Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Scotts Valley, California
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I found out about this campground on Reserve America, and I RV camped there in August 2009.
Describe your camping trip:
This is the first time we had gone to Henry Cowell. This is a California State Park campground. It was well maintained and very orderly, i.e. people seemed to observe quiet hours, no trash on the ground, etc. We camp in a 32' motor home, and they don't have a lot of sites that will accommodate that size RV.
We reserved #99, which was 35' long. We could barely get our slide outs out due to the shrubbery overgrowing the spot, but we managed. Except for a slightly tough time fitting the rig in the spot in a way the slide outs would open, the site was roomy, somewhat private and also accommodated our friends, who shared our site tent camping.
Pros: Convenient access: Close to our house in San Jose all via good RV friendly roads. Quiet campground. Didn't have to worry about our kids riding the scooters on the campground road. Not much traffic and people seemed to follow the rules and drive slow. There were a number of hikes that looked good. We took a 2 mile round trip hike down to the river through a nice redwood forest. Kids had a great time playing in the stream. The park was clean and well kept, and all the staff/rangers I came in contact with were friendly.
Cons: Lots of poison oak around. I'm very surprised none of us, especially our kids who did a lot of exploring, ended up getting poison oak.
They have a no alcohol policy. It didn't seem to be enforced with a heavy hand, so as long as you don't advertise and keep quiet, I don't expect the rangers would bother you. Firewood was $8 per bundle, which seems a little pricey.
Nearby attractions: Santa Cruz, The Mystery Spot
Further comments: This isn't the best state park I've stayed in, and I don't like the no alcohol policy, but I would definitely go there again for a weekend. We put this on our list of places to go for weekend trips near the house.
Visit Their Website
Visit Their Website
I found out about this campground on Reserve America, and I RV camped there in August 2009.
Describe your camping trip:
This is the first time we had gone to Henry Cowell. This is a California State Park campground. It was well maintained and very orderly, i.e. people seemed to observe quiet hours, no trash on the ground, etc. We camp in a 32' motor home, and they don't have a lot of sites that will accommodate that size RV.
We reserved #99, which was 35' long. We could barely get our slide outs out due to the shrubbery overgrowing the spot, but we managed. Except for a slightly tough time fitting the rig in the spot in a way the slide outs would open, the site was roomy, somewhat private and also accommodated our friends, who shared our site tent camping.
Pros: Convenient access: Close to our house in San Jose all via good RV friendly roads. Quiet campground. Didn't have to worry about our kids riding the scooters on the campground road. Not much traffic and people seemed to follow the rules and drive slow. There were a number of hikes that looked good. We took a 2 mile round trip hike down to the river through a nice redwood forest. Kids had a great time playing in the stream. The park was clean and well kept, and all the staff/rangers I came in contact with were friendly.
Cons: Lots of poison oak around. I'm very surprised none of us, especially our kids who did a lot of exploring, ended up getting poison oak.
They have a no alcohol policy. It didn't seem to be enforced with a heavy hand, so as long as you don't advertise and keep quiet, I don't expect the rangers would bother you. Firewood was $8 per bundle, which seems a little pricey.
Nearby attractions: Santa Cruz, The Mystery Spot
Further comments: This isn't the best state park I've stayed in, and I don't like the no alcohol policy, but I would definitely go there again for a weekend. We put this on our list of places to go for weekend trips near the house.
Visit Their Website
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