Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift of its rim, and the erosion of its center by the many streams in its bowl-shaped depression. Part of the natural area is old-growth forest and recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network.

Big Basin is California's oldest state park, established in 1902, earning its designation as a California Historical Landmark. as well as recovering redwood forest, with mixed conifer, oaks, chaparral and riparian habitats. Elevations in the park vary from sea level to over 600 m (2,000 ft). The climate ranges from foggy and damp near the ocean to sunny, warm ridge tops.

The park has over of trails. Some of these trails link Big Basin to Castle Rock State Park and the eastern reaches of the Santa Cruz range. The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail threads its way through the park along Waddell Creek to Waddell Beach, and the adjacent Theodore J. Hoover Natural Preserve, a freshwater marsh.

The park has many waterfalls, a wide variety of environments (from lush canyon bottoms to sparse chaparral-covered slopes), many species of mammals (deer, raccoons, an occasional bobcat) and abundant bird life – including Steller's jays, egrets, herons and acorn woodpeckers.

The CZU Lightning Complex fires in August 2020 burned over 97% of Big Basin and destroyed the park headquarters, closing the park for 2 years during rebuilding efforts before it reopened in Summer 2022.

History

right|thumb|upright|Sempervirens Falls in 2011

thumb|A Redwood in Big Basin photographed 13 August 2020, three days before the fire.

Archaeological evidence has sporadically found prehistoric people inhabited old growth forests within the Park. Numerous resources would have been available to California Indians in the old growth forests, such as basketry material, plant foods like acorns and bulbs as well as animal prey for hunters and perhaps traditional sacred places. Ohlone tribes that lived on watercourses which begin in the park were the Quiroste, Achistaca, Cotoni and Sayante. In October 1769, the Portola expedition encountered the redwoods of southern Santa Cruz County, and camped at the mouth of Waddell Creek, in present-day Big Basin, later that month. Although many in the party had been ill with scurvy, they gorged themselves on berries and quickly recovered. This miraculous recovery, as it seemed at the time, inspired the name given to the valley: 'Cañada de la Salud' or Canyon of Health.

By the late 19th century, redwood forests were gaining international appreciation while also being decimated. Early conservationists, including notable Santa Cruzans William T. Jeter and Arthur A. Taylor (A. A. Taylor) were joined by Santa Clara County activists Andrew P. Hill, Father Robert Kenna and Carrie Stevens Walter. Their movement to preserve the Big Basin redwood forest began at Stanford University on May 1, Soon after Santa Cruzans led an excursion to the park where seven men and two women formed the Sempervirens Club. The Sempervirens galvanized the state-wide effort resulting in ground-breaking legislation being signed into law in March 1901. The official land transfer occurred in 1902: The California Redwood Park initially consisted of , most of it old growth forest.

In the following decades, visitation to Big Basin grew steadily as park amenities were developed. The Big Basin Inn offered cabins to rent, a restaurant, general store, barber shop, gas station and photographic studio. There were also a post office, a concrete swimming pool, boating areas, tennis courts and a dance floor. Campsites cost 50 cents a night in 1927 and many families stayed all summer. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps assigned a company to Big Basin. These men built the amphitheater, miles of trails, and many of the buildings still used today. The main administration building, built by the CCC in 1936, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places prior to its destruction in the 2020 fires.

Save the Redwoods League purchased a parcel known as Cascade Creek in 2020 that links Big Basin with Año Nuevo State Park.

right|thumb|Buzzard's Roost in 2008

2020 CZU Lightning Complex Wildfire

The CZU Lightning Complex fires started on August 16, 2020 and burned 86,509 acres across Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. The fire spread quickly, and the area was evacuated on August 18. On August 20, it was reported that the park's historic headquarters building had been completely destroyed, and the campgrounds around the park were extensively damaged. After actively burning for 37 days, the fires were contained on September 22.

This was the first major wildfire in Big Basin in over 100 years, which had previously burned in 1904. This led to a greater intensity of the CZU fires, causing severe damage to the majority of the old growth trees. While some of the trees fell during and after the fires, the majority of the ancient redwoods remain standing. However, studies have shown that only 24% of the forest in Big Basin is still alive and regrowing due to the intensity of the fires and drought in the following years, and the old growth forest may never fully recover. The burnt wreckage of 1,490 structures and 15,000 charred trees, mainly Douglas fir, had fallen or were in danger of falling onto the hiking trails. One year after the fire, the clean up and rebuilding process began. The park remained closed to the public until July 22, 2022. Almost two years after the fire, Big Basin partially reopened 8 hiking trails for day use.

Access

thumb|Meandering walkways take visitors through recovering redwood groves in 2025

thumb|upright|Berry Creek Falls in 2011

The park is about two hours south of San Francisco, or seven hours north of Los Angeles.

Big Basin can be approached from the east, through redwood forest and coastal mountains, or from the coast, along State Route 1. The eastern route, over State Route 9 through Saratoga and smaller towns like Boulder Creek is more popular because of the famous trees. This route passes Castle Rock State Park (California) on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz range.

From SR 1, Gazos Creek road offers a pleasant fire-road route for mountain bikes (road closed to motor vehicles), which can then descend into the headquarters area or turn off on Johansen fire road to join China Grade above its intersection with State Route 236.

After reopening the park after the CZU Lightning Complex fires, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District expanded its bus route 35 service to run four trips to and from the park on weekends only.

The park stands in for the fictional "Bolderoc National Park" in George Marshall's The Forest Rangers, Muir Woods in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, and Redwood National Park in the Disney film The Gnome-Mobile.

See also

  • List of California state parks

References

Further reading

  • California State Parks: Big Basin Redwoods State Park website
  • Hikingsanfrancisco.com: Big Basin Hiking

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File:Berry Creek Falls.JPG|Berry Creek Falls in 2011

File:Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail 2.jpg|The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail passing through a stand of California redwood trees in 2011.

File:Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail 3.jpg|The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail passing through a fallen California redwood tree in 2011.

File:West Waddell Creek.jpg|The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail passing over Waddell Creek in 2011.

File:Berry Creek Falls Long exposure.jpg|Berry Creek Falls in 2016

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