AThe "gateway to the tall trees country", Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area offers camping, picnicking, hiking, fishing and swimming on the South Fork of the Eel River as it winds through the park for almost two miles.
Beginning as a 40-acre campground, it was named to honor Edward Ritter Hickey, son of a local lumberman who died of influenza in 1918 while caring for victims of the epidemic of that year. In the 1950s, the Standish family donated over 500 acres and along with later acquisitions the park grew to 1,012 acres. Much of the land burned over in a disastrous fire in the mid 1940s and is just now returning to its former beauty. One of the few virgin stands of Redwoods left in the area can be seen on the Grove Trail. The area is 1.5 miles north of Leggett on Highway 101 in Mendocino County, near Smithe Redwoods State Reserve. The campground is open all year. The day use area is open from dawn to dusk. The park also has hiking, water access and a picnic area.