Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Big Basin is the mother park-California’s first state park, established in 1902 when conservationists rallied to save an awe-inspiring grove of redwoods from the axe. Those trees, already 1,000 to 1,800 years old at the time, became the cornerstone of a system that now includes more than 280 parks. For generations, families came here to stroll beneath giants, camp in deep shade, and feel what it was like to stand in a cathedral not built by hands but grown out of earth and fog.

And then, one terrible day changed everything. On August 18, 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire swept through nearly every acre of Big Basin-18,000 in all. Flames climbed into the crowns of ancient redwoods. Buildings, campgrounds, bridges, signs, even the park headquarters itself were reduced to ash. The landscape that had inspired awe for more than a century was suddenly stripped bare.

Miraculously, most of the redwoods survived. Redwoods are built for fire-thick bark, hidden buds, a will to regenerate. But the canopy that once filtered the light and softened the air is gone, and the understory is more grassland than rainforest now. For longtime visitors, it can be a gut punch. The Big Basin you remember-the hushed, fern-filled aisles of green-no longer exists. And yet, there is resilience here. Walk the trails and you’ll see it: bright green shoots sprouting from blackened trunks, the forest beginning, once again, to heal itself.

Today, Big Basin is open for limited day use. A temporary visitor center has replaced the historic one lost to fire. Trails are reopening slowly, thanks to an army of staff and volunteers. The nonprofit Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks continues to steward the recovery through its Friends Fire Fund. If you want to visit, you’ll need a reservation-check thatsmypark.org.

For now, the essential hike is the Redwood Loop Trail. This 0.6-mile loop, wide and flat, has always been the park’s most beloved path. It leads to the grove that inspired Big Basin’s creation in 1902-the “Mother” and “Father” of the Forest, and the quirky “Animal Tree.” All three bear scars from the fire. Some are hollowed, some are broken. And yet they still stand, survivors of not only this blaze but of centuries of storms, floods, droughts, and loggers’ saws.

For those who knew Big Basin before, walking this loop is an act of witness. For newcomers, it’s a glimpse of what was-and what may be again. Either way, it’s a reminder of nature’s cycles, and of how even in our darkest days, green shoots push through the ash.

Someday, we’ll again set out on the long Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, descending 12 miles from the Santa Cruz Mountain crest to Waddell Beach. Someday, Berry Creek Falls will again be a popular loop destination. For now, the hike is shorter, but perhaps more meaningful than ever.