Situated along the beautiful Central Coast of California is the small mountain town of Felton. This bucolic town is nestled among towering redwood trees and is surrounded by some of the most striking scenery in all of California. Although Felton boasts a very small population of about 1,200, the idyllic locale offers a number of RV parks for those with motor-homes to use and enjoy.
Location
Located about 10 miles inland, and approximately 100 miles south of San Francisco, Felton is a short drive from one of the more infamous beach towns, Santa Cruz. Felton is regarded as the gate-way to communities along the San Lorenzo Valley and the picturesque Highway 9, which parallels the San Lorenzo River. Summers in Felton are warm, usually in the 80s and 90s. Although there can frequently be a respite from the warm temperatures since the coastal fog is known for spreading inland as far as 20 miles.
History
Felton is a town with a significant history. It was named after a former mayor of Oakland and well-known Californian of the 1800s, John Brooks Felton. The hills surrounding Felton were once covered in old-growth redwoods and logging in Felton began in 1843. Logging reached its peak between the 1850s and 1890s, when the area was being clear-cut of its redwood timber. During this time, Felton became a veritable boom-town with the construction of a paper mill, lime kilns and a powder works all while several saw-mills were heavily in use. By 1880 the end of travel by horse-drawn carriage in Felton began when The Santa Cruz and Felton Railroad allowed travel between Felton and San Jose.
Cotillion Gardens RV Park
Cotillion Gardens RV Park is located just off Highway 9 and is adjacent to the San Lorenzo River. This pet-friendly RV park has 80 sites as well as cabins and tent sites. It features cable TV hook-ups and a convenience store right on the site. Cotillion Gardens RV Park also offers a heated swimming pool and a playground. There are pull-through sites but big-rig access is not available. For those who require Internet access, there is WiFi available.
Henry Cowell State Park and Campground
For an RV Park that is located inside a state park, Henry Cowell State Park and Campground offers RV sites for trailers up to 31 feet in length and campers up to 35 feet long. Along with showers and family camp-sites, Henry Cowell State Park offers guided tours, nature trails, horseback riding trails and swimming. Henry Cowell is not open in the winter and reservations are recommended.
Attractions
The town of Felton is the home of Roaring Camp Big Trees Railroad. You can take a step back in time and ride on a narrow gauge steam train while cruising through a scenic redwood forest or hop on board the Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific Railway Company beach train and take a 10-mile ride down to the main beach in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz offers the family fun amusement park; the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, one of the last, and oldest, coastal amusement parks in existence. While in Santa Cruz, you can take a walk down the 80-year old, 3,000-foot-long Santa Cruz Wharf where you will find some local shops and seafood restaurants.
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