Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Hiking Guide
Drive in over the San Lorenzo River, step out of the car, and the air changes before the trees do. It cools. It smells of wet bark and fern. A short walk from the parking lot, you’re standing at the foot of a coast redwood about 277 feet tall and roughly 1,500 years old.
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That’s the first ten minutes at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, a 4,650-acre state park in Felton, in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Santa Cruz County, about 31 miles southwest of San Jose. Most people come for the 40-acre old-growth grove and its easy 0.8-mile loop.
Stay longer and the park keeps unfolding: sandhills dotted with ponderosa pine, river beaches, a second forest unit scattered with limestone kiln ruins, and a steam train whistle drifting over from next door.
This guide follows your questions in the order you’ll ask them: where to park, what it costs, which trail to start with, and where to go next. It’s one of the anchor destinations in our Santa Cruz County hiking trails guide. However, if you want to escape the busy weekend crowds often found here, you might prefer the secluded groves of Portola Redwoods State Park.
Key Takeaways
- Where: 101 N. Big Trees Park Road, Felton, CA 95018, about five miles from downtown Santa Cruz.
- Hours and cost: Sunrise to sunset, and all trails close at sunset. Parking is $10 per vehicle ($9 for seniors 62 and older). The visitor center is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Easiest hike: Redwood Grove Loop, 0.8 miles, wheelchair-accessible, no dogs.
- Longer days: Cowell Highlights Loop (5.9 miles), or Big Ben in the Fall Creek Unit (about 7.5 miles round trip, 1,400 feet of climbing).
- Dogs: Leashed dogs are allowed on a short list of trails, but not on the Redwood Grove Loop or anywhere in the Fall Creek Unit.
What Makes Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Special?
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park sits where the San Lorenzo River cuts through the Santa Cruz Mountains, between Santa Cruz, Felton and Scotts Valley.
Four habitats share its land: redwood forest, river corridor, grassland, and the Santa Cruz Sandhills, a rare ecosystem on ancient marine deposits where ponderosa pines grow below 3,000 feet. Look low for banana slugs and high for black-tailed deer, coyotes or bobcats at a meadow’s edge.
The name is a mouthful, so locals have trimmed it for generations. Type Henry Cowell State Park, Henry Cowell Redwood State Park or simply Big Trees into a map app and you’ll land in the same place. “Big Trees” was the original name. In 1867, Joseph Warren Welch bought the grove and opened a vacation resort the next year, and guests came to see one tree above all: the fire-hollowed redwood where explorer John C.
Frémont is said to have camped in 1846. Photographer Andrew P. Hill’s visit later helped launch the Sempervirens Club, today’s Sempervirens Fund, and the redwood preservation movement. Santa Cruz County bought the grove in 1930. In 1954, Samuel “Harry” Cowell donated 1,600 adjoining acres on one condition: the combined park would carry his father’s name.
Henry Cowell had bought 6,500 acres here in 1865 to add to the quarrying and lime operations he ran nearby, and kilns from that business still stand in the Fall Creek Unit, which his family’s foundation deeded to the state in 1972.
Getting to Henry Cowell Park in Felton, CA: Directions, Parking and Fees
The park has three vehicle entrances: the day-use area (redwood grove, visitor center and most trailheads), the campground, and the Fall Creek Unit.
For the day-use area, take Highway 17 to the Mt. Hermon Road exit and follow it to Graham Hill Road. Turn right, then left onto Highway 9, and the entrance is about two miles along on your left. From Santa Cruz, drive north on Highway 9 to just south of Felton.
Parking is $10 per vehicle ($9 for seniors 62 and older). Pay at the kiosk, or scan the QR code on park signs to pay cashless with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a card. Pay-by-phone isn’t a reservation, so if the lot is full, wait for a space before you pay.
Frequent visitors can compare options in our guide to California hiking trail permits and passes. For up-to-the-day fees and notices, check California State Parks’ Henry Cowell page.
