Big Basin

Reimagining Big Basin Incorporates Public Input

Touching a charred but living old-growth redwood with a new shoot rising up at Big Basin. Credit: Mike Kahn.

San Jose photographer Andrew P. Hill and Carrie Stevens Walter from the San Jose Woman’s Club were instrumental in the original protection of Big Basin at the turn of the previous century, and it became California's first State Park in 1902.

Camp at Rancho del Oso and Explore Santa Cruz’s North Coast

Camping at Rancho del Oso, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Credit: Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

Just south of the San Mateo County line along Highway 1 lies Big Basin's Rancho del Oso that offers camping, hiking, and access to beautiful Waddell Beach. 

Google Trekker Shows the Way to Living Memorials

Amanda Krauss and Paul Davis study a Big Basin map before hitting the trail with Trekker. Hilltromper photo.

Sempervirens Fund maps 60 miles of hiking trails in Big Basin, enabling those who've dedicated redwood trees and groves to virtually visit the park.

Hike The Great Park: Ocean View Summit

The view from Ocean View Summit is very similar to this one from McCrary Ridge: forested ridges leading to the sparkling Pacific. Photo by Miguel Vieira on Wikimedia Commons.

This Big Basin hike offers a stunning summit-to-sea perspective on the Great Park, a 200-square-mile swath of Santa Cruz Mountain redwood forest.