Towering over the Redwood Loop Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, tree No. 7 on the trail guide is aptly named “The Giant.” It towers approximately 270 feet and is around 1,500 years old. The grove where The Giant is located was the first coast redwood grove to be saved from logging. In 1930, Santa Cruz County purchased 120 acres near Felton from the Welch family including the 40-acre Big Tree Grove where the Redwood Loop Trail is located. For the next 24 years the county managed the area and it continued to be a favorite setting for picnics, walks and swimming for local and out-of-town visitors alike. Then in 1954 Samuel Cowell donated 1,600 adjoining acres on the condition that the combined park be named for his father Henry, and Henry Cowell Redwoods officially became part of th

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