In the spring of 2025, we stayed in Santa Cruz Ranch Campground in Scotts Valley, California, for the first time. It’s a smaller campground than we’re used to, tucked away in the redwoods but in the city limits. Most of the campers seemed to be permanent residents of the park. In spite of that, it was a nicely maintained park.
Nearby in Felton, CA, was Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park where we visited one late afternoon. There are several California state parks scattered along the northern coastline for the preservation of the giant redwoods. Redwoods thrive in the coastal foggy climate.
We stopped at the visitor center first before walking the .8 mile Redwood Grove Loop Trail. The late afternoon was the perfect time for a nature walk.
This trail highlights a grove of redwood trees estimated to be anywhere from 1,400 to 1,800 years old.
A Redwood tree may use up to 500 gallons of water a day. Forty percent of that water they can absorb from coastal fog.
The largest tree in the park is roughly 277 feet tall and estimated to be 1,500 years old.
During our walk, we explored the inside of this massive tree. Redwoods are surprisingly resistant to fire damage. In fact, it stimulates their growth. The layer of bark that transports water and nutrients to the tree is only a couple of cells thick and lies just beneath the bark. For this reason, the trees can withstand having their centers burned out, forming large caverns. Yet the tree itself continues to live and grow.
The Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is over 4,000 acres. The redwoods cover approximately 40 acres.
The late afternoon sun made for a beautiful walk through the grove of trees.
The redwood trees have shallow root systems that pull hundreds of gallons of water daily from the surrounding soil. They also absorb water through their specialized “axial” leaves that act like sponges, allowing a single large tree to absorb up to 14 gallons of water from the air in just one hour.
This squirrel didn’t seem to mind us as we walked by. He remained motionless, letting me get his picture.
Redwoods are highly saturated with tannin which acts as a natural flame retardant. It is also the reason for the deep reddish color of the tree bark. It also protects them from insects and disease.
Woody growths at the tree’s base called burls are stimulated by fires. The trees can grow entirely new trunks from these burls. This is why you may see a ring or circle of trees which are called “fairy rings.”
Another afternoon we took a drive to Natural Bridges State Beach. Located near the town of Santa Cruz, it is a 65-acre park with a natural bridge on the beach and a eucalyptus grove which is home to thousands of butterflies during the months of October through early February.
The bridges were formed from mudstone. The mudstone was eroded by wind and sea, jutting out into the ocean.
There were originally three arches. The outermost one collapsed around 1905. The inner arch (connecting these two rocks) collapsed during a storm in 1980. What is left today is the middle arch.
There’s also this hole in the rock here. I guess this is not considered an arch.
This is the middle arch. It was once connected to the land by the inner arch which is now washed away.
Someday this arch probably will collapse into the ocean. Just look at how the waves beat against it.
An estimated 150,000 butterflies migrate 2,000 miles to Natural Bridges State park during the cold winter months from northwestern United States and Canada. Monarchs settle in groves along the coasts of California and all the way south to Baja California. At Natural Bridges State Beach they can find shelter from wind along with food and water. The butterflies form clusters in the trees by intertwining their legs among the branches. They look like a clump of leaves. This is how they protect each other from cold winter winds and rains.
We didn’t get to see any butterflies when we were there, but maybe we will in the future.
“Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty! Psalm 93:4″