|
Coordinates posted are for the park headquarters in the center of the park. California Highway 236 is the main access road to the park. There is a southern entrance coming from Boulder Creek, California and a northern entrance, off Highway 9 coming out of Saratoga, California.
Established in 1902, Big Basin Redwoods State Park is California's oldest State Park.
Extracted from the Big Basin web site:
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco, the park consists of over 18,000 acres of old growth and recovering redwood forest, with mixed conifer, oaks, chaparral, and riparian habitats. Elevations in the park vary from sea level to over 2,000 feet.
The park features family and group camping, tent cabins, backpacking camps, hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails. The park is open year round and reservations are encouraged during the summer.
The park has over 80 miles of trails. Some trails link Big Basin to Castle Rock State Park and the eastern reaches of the Santa Cruz range. The Skyline to the Sea Trail threads its way through the park along Waddell Creek to the beach and adjacent Theodore J. Hoover Natural Preserve, a freshwater marsh.
The park has a surprising number of waterfalls (e.g., Sempervirens Falls) and a wide variety of environments from lush canyon bottoms to sparse chaparral-covered slopes. Many animals such as deer, raccoon, coyote, fox, an occasional bobcat, mountain lion, and many bird species--including California quail, egret, heron, hawk, owl, woodpecker, and the endangered marbled murrelet--call Big Basin home. And of course there are always plenty of banana slugs!
|