The small park was created by a donation from Owen R. Cheatham, founder of Georgia-Pacific Corporation, who wanted to preserve the stand of redwoods in perpetuity.

[1] Cheatham Grove, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the main unit, was added to the park in 1983 due to efforts of the Save the Redwoods League.

[2] The park is so secluded due to its location off the major regional artery, U.S. Route 101, that on a weekday a visitor can be the only person in any one of the several groves.

[3] Cheatham Grove has a small trail about a mile long and was one of the filming sites for Return of the Jedi as the forest moon of Endor.

Those closures were ultimately avoided by cutting hours and maintenance system-wide.