Fall Creek has its own small, free lot on Felton Empire Road off Highway 9, and it fills early on summer weekends. The Garden of Eden is reached from the Ox Fire Road trailhead, 0.75 miles south of the main entrance on Highway 9.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Visitor Center: Hours, Maps and Where to Start
Start here, even if you’re itching to hike. The visitor center sits in the day-use area right beside the start of the Redwood Grove Loop, and it’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Mountain Parks Foundation Nature Store, run by the nonprofit that supports the park, is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Inside, exhibits cover the park’s wildlife, plants and logging history, and you can pick up the self-guided Redwood Grove brochure (English or French) or download the free audio tour. State Parks warns that routes here get complicated, so carry a map: the park brochure includes a free one, and the Nature Store sells detailed topographic maps.
Heading to Fall Creek later? Take a trail map from here first, because the unit has no visitor center. New to maps? Our guide on how to read a California hiking trail map will help.
Best Hiking Trails at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
State Parks counts about 30 miles of trails across the main park and Fall Creek. Here’s how the main routes compare, using State Parks’ own figures. Trail apps may show slightly different numbers.
| Trail | Distance | Elevation change | Level | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood Grove Loop | 0.8 mi loop | 30 ft | Easy | Visitor center |
| Meadow–River Loop | About 1 mi loop | Gentle | Easy | Main entrance |
| Observation Deck (short) | About 1 mi round trip | 250 ft | Easy | Campground |
| Observation Deck (long) | About 5 mi round trip | 600 ft | Moderate | Visitor center |
| Cathedral Redwoods | About 4 mi | 300 ft | Moderate | Visitor center |
| Cowell Highlights Loop | 5.9 mi | 420 ft | Moderate | Visitor center |
| Kiln Ruins (Fall Creek) | About 3 mi round trip | 300 ft | Moderate | Fall Creek lot |
| Big Ben (Fall Creek) | About 7.5 mi round trip | 1,400 ft | Strenuous | Fall Creek lot |
| Four Crossings | About 5 mi loop | 600 ft | Strenuous | Campground |
Redwood Grove Loop: The Walk Everyone Comes For
If you only have an hour, spend it here. The loop circles the old-growth grove for 0.8 miles with about 30 feet of elevation change. State Parks lists it as wheelchair-accessible, with restrooms at the halfway point. For more options, see our guide to wheelchair-accessible hiking trails in California.
The trees do the storytelling. The largest stands roughly 277 feet tall, and President Theodore Roosevelt admired these redwoods. Look for the Fremont Tree, hollowed at its base by fire, and bring a flashlight to step inside; there’s room for the whole family.
Don’t expect to drive through anything, since State Parks notes there are no drive-through trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Along the way you’ll pass “family circles,” rings of young redwoods that sprouted around a long-gone parent tree, and a forest floor carpeted with clover-like redwood sorrel. Dogs, horses and bicycles aren’t allowed.
Meadow–River Loop: A Gentle Mile Beside the Water
Begin on the Meadow Trail, just after the entrance road crosses the San Lorenzo River. It skirts grassland dotted with sycamores and box elders, a good place to spot deer, coyotes and birds at dawn and dusk.
The trail ends at the Nature Store, and you return on the River Trail, with streamside vegetation, waterfowl and steelhead trout. The Meadow Trail is on State Parks’ dog-approved list but the River Trail isn’t, so with a dog, walk the Meadow Trail out and back.
Observation Deck and the Santa Cruz Sandhills
The short version starts at the campground on Powder Mill Fire Road: about a mile round trip with 250 feet of climbing. The longer version starts at the visitor center and runs about 5 miles round trip with 600 feet of elevation change.
Walk a mile up Pipeline Road through second-growth redwoods, veer left onto the single-track Eagle Creek Trail for 0.8 miles, then turn right onto the Pine Trail for 0.7 miles through the sandhills.
Up top, the Observation Deck, the park’s highest point at 805 feet, looks over Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains. You’ll pass ponderosa pines and silver-leaf manzanita, and patches where the park has done controlled burns to renew vegetation and reduce wildfire risk.
