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Briefing on Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Henry Cowell Redwoods State ParkexistSanta CruzNearby, it takes less than an hour and a half to go down from San Francisco, and if you live in South Bay, it's even closer. As the name suggests, the park's main attraction is the redwood forests, and there are actually two areas in the park. The southeastern side has campgrounds, visitor centers, and the most popular Redwood Grove Loop trail, which has many trails, and is also more crowded. The Fall Creek Unit on the northwest side has about 20 miles of hiking trails. Since we were camping, we stayed in the southeast area. There are also Roaring Camp Railroads across from the main entrance.Santa CruzRoaring Camp's old town atmosphere is fun for the whole family, as is the small train ride from Santa Cruz to Santa Cruz. If you don't want to camp but need a place to stay, there are plenty of places to stay in the Santa Cruz neighborhood to arrange a weekend trip.
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Camp Environment
- Comfort: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Camp Space: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Facility Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Convenience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park has 107 campsites and is very popular because of its location. We've been here twice and it's been very comfortable. The campgrounds are not huge in California State Parks, but they are plenty of space. You can easily walk to the trailhead from the campground, which is very convenient for those who want to come to hike. Overall, the campground is well organized and clean. It's not too hot because of the shade.
Hiking trail
The most popular trail in Henry Cowell is the Redwood Grove Loop Trail at the entrance, and if you're camping like we are, there are three main trails from the campground, the Eagle Creek Trail, the Ridge Fire Rd, and the Pine Trail, and if you're looking for an easy one-time trip, I think you can take the Redwood Grove Loop Trail directly from the entrance, or climb the Eagle Creek Trail from the campground to the creek, or the Pine Trail + Ridge Fire Rd to see the Observation Deck in one trip. If you want to take a single easy hike, I think you can take the Redwood Grove Loop Trail from the park entrance, or climb the Eagle Creek Trail from the campground to the creek, or the Pine Trail + Ridge Fire Rd to see the Observation Deck, but all of these trails are actually interconnected, so feel free to make adjustments.
Eagle Creek Trail
Eagle Creek Trail is a creek side trail, we started from the entrance of the campground, there are many redwoods along the way. If you follow the creek, you can join the River trail or the Pipeline road, if you take the Pipeline road, it will be more difficult, but it is quite gentle if you just walk along the creek. Compared to Redwood Grove Loop Trail, although there are no big trees here, the forest is beautiful and the walk is comfortable with fewer people.
Pine Trail/Ridge Fire Rd to Observation Deck
Observation Deck is the highlight of the trail next to the campground, this observation deck is located on the high ground, if you take Fire Rd, it's about 1 mile away from the entrance of the trail, there is a lot of soft sand on the trail, and the section close to the Observation Deck is more sunny.
Observation Deck is a concrete platform. After going up, you can see Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz mountains.
Redwood grove loop trail
Redwood Grove Loop Trail is a 0.8 mile short trail that you must take when you come to Henry Cowell. You can walk from other trails, but the easier way is to drive to the parking lot in front of the Visitor Center and enter through the entrance, you can read the introduction inside the Visitor Center.
The redwoods on this trail are the largest, and the most famous tree is the General Fremont Tree, which got its name because John Fremont stayed in a hole at the bottom of the tree for one night in 1846 to escape the rain, which shows the size of the hole. Before it became a state park, the land was originally purchased by a businessman named Welch, who not only logged in the neighborhood, but also operated the grove as a tourist attraction. This privately owned tourist attraction attracted many dignitaries and celebrities, including Teddy Roosevelt Sr.
Town of Roaring Camp Railroads
Roaring Camp RailroadsAlthough it is not part of the park, it is just opposite to the park entrance, so you can visit it even if you don't take the train. The Town of Roaring Camp next to the train station maintains the appearance of an old western town from the 1880's, with a steel shop, a printing press, and a sign in front of the conscription office offering a reward for the capture of a man, so it's fun to take a stroll around. If you want to ride the train, you can go to Santa Cruz.
The vacant lot at the back of town often has events on the weekends, and there was a Car Show going on when we were there.
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