Big Basin Redwoods State Park
21600 Big Basin Way
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
Big Basin is located 9 miles from Boulder Creek on Hwy 236 • (831) 338-3944
Redwood Loop Walk
Every Saturday in March at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
How do these grand redwoods grow to be so old? So tall? How are they important to humans? Join a docent for this fun and informative guided half-mile stroll through a magnificent old-growth redwood forest. Stroller and wheelchair accessible. One hour. Meet at Park Headquarters.
Big Basin Needs You!
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is looking for curious, caring individuals to become docent volunteers. You can be part of a team dedicated to helping the environment through education. Learn about the magnificent old-growth redwoods and Big Basin’s fascinating cultural history, and then share your knowledge with the public. Training begins April 12. Please contact the park at (831) 338-3944 for information and applications.
Wildflower Walk!
Saturday, April 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m.
Join docent Scott Peden to learn the companion plants of the redwood forest. This is a wonderful way to enjoy the season in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Bring along a field guide if you have one. Saturday’s walk is a four-mile, four-hour walk. Sunday’s walk is a five-mile, five-hour walk. Bring water, lunch and good hiking shoes.Shadowbrook Stroll
Saturday, April 26 at 12:00 noon
Docent Doreen Devorah will show you a less-traveled trail that takes you by Union Creek, to the Sempervirens Falls and back through the redwoods. This is a four-mile, three-hour hike. Bring water and good hiking shoes.Big Basin in its Heyday—Boating, Dancing, Dining and More!
Sunday, April 27 at 12:00 noon
Big Basin was a very popular tourist resort in the 1900s. The park had a hotel, store, post office, barbershop, dance hall, tennis courts, a lake and more! Take a fascinating tour with Dan Friend, a ranger here in the 1970s, and “see” Big Basin as it was in those vibrant early days. This is a one-mile, two-hour walk.
Coffee Talk
Saturday, May 3 from 9:00 to 12:00 noon
Saturday, May 24 from 9:00 to 12:00 noon
Come to the Sempervirens Room next to Park Headquarters for free coffee or hot chocolate in front of a blazing fire! This is a great way to start your day in Big Basin. One of our Big Basin docents will be happy to answer questions about the park and help get you going on the right trail.
Walk the Dog
Sunday, May 4, 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 11, 12:00 noon
Sunday, May 18, 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 25 at 12:00 noon
This walk is a chance for you and your canine companion to enjoy the redwoods and the company of other dog lovers. Docent Micki Downs and her dog Spock will lead you and your
well socialized, leashed dog on this fun, easy, three-mile hike. Bring water for you and your dog. Meet at Park Headquarters.Footsteps of the Pioneers
Saturday, May 3 at 12:00 noon
Join docent Eva Fewel on an easy three-mile, two-hour round trip to the site of the Maddock Cabin. Enjoy a beautiful walk through the redwoods and hear stories of the early settlers and their life deep in the forest. Meet at Park Headquarters and bring water.North Escape Stroll
Saturday, May 10 at 12:00 noon
This is a dog-friendly stroll along our beautiful North Escape Road where you’ll experience the forest through touch, smell and sound. Discover the amazing acorn granaries, the fragrant Douglas-firs and the grand redwoods. Learn about the different elements that create a redwood forest. This ¾-mile stroll with docent Oscar Medina will take about an hour. Meet at Park Headquarters.
The Women of Big Basin
Sunday, May 11 at 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Celebrate Mother’s Day by honoring some of the incredible women who have lived in, worked in and fought for the Big Basin. Stroll through the magnificent redwoods on this half-mile, one-hour guided walk and enjoy an historic reenactment bringing alive the remarkable women of the Basin where you can "meet" Pioneer Homemaker Alice Maddock; the “Savior of the Redwoods” Josephine McCrackin, and the first female Ranger Harriet “Petey” Weaver. Meet at Park Headquarters. Wheelchair and stroller accessible. More information is available at (831) 338-8883
“Wings over the Basin”
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
May 16, 17, and 18
Big Basin Redwoods State Park invites those who love birds and butterflies to the 7th Annual Wings Over the Basin the weekend of May 16 - 18, 2008. This annual event features field trips, guided bird and butterfly walks and evening campfire presentations focus on the winged- wildlife of Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
A night owl walk starts the event on Friday, May 16 at 7:15pm at park headquarters. Saturday includes a bird and butterfly exploration, marbled murrelet history walk, and an evening birds-of-prey campfire program. If you hit the sack early enough Saturday night, you can join the marbled murrelet study in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday morning. Sleep in, and you can still catch the action with professor Todd Newberry and go “birding by ear.” Top off your weekend at noon on Sunday with an easy stroll through the forest featuring “Peter and the Wolf, Wings Over Big Basin style.” More information about the event is available online at home.comcast.net/~wingsoverthebasin, or by calling (831) 338-8883.