Cathedral Redwoods, Cable Car Beach and the Highlights Loop
Take Pipeline Road to Rincon Fire Road, then the Big Rock Hole Trail to Cathedral Redwoods, a family circle of coast redwoods, about 4 miles with 300 feet of elevation change. Return by Cable Car Beach for a swim, then follow the River Trail back.
To see it all in one day, hike the 5.9-mile Cowell Highlights Loop (420 feet of elevation change). From the visitor center, climb Pipeline Road to the Eagle Creek Trail, take the Pine Trail to the Observation Deck, then descend by Ridge Fire Road to the Overlook Bench on Pipeline Road for views of downtown Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. Swing past Cathedral Redwoods, finish at Cable Car Beach and walk the River Trail home.
Fall Creek Unit: Kiln Ruins and Big Ben
A few miles north of the main park, the Fall Creek Unit has a different mood: roughly 2,390 acres, about 20 miles of trails, fern-lined canyons, second-growth redwoods, and no crowds or visitor center.
Almost all its ancient redwoods were cut to fuel Henry Cowell’s lime kilns, which is why the survivors matter. The 2020 CZU fire burned part of the unit, and State Parks crews have since cleared and restored trails.
For the Kiln Ruins, take the Bennett Creek Trail to the Fall Creek Trail to the South Fork Trail, about 3 miles round trip by State Parks’ count. To reach Big Ben, a six-foot-wide old-growth survivor, continue on the Cape Horn Trail to the Lost Empire Trail for another 2.7 miles, about 7.5 miles round trip with 1,400 feet of climbing.
For a shortcut, park where the Sunlit Trail starts along Empire Grade; it’s a half-mile effort to Big Ben, but you’ll miss the kilns.
Dogs, bicycles, camping, smoking and fires are prohibited in the unit. Wear long pants, because poison oak grows beside many Santa Cruz Mountains trails, in leaves of three.
Four Crossings: For Experienced Hikers Only
This 5-mile loop through the San Lorenzo River gorge has no bridges at its four river crossings. State Parks says they’re doable for most people from July to October, but if the water rises above knee height, choose another hike. Route-finding is tricky in every season because storms shift the crossings, so bring a map.
Garden of Eden: Swimming Holes on the San Lorenzo River
On a hot day, everyone asks where they can swim. The answer is the Garden of Eden, a popular swimming hole on the San Lorenzo River within the park. Park at the Ox Fire Road trailhead and follow the Ox Trail, just under a mile, down to the water. The path is steep and can be slippery, it crosses a rail line, and the climb back up will remind you how far you came. Pack out your trash.
Jumping from the rocks is against park rules, and the pool is too shallow over sharp rocks for diving. Easier water waits at Cable Car Beach, at the end of the River Trail. Stay out of the river when it runs high. For more trails that end in cool water, see our swimhiking trails in California guide.
Roaring Camp and Camping at Henry Cowell
Roaring Camp Railroads runs steam trains next door, and you can walk between the park’s main lot and the Roaring Camp grounds. Its Redwood Forest Steam Train climbs to the summit of Bear Mountain, and the Santa Cruz Beach Train follows the river gorge through the park. Check Roaring Camp’s website for schedules and prices.
The campground has 107 reservable sites in a shady pine and oak forest, with a separate entrance at 2591 Graham Hill Road in Scotts Valley. Reservations open six months ahead on ReserveCalifornia, and State Parks highly recommends booking between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Expect flush toilets, potable water and quarter-operated hot showers, but no hookups. The grove is about a two-mile walk or five-minute drive away, and the sandhills and Observation Deck are half a mile on foot. Trails close at sunset, so there’s no sunset hike. For statewide options, see our list of campgrounds near California’s top hiking trails.
