Single-vehicle rollover on Highway 101 near Richardson Grove reported

A single-vehicle rollover on Highway 101 near Madrone Campground in Richardson Grove State Park drew emergency attention Monday afternoon to one of southern Humboldt County’s most important travel corridors.

The crash was reported at 2:32 p.m. near the west side of the highway, just south of Richardson Grove, in a stretch where a wreck can ripple quickly beyond the immediate scene. The initial report did not include a full update on injuries, a sign the incident was still unfolding when it was first posted.

That location carries unusual weight because Richardson Grove State Park is not just a scenic stop. The park covers about 2,000 acres, was established in 1922 and is home to old-growth coast redwoods, the Richardson Grove Historic Lodge and the South Fork Eel River, which bisects U.S. Highway 101 through the park. Madrone Campground sits on the west side of the highway, putting campground traffic and through-traffic on the same narrow corridor.

For people moving between Garberville, the Eel River Valley and the rest of Humboldt County, Highway 101 through Richardson Grove is more than a local road. Caltrans has described the 1.1-mile stretch through the park as the only remaining place on U.S. 101 that still restricts access for STAA-compliant freight trucks traveling north into Humboldt County from the south. The agency says tight curves make it difficult for longer trucks to stay within the traveled way.

That safety and access problem is not new. A Caltrans brochure says the roadway through Richardson Grove was originally constructed in 1915 and still carries a posted speed of 35 mph. In that setting, even a single-vehicle rollover can slow traffic, pull in emergency responders and remind drivers how unforgiving the old alignment can be.

The crash also lands in the middle of a larger transportation debate. On April 1, 2026, Caltrans said a court ruling allowed its Richardson Grove Improvement Project to move forward, clearing the way for roadway work along about one mile of Highway 101 through the park. Monday’s rollover showed that, until those changes are in place, this narrow redwood corridor remains one of the county’s most vulnerable links.