Travel to California and Experience the Ancient Redwood Forest

High up in the Santa Cruz mountains of California there is a magical place, a place my father used to take me to every summer, a place that when I left I longed for. This place is called Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Big Basin was established in 1902 and is home to the largest stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco; the park has over 18,000 acres of ancient growth and some recovering growth from California's harsh fires that sweep through. Elevations in this park go from sea level to well over 2,000, now where else can you go and find a beautiful white sandy beach and look up to its cliffs to see a giant redwood forest waiting for you to come explore.

Big Basin has over 100-miles of trails for hiking, biking and equestrians and its trails link up with Castle Rock State Park as well as the eastern reaches of Santa Cruz. The park is open all year. Reservations should be made in advance due to high volume of travelers.

Here at Big Basin you will walk right into a natural environment that is gleaming of lush canyon bottoms, magical waterfalls and the amazing redwood covered slopes. This park is full of wildlife such as deer, coyote, fox, raccoon, bobcat, mountain lion, and several bird species as well, including colorful woodpeckers, hawk, heron, quail, owl, egrets and the endangered marbled murrelet that all call Big Basin their home.

Big Basin State Park offers the traveler who does not have camping equipment a great rental deal called the total package. You will receive 4 sleeping bags, 4 plates, 4 cups, 4 sets of silverware, camp stove, cooler, pots and pans and a tent that sleeps 4 and the cost is 100.00 per night or you could get the tent cabin for 25.00 more, pretty good deal for some last minute camping. This park offers camping at its best from backwoods to RV camping and tent to cabin camping, but take note that if you are going to camp this area, cell phones and GPS are unable to get reception so be sure to get a map of the area at the Park Headquarters before you explore this vast park and always pay attention to your surroundings. The Big Basin area is full of dangerous wildlife such as mountain lions. If you should encounter a mountain lion, never turn your back and run, stand as tall as you can and make a lot of noise; this should scare the mountain lion away.

Year round activities at Big Basin State Park
Stop by the nature museum located across the street from headquarters and is open from 8am to 5pm.

Redwood Loop Trail & Naturalist Guided Hike open from March to November every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 2pm. On this hike you will learn all about the history of this ancient forest.

Footsteps of the Pioneers is on Sundays at 12:00 noon and is led by Docent Eva Fewell. This three mile beautiful walk will take you to the Maddock Cabin and you will hear stories of the early settlers who lived deep in the forest. Meet at headquarters and bring water.

Dogs are welcome at this park, but must be on a leash at all times. The climate here has 3 seasons winter is cold, overcast and rainy, spring is morning and evening fog with cool temperatures, summer is very warm with cool nights and fall is warm days and cold nights. Be sure to bring sweaters!

References for this article came from my own personal experience and from www.parks.ca.gov and www.nps.gov