Dogs, Bikes, Horses and Other Park Rules
Dogs must be on a leash no longer than six feet and can’t be left unattended. They’re allowed in picnic areas, campsites, and on the Meadow Trail, Pipeline Road, Graham Hill Trail and Powder Mill Fire Road, but not on the Redwood Grove Loop or in the Fall Creek Unit. For more on leash rules and dog-friendly routes, read our guide to hiking with dogs in California.
Bicycles are allowed on Pipeline Road, Rincon Fire Road, Ridge Fire Road and Powder Mill Fire Road, and riders under 18 must wear a helmet. Horses are barred from the Redwood Grove Trail, River Trail, Ox Trail and Pipeline Road south of Rincon Fire Road. Drones aren’t allowed.
The park is also “Crumb Clean,” a campaign that asks you to pack out every scrap of food to help protect the marbled murrelet, an endangered bird that nests here.
When Is the Best Time to Visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park?
The park is open daily, sunrise to sunset. Summer is the best time for swimming at Cable Car Beach and the Garden of Eden, and State Parks says Four Crossings is doable only from July to October. Winter rains swell the creeks in the Fall Creek Unit, but storms can also close the campground and make river crossings dangerous.
Summer weekends are busiest, so arrive early. Before any visit, check California hiking trail closures and State Parks’ alerts, because work such as pipeline projects on Pipeline Road occasionally limits trail access.
Where to Go Next After Henry Cowell
If the grove left you wanting more redwoods, our guide to the canyon trails at the Forest of Nisene Marks compares the area’s top groves, and the Big Basin Redwoods State Park hiking guide covers the park that grew out of the same preservation movement.
Newer to hiking? Our list of beginner trails near Santa Cruz pairs well with an easy morning in the grove. For everything else the area offers, return to the Santa Cruz County trail guide.
Final Recommendation
Here’s the honest version: with one hour, walk the Redwood Grove Loop and step inside the Fremont Tree. With half a day, climb to the Observation Deck and look out over Monterey Bay. With a full day and strong legs, hike the Cowell Highlights Loop and finish at Cable Car Beach with your boots off. Henry Cowell gives a first-time redwood visitor an easy win and rewards a regular with a different trail every season. Arrive early, bring a map, and leave the crumbs behind.
Frequently Asked Questions About Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
How much does it cost to visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park?
Day use is $10 per vehicle, or $9 for seniors 62 and older. Special rates may apply during peak season and holiday weekends. Campers’ permits cover entry to other state parks and beaches until sunset on checkout day, and Fall Creek’s lot is free.
Are dogs allowed at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park?
Yes, but only in certain places. Leashed dogs (six feet maximum) may use the Meadow Trail, Pipeline Road, Graham Hill Trail, Powder Mill Fire Road, the picnic areas and campsites. They aren’t allowed on the Redwood Grove Loop or in the Fall Creek Unit.
How long does it take to hike the redwood grove?
State Parks suggests an hour for the 0.8-mile Redwood Grove Loop, plus extra time if you stop at the numbered markers or step inside the Fremont Tree. With half a day, walk from the campground through the sandhills to the grove and back, about 5 miles round trip. With a full day, try the 5.9-mile Cowell Highlights Loop.
Is the Redwood Grove Loop wheelchair and stroller accessible?
State Parks lists the loop as wheelchair-accessible, and Visit Santa Cruz County calls it wheelchair- and stroller-accessible. It’s flat, with restrooms at the halfway point. State Parks also guides accessibility details for the park, so check those if you have a specific need.
Can you swim at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park?
Yes. The Garden of Eden, reached from the Ox Fire Road trailhead, and Cable Car Beach, at the end of the River Trail, are the best-known spots. Don’t dive, don’t jump from the rocks, and avoid the river when the water is high.
Is the Fall Creek Unit part of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park?
Yes. It’s the park’s northern, day-use-only unit, a few miles north of the main park, with about 20 miles of trails, second-growth redwoods, kiln ruins and Big Ben. Parking is on Felton Empire Road. Dogs, bicycles, camping, smoking and fires aren’t allowed.
