On Easter Sunday, I decided to go on a hike rather than go out for an Easter brunch. It had been awhile since I had been in the Redwoods, so I decided to check out a new park that I hadn’t visited before, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park!
Miles/Elevation:
Planned: 4.3 miles, 630 feet vertical gain
Actual: ~9.5 miles, ~1300 feet vertical gain
About Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park:
Located in the hills of the Santa Cruz Mountains just outside Santa Cruz California, this park protects an area of towering Redwood Forests, rugged hills, and rarely seen sandhills.
The old growth Redwood grove at Henry Cowell is one of the grandest remaining stands of old growth Redwoods, and is the main attraction of the park. Beyond the Redwoods, Henry Cowell offers a number of different environments ranging from hot exposed ridges, deep river valleys, and everything between the two!
Henry Cowell is split into two parts, the main section where I did my hiking, and another area called the Fall Creek Unit. The Fall Creek Unit is also a worthwhile visit, but doesn’t contain the old growth Redwoods of the main section. Instead, it features second growth Redwood forest any steep ravines that still contain the remnants of the now defunct mining industry. Definitely worth a visit as well!
The park does have a $10 parking fee at the main parking area, though some areas may be accessed while avoiding the fee. The park features trails open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horses, swimming holes, and the Roaring Camp Railroad.
Getting To Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park:
Henry Cowell is just off highway 9 outside Santa Cruz. From Santa Cruz, the park is just a short drive up the road. From San Jose, the park is a twisty 40 minute drive down highway 17. From San Francisco, it is about an hours drive down through the South Bay and then over towards Santa Cruz.
The Hike:
The Plan Redwood Grove Loop Trail and Cowell Highlights Loop:
My plan was to do a quick 4 mile or so loop hike in the park. I wanted to see the old growth Redwoods, and then get a few more miles in. I hadn’t been hiking for a few weeks, so I didn’t want to jump into anything too tough!
The hike I had planned was through the main Redwood Grove and then up the Eagle Creek Trail, over to the observation deck, and then back to where I started on the River Trail. That hike would come in at about 4.3 miles with a bit over 600 feet of climbing. What I actually did ended up being a lot more than that!
The Actual Hike Eagle Creek, Pine, Buckeye, Big Rock Hole and River Trail Loop:
The hike that I ended up doing more closely resembles the link posted above.
The Redwood Loop:
To start, from the N Big Trees Parking Area, start down the Redwood Grove Trail. This is the short loop through the oldest and largest of the giant Redwoods and if you’re only going to do one hike in the park, it should be this one!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
The old trees really are awesome to see up close, and the grove here is one of the best I have seen. Since the fire went through Big Basin, this is definitely close to the top of the best Redwood groves in the Santa Cruz Mountains!
When you reach the far end of the Redwood Loop, you will have a choice: finish the Redwood Loop now, or continue on with the rest of the hike and finish the loop later. My recommendation is to move on to the rest of the hike and finish the Redwood Loop later. You’ll be back in this spot later, so there isn’t really a need to head back to the parking lot now, only to hike back to this spot right after!
When you leave the Redwood Loop, you will get onto Pipeline Road. This single lane road will take you further into the park, and shortly later, you will turn left onto the Eagle Creek Trail.
Eagle Creek Trail
This single track trail quickly begins climbing as it follows a stream up the mountains. The trail isn’t especially steep, but it is a consistent climb for about ¾ of a mile. Eventually, the trail turns from dirt into sand, and when I say sand, I mean like white beach sand. Sand that your feet sink into as you walk. It’s real annoying, and totally unexpected as you climb towards the top of the ridge!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
At this point you’re actually walking on the remainder of what was once a seafloor. A very long time ago, this was the bottom of an ocean, and the sand is the remains of ancient sea shells and other fossils.
Reaching the Top:
Once you get onto the sand, you are getting close to the top of the Eagle Creek Trail. Soon, you will take a right onto the Pine Trail. The Pine Trail is exposed, so if you were cold down in the Redwoods, you almost certainly won’t be here! After ¾ of a mile or so, you will arrive at the Observation Deck, an elevated platform that provides 360 degree views.
Hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Be sure to check out Castle Rock State Park!
From here, you can see to the ocean, the high peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and on a clear day, even down to the mountains of Big Sur.
Getting Lost:
Here is where I made my mistake. The trails here aren’t very well marked, or at least the trail signs don’t really match up with what the park map says. Further, the park map doesn’t have a compass rose on it, so I wasn’t 100% sure what direction I was even supposed to be going. I took off in what I thought was the right direction. I turned out to be wrong.
The trail that I took was the Pine Trail towards Powder Mill Road. It slowly descended down from the Observation Deck, and travelled through recently burnt chaparral. This was an unexpected environment, as it’s totally different from the Redwood forests down in the valleys.
