Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains and is most famous for the 40-acre grove of towering old-growth redwood trees. Its historical significance and spectacular scenery draw travelers from around the world. Visitors can enjoy hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, swimming, and camping on more than 4,650 acres of forested and open land. These skyscraping redwoods were admired by explorer John C. Frémont, President Theodore Roosevelt, and inspired some of California’s earliest redwood preservation efforts. Take a walk beyond the redwood grove and you’ll find four diverse habitats that this park preserves: grasslands, river/riparian, sandhills, and redwoods. The tallest tree in the park is approximately 277 feet tall, about 16 feet wide, and around 1,500 years old. Keen-eyed visitors may spot banana slugs, black-tailed deer, coyotes, bobcats, or steelhead trout.

A few miles north is the Fall Creek Unit– a second-growth redwood forest with a fern-lined river canyon and remnants of a successful lime-processing industry. Fall Creek is open for day use only, and includes almost twenty miles of connecting trails. Sandhill TrailParking and trailheads are marked on Felton Empire Road off Highway 9.

 

The park’s campground is situated in a mixed evergreen forest and is near the Santa Cruz Sandhills habitat – a rare ancient marine deposits home to endangered animals and plants. Although the campground is linked to the day-use area by trails, vehicles must enter the campground east of Felton, via Graham Hill Road.  

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

The centerpiece of Killens Pond State Park, conveniently located in central Delaware, is the 66-acre millpond, which was established in the late 1700s. Before the pond was created, the Murderkill River and surrounding hardwood forest were sites of several Native American homes and hunting camps. Killens Pond became a state park in 1965.

The pond is home to largemouth bass, catfish, carp, perch, crappie, bluegills, and pickerel, all of which await the patient angler.* A convenient boat launching ramp is available, and canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats can be rented during the summer. Paddlers will also enjoy the park's water trail up the Murderkill River.

Starting from 54 feet in the air, our two speed slides and two spiral slides with tunnels offer heart-pounding excitement for those who dare! The main pool's zero-depth entrance makes getting in and out easy, and smaller visitors will enjoy the tot pool and tot lot, featuring bubblers, ground water jets, small slides, and a pool-side waterplay system. A food concession and swim shop offer everything you need for a day full of waterpark fun. A separate per-person admission fee is charged at the waterpark.

The year-round wooded campground offers electric and water hookups, accommodating both tents and recreational vehicles, as well as a primitive walk-in camping loop for tents only. Family cabins sleep four and feature an efficiency kitchen with an eating area, bedroom, bath with shower, A/C, and heat. The roomier, deluxe Pond View Cottage has extra amenities and an outstanding view of the pond. 

Hiking and biking trails and a cross-country running course wind through several types of habitat featuring native plants and animals. Game courts and ball fields satisfy the athlete, and an 18-hole disc golf course challenges players to test their skill with a flying disc. The park also features playground equipment and picnic areas, and four pavilions are available to reserve for larger group events. Educational and recreational programs are conducted throughout the year at the Killens Pond Nature Center, which also features a permanent exhibit of local reptiles and amphibians and is also available for meetings and private events.


State Parks Tagged With: Felton