The Redwood Grove Loop at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, a 20 minute drive northwest of Santa Cruz, and less than an hour's drive from the south of San Jose is a very gentle and easy walk through some old-growth forest. This hike is perfect for people of all ages, and as it is paved, is great for the disabled and those with strollers. Throughout the trail are benches for gazing and resting.

The redwoods are the dominating feature, and they do dominate with their girth, their height, and their vivid color. There are also smaller, more 'normal' sized trees, and low lying ferns and bushes.

And the biggest one of them all is actually named: the John C. Fremont tree (270 ft / 82.3m). For this photo, I had to stand far away and crouch on the ground, and I still barely got the top of the tree!

Sidenote: This loop is a great introduction to the park and has quite a few trails that fan out to the rest of the park. I did venture further in to see what else the park has to offer. Unfortunately, I later found out that the photos I took were far too blurry. I will have to come back more prepared and ready.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park: Redwood Grove Loop

Start: Main Entrance / Mountain Parks Foundation Store Parking Lot

Duration: 30 min - 1 hour

Difficulty: easy
Length: 0.8 miles loop
Danger: none

Exposure: equal mix of exposure

Crowd factor: moderately low

(hike completed in March 2016)

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