Just an hour outside of San Francisco sits Big Basin Redwoods State Park, known for its towering redwoods and miles of trails. Founded over 100 years ago, Big Basin Redwoods is California’s oldest State Park, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The park’s history goes much further back than its acquisition in 1902. The area is filled with ancient coastal redwoods. Notably, the park is home to the largest continuous group of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco, as many of the massive redwoods famous in Northern California are found north of the city. The redwoods can be as tall as the Statue of Liberty, and reach 50 feet in circumference. The oldest trees range from 1,000 to 1,800 years old.
The park was established in 1902 by the Sempervirens Club, a group concerned with preserving the massive redwoods. The club urged the state to pass a bill to purchase the land, turning it into the first of many state parks in California’s history.
The park spans over 18,000 acres and has numerous hiking trails and roads available for biking and horseback riding. Hiking trails range in intensity, from short loops to longer, more intense treks. We recommend the short, Redwood Loop Trail, where you can see some particularly impressive redwoods, including the “Father of the Forest,” which is 250 feet tall.
Unfortunately, in 2020, a wildfire burned through over 95% of the park, drastically changing the landscape. This included the loss of many historic buildings in the park. Luckily, most of the old-growth redwoods the park is known for survived, but the area is still recovering from the wildfire. Before 2020, the park boasted over 100 miles of trails. Today, hiking trails and fire roads remain available for recreational activities, but you can expect the landscape to have changed since the fire.
The park is open from 8 am to sunset, and we recommend you reserve parking in advance. Parking costs $6 per vehicle plus a $2 reservation fee, and $10 without a reservation. You can find current updates about the park here.