Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Notice – the park sustained terrible fire damage in the CZU Lightning Complex Fires of 2020, so consult the state park website before visiting.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park is about 25 miles northwest of Santa Cruz and an hour southwest of San Jose. The Waddell Creek watershed is almost entirely contained in this state park.

Big Basin was established in 1902 and is California’s first State Park. The original 3,800 acre property has increased over the years to over 18,000 acres. It is part of the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion and is home to the largest continuous stand of ancient Coast Redwoods south of San Francisco. It contains 10,800 acres of old-growth forest as well as recovering redwood forest, with mixed conifer, oaks, chaparral and riparian habitats. Elevations in the park vary from sea level to over 2,000 ft. The climate ranges from foggy and damp near the ocean to sunny, warm ridge tops.

This is a great place to hike, backpack, and camp. It’s not that far from some amazing beaches along the Santa Cruz and San Mateo coastline. Waddell Beach is part of the park and some of the trails begin there.

Address

21600 Big Basin Way
Boulder Creek, CA 95006

Phone

(831) 338-8860

Website

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