk in the Western US.
- Fund a sister walkway in another section of the old growth stand
California: a Biodiversity "Hot Spot"
Located within the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP), the ancient and preserved Coast Redwood ecosystem contains some of the planet’s most majestic forests. These trees are not only some of the world’s tallest and oldest, but also the widest – sometimes reaching over 20 feet in diameter. The average lifespan of a Coastal Redwood is 600 years – with some surviving close to 2,000 years. Old-growth forests like the Coastal Redwoods exhibit unique ecological features, such that groves of smaller trees, hidden from the ground, can grow out of the soil that accumulates on the immense branches, creating a new layer of life.
