Camping
with Ancient Giants
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
By
Jane Haworth
Towering above us, forming a circle around us, stretching skyward, we were surrounded by ancient giants. Setting up camp within this grove of coastal redwoods that have been around for over 1500 years
and tower in size over 300ft was a surreal experience. The
girths
of the trees were so immense you could pitch your tent behind them
without being seen. They became climbing frames, playhouses and forts
to our little kids.The Big Basin Redwoods State Park is set within the Santa Cruz Mountain range at an elevation of up to 600ft and covers an area of 18,000 acres. Big Basin became California’s first state park back in 1902 when early conservationists led the movement to create a park to preserve the mighty redwoods. Over the following decades, visitors to Big Basin grew steadily as park amenities were developed like a restaurant, general store, barber shop, gas station and swimming and boating areas.
Today Big Basin has 146 camping sites located in four campgrounds, 4 group sites for parties up to 50 people, and also tent cabins that can be booked for $65 per night, privately not through the state park. Facilities are good with fire rings, although small fires are recommended, picnic benches, a small larder cupboard and sites are fairly level for pitching your tent. There is no threat of bears in the campground which made the storage of food less of a worry. We stayed on campsites 106 and 108 which formed a peninsula off the road which we shared with three families, nine kids and the ancient giants that encircled our camp.
Within the park itself are 80 miles of trails all clearly marked, some that follow the course of the Waddell Creek. Trail maps can be picked up at the ranger headquarters. Also photos and videos of some of the more popular trails can be seen in the museum room located next door. The self-guided redwood trail located between the campsites and the park facilities at a distance of one sixth mile is probably the most popular. With your 25c trail map as your guide you will take in the parks tallest - Mother of the Forest, the most notorious -The Animal Tree and the best survivor -The Chimney Tree. My toddler James and I spent a leisurely hour taking in the sights and sounds of this ancient forest which presented
me with
numerous photo opportunities.One of the joys of camping at Big Basin are the nightly visits from the raccoons! Sitting around the campfire enjoying the last morsels of our camp dinner, our quiet was broken by a disturbance at the picnic table. The raccoons had been busted! These crafty, sneaky creatures were a source of merriment as we chased them off with flashlights, as they “avoided” us by climbing the great trees! That night they made off with a box of crackers! So it’s best to be careful, cautious and get your food items put away carefully. Even the chipmunks were doing early morning patrols on the picnic table and stellars jays were almost in the trunk of my car taking their chance at some cashew nuts. The word must have got out, we were an easy target!
Being the oldest state park Big Basin has a lot of neat facilities to make your stay active, educational, rewarding and fun. The Sempervirens Room, next to park headquarters, has a lot of historical information as well as photos, trail guides and videos at the multimedia kiosk. Also books are for sale and wildlife / bird watching guides. Each day guided hikes are offered with a full schedule during summer and weekends. These range in difficulty and are often themed for learning about the redwood forest, wildflowers, bird watching or pioneer history. Kids are kept busy with the junior rangers program for 7-12 year olds and a mini rangers’ class for 4-6 year olds. Also a nature museum is located across the street with the general store, and souvenir store.
Kids and creeks provide hours of self-motivated enjoyment. Close to our camping area was the Opal
Creek
which makes up part of the Waddell Creek Watershed that leads through
the Santa Cruz Mountains returning to the Pacific Ocean at Waddell
Beach. But for our kids it was getting back to true outdoor
entertainment; building dams and diverting rapids, cleaning up the
river and creating a perfect beach with smooth, clean rocks to sit
on. During summertime the water level is pretty low offering
fantastic, safe play surrounded by the fragrant western azalea in bloom.This camping vacation was a brilliant mini break but it left me wanting more. Days could be spent just relaxing around camp, taking hikes in the old growth forest, absorbing the history, and the majesty of the ancient giants. Nearby day trips are abound; with Felton and the Roaring Camp Steam Railway, the coast nearby and the draws of Santa Cruz and it’s famous boardwalk. I shall be returning soon to check up on the well-being of the raccoons.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is located 25 miles north of Santa Cruz, 23 miles from Saratoga, but felt more like 40 with its windy roads and 60 miles south of San Francisco.
More information:
Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
21600 Big Basin Way,
Boulder Creek, California 95006
831-338-8860
http://www.bigbasin.org
Camping Reservations
http://www.parks.ca.gov