Canyon Trees to Ocean Breeze
Saturday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m.
Discuss forests, fires and flowers as docent Dave Auerbach guides your six-mile, four-hour exploration through a variety of habitats. Somewhat strenuous ascent rewarded with ocean views on a clear day. Bring water and lunch. Meet at Park Headquarters.Campfire Programs
Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us in our historic campfire center for an evening of song and story. Serenade the glittering stars and learn about redwood ecology, creatures of the forest or stories of the sky while relaxing in the shadows of the towering trees. Fire lighting and marshmallows at 7:30 p.m. and program begins at 8:00 p.m. Wheelchair and stroller accessible. Good dogs welcome!Junior Rangers
Saturday, May 24 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 p.m.
Discover the fascinating secrets of the forest. Explore, practice outdoor skills and play games as you learn about plants, animals, geology, and more. This one-hour program is designed for kids ages 7-12. Sorry parents, this program is for kids only! Please register your child 15 minutes before the program begins. Meet at the Nature Lodge.Big Basin Nature Club
Saturday, May 24 at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m.
This fun programs is designed for children ages 3-6 and their parents. Read, sing, pretend, play and explore! This half-hour program will introduce youngsters to the wonders of the redwood forest. Meet at the Nature Lodge.Canyon Trees to Ocean Breeze
Monday, May 26 at 10:00 a.m.
Discuss forests, fires and flowers as docent Dave Auerbach guides your six-mile, four-hour exploration through a variety of habitats. Somewhat strenuous ascent rewarded with ocean views on a clear day. Bring water and lunch. Meet at Park Headquarters.Meteor Trail Trek
Saturday, May 31 at 12:00 noon
Docent Doreen Devorah will lead this moderate six-mile, three-hour loop walk that meanders by opalescent Opal Creek, through open oak woodlands and back through
old-growth redwoods. Bring water, lunch and good shoes. Meet at Park Headquarters.RANCHO DEL OSO NATURE AND HISTORY CENTER
Located 16 miles north of Santa Cruz along Highway One, at the coastal side of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. (831) 427-2288.
A SPECIAL EVENT!
Wonderful Wildflowers of Waddell Creek
Sunday, April 27
12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.
Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center- On Sunday, April 27 from 12noon to 4:00p.m., Rancho del Oso’s annual wildflower show highlights the vibrant spring flowers of the Waddell Valley. Visitors to the Nature and History Center can see many flowers from buttercups to shooting stars to western wake robin on display. There will be wildflower walks at 12 noon and 2:00 p.m., a wildflower art show, and slide presentations complimenting the display of live flowers. Special activities for kids include a presentation about flowers and their pollinators at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. and wildflower themed arts and crafts projects to make and take home.
“Spring is always a good time for looking for wildflowers in California State Parks and a wildflower show like this one will allow visitors to know what to look for out in the field,” said Jodi Apelt, a State Park Interpreter, adding “California Indians knew these plants intimately and used them for food, medicine and tools. Now many of us barely know how to identify these plants. This event puts us more in touch with nature.”Guided Nature Walks at Rancho del Oso
Saturdays at 1:00 PM
Come explore the flora and fauna of winter. We will be looking at newts, banana slugs, and a variety of mushrooms. We will begin and end at the Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center. Hot tea and coco will be available after the walk. For more information, please call (831) 427-2288.
GUEST SPEAKER
Organic Farming with Mark Lipson
Sunday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m.
Santa Cruz’s North Coast is a hotbed of organic farming. Find out how your food choices effect the environment and your health with organic farming ambassador Mark Lipson at Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center on Sunday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m.
Mark is a farmer with the Molino Creek Farming Collective, famous for their sweet dry-farmed and heirloom organic tomatoes. He also serves as Policy Program Director for the Organic Farming Research Foundation and has been active in the organic farming movement since 1985. In 1997, he authored “Searching for the ‘O-Word,” which provided a platform for the National Organic Research Agenda, a project building grower-scientist collaboration for organic agricultural research programs.
Learn, ask questions, enjoy – maybe even taste some veggies. To reserve your seat, call (831) 427-2288. The park is located 17 miles north of Santa Cruz on Highway One. Turn right just before the Waddell Creek Bridge at the sign for Rancho Del Oso Nature and History Center. From Half moon Bay take Highway One south 30 miles. After you cross the Waddell Creek Bridge turn left at the Rancho Del Oso Nature and History Center.Volunteers Needed!
Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center is looking for enthusiastic volunteers. As a State Park Volunteer, you can host the Nature and History Center on weekends—it takes only four hours a month from 12-4pm. You can also help make special educational events come alive for park visitors. For more information, please contact Varyl White, Docent Coordinator at (831) 427-2288.
