LOOK UP IN THE WOODS
Felton is all about the redwoods. You can hike under them, chug past them or just sit with a drink in your hand and gaze at them.
The small town (population 4,000), tucked in the woods minutes north of Santa Cruz, has an old-growth forest and miles of hiking trails. Don’t feel like walking? You can also ride the rails through the woods. Roaring Camp Railroads’ open-car steam trains are the big-boy versions of the Griffith Park steamers, with engines dating from the 1890s.
The cabins at the family-run Fern River Resort are what led us to Felton. You open the windows on cool nights and listen to the San Lorenzo River just yards away. In the morning, you sit on your back porch and watch the water meander past. The cabins are quaint, if sometimes quirky. The shower head in one cabin was so low I had to duck under it (I’m 5 feet 3 inches tall).
For breakfast, head to Rocky’s Cafe and sit in the sun-soaked enclosed porch. After home fries and eggs or the butter-covered French toast sandwich (it’s as sinful as it sounds), you might want to curl up on a bench and let the morning rays warm you.
Dinner is at the Cremer House. You can order bison meatballs on creamy polenta or go the opposite route with the beet burger and wash down whichever with a choice of two dozen craft beers — or house-made sodas. Almond and cherry is a standout.
Stroll among the giants at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and see if you can pick out which is the tallest tree at 277 feet. You’ll definitely want to start on the Redwood Grove Loop Trail. Stand up in the fire-hollowed Fremont Tree that Gen. John C. Frémont is said to have camped in when he and Kit Carson passed through in 1846.
You can walk from Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park to Roaring Camp Railroads, or vice versa, saving the short drive and the double parking fee.
Miles one way from downtown L.A.: 348 Resources: Fern River Resort, www.fernriver.com; Rocky’s Cafe, www.lat.ms/rockyscafe; Cremer House, www.cremerhouse.com; Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, www.lat.ms/henry cowellpark; Roaring Camp Railroads, www.roaringcamp .com