It’s almost embarrassing to admit that I had never heard of Henry Cowell State Park until this past weekend. Not that every Californian has to know every state park. But I went to college at UC Santa Cruz. The beautiful state park is in Felton – a stone’s throw away from where I lived for four years. After visiting this weekend, I feel a little sad too that I had never been before.
Next door to Roaring Camp Railroad, Henry Cowell Redwoods is home to a centuries old Redwood Grove that features a self-guided nature path. To boost summer learning, we had our son read the 3-4 sentences at each of the 15 markers. I never knew that Redwoods only grow within 20-40 miles of the coast or had seen an albino redwood. The oldest trees in the park are about 1400 to 1800 years old. The park has a picnic area above the San Lorenzo River which of course meant that we had to go down to a small creek and rope swing! There is even a section of a giant redwood that was harvested in 1934. It shows you how long the tree was living – well before the birth of Jesus. Amazing!
The mention of Santa Cruz automatically brings beaches to mind but there is far more beauty then the coastal scenery. If you’re looking to see gorgeous giant redwoods, do some day hiking, and maybe take a ride on a tree swing over the San Lorenzo River… this is the spot!
Exactly where is the rope swing? I’m going to be there in a week and a half and would like to take my daughter there..
Follow the River Trail. You can’t miss it (or not hear all the kids splashing in the water). When we were there the water was pretty high making the rope swings safe to swing and cannon ball into the water