Big Basin Redwoods Trip Report

“

Since I'm changing to my summer schedule this week where I work Tues-Sat, I ended up with a three day weekend this weekend :) So I decided to head towards the coast and the coastal redwood forest. I drove up to Big Basin Redwoods State Park near Santa Cruz where I met 4wheelbob at the Park Headquarters.

Big Basin was California's first state park and it's beautiful! It protects nearly an entire watershed and its old-growth redwoods. There are lots of trails and trail camps as well as car campgrounds and even tent cabins that you can rent. We car camped at Sempervirens Campground on Saturday Night after we did a hike up the Gazos Creek Fire Road and back down the Hammond Road. We saw several species of wildflowers, several giant banana slugs as well as a tiny species of slug that were brown and less than a centimeter long, and a newt (which I was so excited to spot one at the time, little did I know I'd see many, many newts the next day!)



That night we made dinner and had a nice fire and talked until we were too tired to stay up any longer. Sometime during the night it began to rain but it was never very hard, it drizzled more than anything. I slept in for a time then got up, ate a Clif bar for breakfast, and began to pack up. After helping 4wheelbob pack up his tent we headed off to Park HQ again so I could pay for my backcountry camp spot. 4wheelbob then headed home and I headed out on the trail.



I decided to do a 12 mile loop out the Skyline-to-Sea Trail to the Berry Creek Falls Trail and back via the Sunset Trail. About halfway around this loop is the Sunset Trail Camp. To stay there you need reservations and there is a $15 fee. No campfires or dogs are allowed.



It rained, drizzled, off and on all that day. I was well prepared, though, with my Precip pants and waterproof shell and silnylon pack cover and my REI Quarter Dome Tent. The rain seemed to keep most of the other hikers away and I only saw 2 backpackers and 2 dayhikers along which apparently is a very popular trail. And it is popular for good reason! The scenery is gorgeous! The old-growth redwoods are huge and dense. The trail follows beautiful creeks whose waters bubble over and around rocks and fallen logs. Plant life is very, very lush with ferns and moss and wildflowers carpeting the forest floor. And I've never seen so many newts in all my life, I stopped counting at 47! In places I had to watch carefully as to not step on them!

Faster than a speeding newt! No, they weren't that fast, but fast enough and it was really hard to get a picture of a newt as they always scampered away from me and the dim light did not allow for a fast shutter speed.



The waterfalls are definitely a highlight along this trail. First is Berry Creek Falls, the largest at 60'. Above it are Silver, Cascade, and Gold Falls. The trail is crazy as it climbs up very steep steps carved right into the rock beside Silver Falls. I was glad to be going up the trail at this point because I think it would be even more difficult and scary to go down!



This is looking down from the top of Silver Falls which is on the right and the trail (believe it or not!) is on the left...







But even if there weren't waterfalls there would be much to love about this route. I saw several species of wildflowers, including a very beautiful pink-red lily which I have yet to ID (help!) There were many colorful mushrooms growing on the fallen logs. Gray squirrels and robins were abundant. The mist and fog swirled around the impossibly tall redwood and douglas fir trees. And every now and then I heard an owl hooting from distant tree tops.









I made it up to Sunset Camp around 4:00 pm and I had my pick of spots as no one else was there nor did anyone else come afterwards. There are pit toilets here and trashcans and a variety of camping spots to choose from. I set up my tent and crawled inside to change into dry clothing. After I ate dinner I hung the rest of my food and smellables in my Critter Sack. There are no bears at Big Basin but raccoons can be a problem. I wrote in my journal and went to bed pretty early. It rained off and on all night long and I slept well.

In the morning I got up with the sun, ate breakfast, packed up, and headed out. The rain had let up and I made good time on the way out. The trails all go up and down and up and down but never do you fall or climb more than about 400' at a time so it wasn't too strenuous. For a while just past Sunset Camp you are on a high ridge above the redwoods and there are many wildflowers here. The sun shone over the fog that was shrouding the canyons below.





Overall it was a great backpacking trip! I was a little wary of my neck, this was my first backpacking trip since that muscle spasm I had back in March, so I packed light and didn't push myself too much. And I would definitely recommend this trail and I will definitely go back someday to explore more of the park :)

http://www.tarol.com/bigbasin.html”

“Wow! Nice TR, love how you put the pics right in the TR here instead of on webshots or some other crummy place that I have to go look. Glad I'm not on dialup today!”

“Nice! BowlderSon, me, and a friend did that same loop a couple years ago in June. It was great!”

“great pics/report, the pics made you feel like you were right there.”

“A fabulous place, I also walked in the rain and loved the smell.”

“Very nice BearCrossing..thanks for sharing”

“Oops, here are our pics - many look very similar....

http://community.webshots.com/album/78114568DsVkKb”

“Wow, amazing pics! I especially liked the clover one. Very vibrant.”

“Thanks guys :)”

“The clover is Redwood sorrel, Oxalis oregana. Some of it was in bloom, it has a very pretty purple/pink flower, and the leaves are edible.
last edited: 5/10/05 4:05:16 PM”

“I hate oxalis! It keeps getting in my lawn!”

“Who needs a lawn? Native landscaping is the way to go...”

“that was a fun read, glad you had as much fun as I did”

“It's hard for kids to play baseball on rocks and native plants! :-)”

“Thanks for sharing. I dayhiked Big Basin last year for a few hours and it was pretty wonderful. The Redwoods are very impressive!”

“nice pics!! i love newts, i could just eat that little cutie all up!”

“lol, newts are poisonous so you probably shouldn't be eating them all up!”

“Wow! "Banana slugs" up here aren't nearly as vibrant yellow like a true banana. Wow.
dicentra can help you id that lily, I'm sure.”

“Nice post! BB Redwoods SP is my fav place to take "youngens'", or people who aren't sure if they want to "get into" backpacking, the trails are easy, the "one with nature" aspect of hiking thru the trees is incredible, & the views can be awesome! I think I've done it about 5 times now, but would gladly go back anytime!

Did you go all the way down to the ocean? It's only about 11 miles from J camp (as I recall), nice beach area there, we would go for a quick swim, then hike back up to camp at the designated BP campsites (Redwoods, etc.), they're only 1.5 - 2.0 miles from the beach!
last edited: 5/11/05 6:25:55 PM”

“Those waterfalls are amazing - another area I have to see - thanks so much for the trip report and pictures bearcrossing.”

“wanderer- no I didn't go all the way down to the ocean, it was just a short trip because I was still worried about my neck... But so far, so good, no pain :)

wingding0- the waterfalls are very pretty and the trail climbing up right beside them is crazy!”