California has more state parks than any other state, with standouts like Henry W. Coe State Park, the largest in the northern part of the state, and the historic gem of Old Town San Diego. Although the latter is often hailed as the “birthplace of California,” brimming with food and entertainment, it’s technically not the oldest park in the state. That distinction goes to Big Basin Redwoods, which was established way back in 1902.
Not to be confused with California’s Redwood National Park (where you’ll find the world’s tallest trees), Big Basin Redwoods State Park boasts the largest continuous stretch of ancient coastal redwoods below San Francisco. This massive site takes up more than 18,000 acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains, so if you’ve never been before, rest assured, you can’t miss it. If you have visited the forest in the past, brace yourself, because it may look a bit different than what you remember.
The giant old-growth redwoods were almost lost in August 2020 when a wildfire started by lightning scorched the area. The inferno, dubbed the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, ravaged more than 80,000 acres of forest area in Santa Cruz County, including 97% of the Big Basin Redwoods State Park’s land. The fire was finally contained more than a month later, and remarkably, most of the steely trees survived despite being charred and blackened by the blaze…