Henry Cowell Campground

The Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park campground has 107 reservable sites in a shady pine and oak forest, with its own entrance at 2591 Graham Hill Road in Scotts Valley, separate from the day-use area. It is open seasonally, and California State Parks strongly recommends reserving between Memorial Day and Labor Day through ReserveCalifornia, up to six months ahead. Each site holds up to 8 people, and leashed dogs are allowed.

Where the Campground Is

The campground sits near the top of the park, in mixed evergreen forest next to the Santa Cruz Sandhills. You cannot drive to it from the day-use area: campers must use the Graham Hill Road entrance east of Felton. Trails link the two. The Redwood Grove is about a two-mile walk or a five-minute drive away, and the Observation Deck, the park's highest point at 805 feet, is about half a mile from the campsites. Downtown Santa Cruz is about 5 miles away.

Season and Reservations

The brochure says the campsites are open seasonally, and the campground has had long closures: in March 2025 California State Parks pushed its spring reopening from April 1 back to August 1, 2025, to finish accessibility upgrades to the restrooms, showers and campfire center. Check the park page or ReserveCalifornia for the current season before you plan.

• Book on ReserveCalifornia.com, up to six months to the day before arrival. You need a camper profile.
• First come, first served depends on what is not reserved and is sold one night at a time, so you may have to move sites each day.
• Check-in 2 p.m., check-out noon. Arriving after the kiosk closes? Follow the self-registration instructions in the kiosk window.
• Bad-weather closures: in fall and winter the park may occasionally close and move campers out. You can then take a full refund from the day of evacuation or move to another Santa Cruz District park if space allows.

Campground Amenities

• Hot showers (coin-operated) and flush toilets
• Drinking water
• ADA-accessible campsites 17, 23, 24 and 109 (reserved for holders of a DMV disability placard or plate)
• An en-route site for touring cyclists, registered at the kiosk
• Firewood for sale at $20 a bundle (about 1 cubic foot)

Each campsite has a picnic table, a food locker and a fire pit with a grill. Charcoal is allowed in the fire pit.

RVs and Trailers

The longest trailer allowed is 31 feet and the longest camper or motorhome 35 feet. There are no sewer or water hookups and no water fill or dump station; California State Parks names New Brighton State Beach as the nearest state park with both. Generators may run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Campground Rules

• 8 people per site, children included. The agency calls it a family campground.
• One vehicle included; each extra vehicle is $10 a night and parks in the overflow lot by the campfire center.
• Visitors pay the $10 day-use fee and must leave by 10 p.m., or register as an extra vehicle to stay.
• Quiet hours start at 10 p.m.
• Tents: as many as fit without harming the site. You may also sleep in your car.
• Alcohol is allowed for adults of legal drinking age.
• Smoking only in your campsite or on the paved road, never on trails.
• No horses in the campground.
• Food: the park is "Crumb Clean." Store food in the locker and leave no scraps, to protect the endangered marbled murrelet that nests in the park.

Dogs in Camp

Dogs are welcome at campsites on a leash no longer than six feet. In the campground they may walk on paved roads, Powder Mill Fire Road, Pipeline Road, Graham Hill Trail and the Meadow Trail. Keep them in a tent or vehicle at night and never leave them alone. See dogs.

Programs, Phones and Connectivity

From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, rangers and interpreters run campground programs that may include junior rangers, guided hikes and campfire talks; call (831) 438-2396 to confirm. There is no internet access, and the park says AT&T tends to have the best cell coverage.

Your camping permit doubles as a pass: it gets you into any California state park or beach free until sunset on the day you check out.

Poison Oak

California State Parks warns that some campsites have a fair amount of poison oak. Learn to recognize its leaves of three, which turn red and drop in autumn, and keep to the paths.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

Good for: families, tent campers and small RVs within a short walk of the sandhills and a longer walk to the redwoods.

Maybe skip if: you need hookups, a big rig or a site right beside the old-growth grove. The campground is in pine and oak forest, not among the big redwoods.