Pretty quickly, the trail begins descending into the forest. It’s not the dense Redwood forest of the lower reaches of the park. Rather, it’s the type of forest more commonly seen in the upper reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountains, leafy trees, oaks, much fewer pines and Redwoods.
Continuing on Powder Mill Road, I eventually came to an intersection. To the right, Pipeline Road went straight back to the visitor center and parking lot. Ahead, a much more attractive looking single track trail descended down to the river. A hike along a road straight back to the parking lot didn’t sound all that interesting, and it turned out the choice I made was certainly interesting!
Another cool Redwoods hike is at Bear Creek Redwoods!
The trail ahead was the Buckeye Trail, and it quickly entered Redwood forest and descended quickly downhill. After a steep half mile or so, descending about 600 feet, the trail emerged at the San Lorenzo River.
This is the point I got lost. The trail seemingly ended at the river, and I was at a loss for what to do. The trails on the park map weren’t fully labeled, and I wasn’t sure exactly where I was or where the trail went. I was pretty sure it went somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where. After a couple minutes of searching, I saw a faint use trail heading up river.
Where the trail seemingly ended!
I followed the use trail for about 5 minutes, but it was so faint and was so steep and narrow and overgrown that I quickly abandoned it. I returned to where I lost the trail and took a look at the map again. I eventually found where I was, and it was not where I expected. I was in the bottom corner of the park, miles from where I wanted to be. It turned out I took the wrong trail from the Observation Deck, and had actually been hiking the wrong way. However, once I knew what trail I had followed on the map, I knew where to go.
Finding the Way:
The trail actually crossed the river, so I had to find where the crossing was. I returned to the river and followed a sandbar in the middle of the river and eventually saw a trail on the other bank.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any places to cross and keep my feet dry, so I had to simply ford the river. It wasn’t even knee deep, and the water surprisingly warm, so it wasn’t a bad time to get the feet wet, though it did make the rest of the hike a little less enjoyable, though not too bad.
The trail on the other side of the river was quite faint, but it was followable, and there were signs that it was actually maintained. There were stumps and downed trees that had been cut with chainsaws, so I knew I was on my way back to civilization.
Shortly, I arrived at the second river crossing that I knew was coming. This was more of the same: nowhere dry to cross, so I waded in. Again, it wasn’t too bad. The water wasn’t even knee height, so nothing beyond my shoes got wet.
After this river crossing, I knew I was making progress getting back. I started seeing people as I hiked uphill from the river. The climb was almost as steep as the one I had descended to reach the river earlier, and I had already covered nearly twice the amount of miles that I had planned on. The legs were feeling rough at this point, but I knew I was on the back half of the hike!
After a short but brutal climb for my tired legs, I reached the Rincon Fire Road. I knew that this was the road that would take me back towards the parking lot, so I sat down and had a quick snack. I hadn’t eaten since I started the hike, so I needed the shot of energy!
Finishing Up:
From here, the trail started getting busy again as I slowly made my way nearer and nearer to the parking lot. Eventually, the trail split and I decided to take the single track River Trail which I knew would take me back to where I needed to go.
On the River Trail, I passed Cable Car Beach, an awesome spot that would be a nice place to hang out on a hot day and enjoy the water! Shortly after, I rejoined the Redwood Loop and after a couple more minutes, I was back at the visitor center and the parking lot!
It was a way longer hike than I had planned on, but it actually turned out pretty good! A little adventure is always fun, and when it all turns out alright, the adventure makes it pretty fun! All in all, I would highly recommend the Redwood Loop and Henry Cowell. This grove is one of the best I have been too in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The other trails are nice, and worth doing if you’ve done a lot of other trails in the area. The views from the Observation Deck aren’t really anything special, and the rest of the forest doesn’t measure up to the easily accessible giants of the Redwood Loop.
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10
If you haven’t explored Henry Cowell for yourself, you definitely should make your way there and make up your own mind! Just the short loop through the massive redwoods alone is worth a visit, and the rest of the trails through the park just add to it. The views in spots are good not great, and the trail isn’t especially exciting, but this was a really solid hike all around!
Pros:
- Fantastic old growth Redwoods
- Solitude for large sections of the hike
- Variety of different environments
- Opportunities for swimming
Cons:
- Main areas of the park can be very busy
- Road noise in most areas of the park
- Views aren’t great compared to other hikes in the area
- Trails could be signed better
Alternative Hikes:
Bear Creek Summit via Madrone Knoll Trail
North Ridge Trail Purisima Creek Redwoods
Lisa’s Lookout Rancho San Vicente
When To Visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park:
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park really is a 4 season destination. In summer, you can expect to sweat on exposed sections of trails, and to be comfortable on the shaded sections. During winter, expect to be cool in the shaded areas, and warm most days in exposed sections. Rain is most likely in winter and spring. Fog is possible at any time of year.
Links for Further Reading:
Best trails in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
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