Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
| Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park | |
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The Redwood Grove Trail (old-growth loop) in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
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| Location | Santa Cruz County, California, USA |
| Nearest town | Felton, California |
| Coordinates | 37°24′24″N 122°3′48″W / 37.40667°N 122.06333°WCoordinates: 37°24′24″N 122°3′48″W / 37.40667°N 122.06333°W |
| Area | 4,623 acres (18.71 km2) |
| Established | 1954 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, USA, preserving mainly forest and riparian areas in the watershed of the San Lorenzo River, including a grove of old-growth coast redwood. It is located in Santa Cruz County, primarily in the area between the cities of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, near the community of Felton and the University of California at Santa Cruz. The park includes a non-contiguous extension in the Fall Creek area north of Felton. The 4,623-acre (1,871 ha) park was established in 1954.
The main park covers approximately 1,750 acres (7.1 km2), and the separate Fall Creek (not to be confused with the Fall Creek farther north in San Mateo County) unit contains an additional 2,390 acres (9.7 km2). The park lies within the southern end of the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion. In the numerous stream canyons live large populations of coast redwood, coast Douglas fir, California bay laurel, tanbark oak, California hazelnut, bigleaf maple and many other native species.
Upslope from the redwood forest are found transitional tree species such as Pacific madrone, along with a stand of Ponderosa pine, rare at such a low elevation. Some of the highest and driest ridge slopes in the park support fairly unusual chaparral communities known as "elfin forests" in addition to the rare and unique Santa Cruz Sandhills community. The old-growth grove of coast redwood, approximately 40 acres (16 ha) in size, is located entirely in the original section of the park, surrounded by many species of fern and plentiful redwood sorrel. Surrounding areas, including the non-contiguous Fall Creek unit, were logged extensively in the mid-to-late 1800s for lumber and as fuel for the many lime kilns that used to operate in the area, such as the ones preserved at nearby Cowell Lime Works. Logging activities mostly ceased by the 1920s, and the second growth redwoods are now up to several feet in diameter.
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Wikipedia