Cable Car Beach at Henry Cowell Redwoods

My daughter and I had an amazing time at Cable Car Beach today at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. This is a fantastic hike for people with young children. Click "read more" to see more photos, a map, and a write-up of this easy 2-mile loop.

Every other time we have been to Henry Cowell, we have done some variation of the Redwood Loop. This time we took Pipeline Road, which is a paved single-lane road that must be for a utilities company to maintain a natural gas pipeline to the town of Felton. This paved road parallels the Lorenzo River, and it is perfect for pushing a stroller.

You can access the road by looping around back of the Nature Center near the main parking lot. The River Trail runs parallel to the road, but closer to the river itself. We took Pipeline Road past the railroad bridge, and then eventually cut over to the River Trail when we  got to the intersection in this photo. This trail lead to Cable Car Beach, a shallow pass in the river with sandy beaches on either side.

There is a waterfall here too where Eagle Creek empties into the river. We left the stroller on the high bank and climbed down to the beach, where we had a picnic and spent lots of time exploring the river and enjoying the redwoods, bay laurels, sycamores, and sweat peas (Lathyrus latifoliu, link). The day started out gray and foggy, but the fog started to clear at about 1:00. When it was time to leave, we took the Eagle Creek Trail up the hill instead of retracing our steps. Whereas the River Trail was fine for pushing a stroller, this trail had quite a few steps. My daughter was walking on her own for this portion of the trail, otherwise I would not have been able to push the stroller over the stairs with her in it. But I was able to back my sturdy stroller up over the steps when it was empty and light. This portion of the hike was very beautiful. It definitely made me want to hike deeper into the park, especially to the Garden of Eden area (which is currently closed for COVID-19 precautions).

We eventual regained the Pipeline Road and took that back towards the Visitors Center occasionally popping over to the River Trail when we were inspired to see something cool like a seasonal bridge or another beach. We saw three deer too while we were hiking. She actually walked the entire way from Cable Car Beach along Eagle Creek Trail and then back on Pipeline Road by herself. Although I am very proud of my intrepid three-year old, this means that the trail is quite easy and accessible for most people. There was definitely some up-and-down, but it was relatively flat.

In terms of hiking during the pandemic: I suspect that this park is too crowded during the weekend to be safe. We went on a weekday, and it was not too crowded at all. There was more than enough space for people to spread out, and most people were wearing their masks. If you do head out on the weekend then I do not recommend going to one of these beaches; rather, go for a solo hike and hit the trail early before the crowds arrive.

I think that this is my favorite trip so far to Henry Cowell. It just keeps getting better and better. The Pipeline Road goes throughout the whole park, so we could potentially take it even further next time.