Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving mainly forest and riparian areas in the watershed of the San Lorenzo River, including a grove of old-growth coast redwood.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains and is most famous for the 40-acre grove of towering old-growth redwood trees. Its historical significance and spectacular scenery draw travelers from around the world. Visitors can enjoy hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, swimming, and camping on more than 4,650 acres of forested and open land. These skyscraping redwoods were admired by explorer John C. Frémont, President Theodore Roosevelt, and inspired some of California’s earliest redwood preservation efforts. Take a walk beyond the redwood grove and you’ll find four diverse habitats that this park preserves: grasslands, river/riparian, sandhills, and redwoods. The tallest tree in the park is approximately 277 feet tall, about 16 feet wide, and around 1,500 years old. Keen-eyed visitors may spot banana slugs, black-tailed deer, coyotes, bobcats, or steelhead trout.
A few miles north is the Fall Creek Unit– a second-growth redwood forest with a fern-lined river canyon and remnants of a successful lime-processing industry. Fall Creek is open for day use only, and includes almost twenty miles of connecting trails. Parking and trailheads are marked on Felton Empire Road off Highway 9.
The park’s campground is situated in a mixed evergreen forest and is near the Santa Cruz Sandhills habitat – a rare ancient marine deposits home to endangered animals and plants. Although the campground is linked to the day-use area by trails, vehicles must enter the campground east of Felton, via Graham Hill Road.
EXPERIENCE THE REDWOODS – Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park preserves a 40-acre old-growth redwood grove. This unique ecosystem of ancient coast redwood trees has captured the interest and dedication of many people throughout time. On this 0.8-mile (1.2km) flat loop trail, you will discover the survival adaptation of the coast redwood and the inspiration this grove holds that led to its protection. The largest tree is approximately 277 feet tall and about 1,500 years old. Take a flashlight and step inside the famous Fremont Tree. There’s room for the whole family!
Accessible parking is available in the large lot near the accessible Nature Store. There are some accessible picnic tables on the deck on the left side of the store, as well as one to the right of the store. That said, there’s nothing like eating under a giant redwood, so follow the hard-pack dirt nature trail through the grove to the John C. Fremont Tree – where John C. Fremont camped in the hollowed out base with Kit Carson in 1846. And right next to the tree there’s an accessible picnic table. All in all it’s a .8-mile stroll, with the picnic table located midway along the forest path. You just can’t beat this picnic location.
FEES - There is a vehicle day-use fee for the day-use area and the campground: Regular sized autos ($10), seniors age 62 or older ($9), bus parking 10-24 passengers ($50), and bus parking for 25+ passengers ($100).
FALL CREEK UNIT is open for day use only, and includes almost twenty miles of connecting trails. Parking and trailheads are marked on Felton Empire Road off Highway 9. Camping, bicycles, smoking, and fires are prohibited in the Fall Creek unit.
DOGS are allowed in the picnic areas and campsites and on the Meadow Trail, Pipeline Road, Graham Hill Trail, and Powder Mill Fire Road. Dogs are not allowed in the Fall Creek Unit. Dogs are not permitted on the old-growth Redwood Grove Loop Trail.
BICYCLES are allowed on Pipeline Road, Rincon Fire Road, Ridge Fire Road, and Powder Mill Fire Road. Bicyclists under 18 must wear a helmet. A bicycle campsite available for cyclists who are touring the area and pedal into the park. Register at the campground kiosk on Graham Hill Road. Bicycles are not allowed in Fall Creek Unit.
HORSES are not allowed on the following trails: Redwood Grove Trail, River Trail, Ox Trail, and Pipeline Road south of Rincon Fire Road.
DRONES are not allowed in the park. To protect wildlife and cultural resources, and for the safety and welfare of visitors and staff, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is closed to the use of Model Aircraft, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and Gliders in flight.
POISON OAK flourishes and is native in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its leaves grow in groups of three, with gently lobed edges. The plant may appear as a bush, vine, or ground cover with green or reddish leaves. Many people are allergic to its oil.