Up-slope from the redwood forest are found transitional tree species such as Pacific madrone, along with a stand of Ponderosa pine, rare at such a low elevation.

Next door to the main parking lot is the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad.

There are over 15 miles (24 km) of hiking trails, some of which lead to small, isolated sandy beaches on the San Lorenzo River, and others with overlook views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with peeks at Monterey Bay.

Referred to by locals as "the loop," the grove is primarily a self-guided walk—but on most summer weekends, and many other times year-round, free guided walks led by docents or park employees are available.

Habitats in this park, often changing back and forth within a few hundred feet of one another, include riparian, sandhill community, mixed evergreen, and redwood forests.

The Garden of Eden is a popular swimming hole in the San Lorenzo River within Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

The water depth at the Garden of Eden is insufficient to cushion the many large, sharp rocks on the pool's bottom and, as such, diving is not permitted.

The Fall Creek in Santa Cruz County originates near Empire Grade Road, and flows 4–5 miles South and South-East before it meets San Lorenzo River, east of Highway 9.

In the 1920s the owners of a large resort adjacent to Henry Cowell's holdings raised support for the County of Santa Cruz to buy and preserve their pristine redwood lands, an action finally approved of, in large part thanks to the work of California Lieutenant Governor, the Hon.

In 1981 it became a crime scene again when serial killer David Carpenter shot a hiking couple, killing the female hiker.