Santa Cruz Mountains Trails: Henry Cowell State Park Redwood Ramble

Today I lead my Foothill College class on the same Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park route that I took my College of San Mateo class last Spring. This is a wonderfully diverse 5.5-mile walk, which took us through a magical old-growth redwood grove, along the banks of the only real river in the Santa Cruz Mountains, to a sunny overlook with sandy soil, a unique ecology, and views of Monterey Bay.

We started at the parking lot near the park entrance, and continued on the Redwood Grove Loop Trail, stopping to admire some magnificent trees and to go inside the hollowed out John C. Fremont Tree, where Lieutenant Fremont is reputed to have camped in 1846.

We then proceeded south on the Pipeline Trail and uphill on the Eagle Creek Trail, stopping to admire a gnarly old-growth redwood which was spared the ax because of its gnarly condition. The trail then climbs above the redwoods and into the sand hills, which have a unique ecology all their own. Manzanita, knobcone pine, chinquapin, and ponderosa pine predominate in the sand hills. A right turn on the Pine Trail took us to the Overlook, where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we headed downhill on the Ridge Fire Road and north on the Rincon Fire Road and the River Trail, which took us back to the Pipeline Trail. Just before returning to the Redwood Grove Loop Trail we stopped to examine a rare albino Redwood. This pure white phantom of the forest is a genetic mutant that lacks chlorophyll and is unable to photosynthesize. Because it cannot make its own food, it survives as a parasite by connecting its roots to a nearby redwood.

After returning to the parking lot, we crossed the railroad tracks and walked to the right to see a nineteenth century steam donkey and a steam-powered sawmill.

The big surprise is the entrance fee to the park. Since I was here last Spring the state has raised the entrance fee to $10.00 per car ($9.00 if you are over 62). It is still a bargain, especially if you carpool.