SUNDAY DRIVE
Big Basin’s Redwood Trail
Why now: No matter what your age, the start of the school year can feel as if you’re pushing the restart button on life. Many retain this forever. Walking amid the ancient redwoods has a way of putting it in perspective. It can feel as though you are walking amid immortality, even while getting a new start at the same time.
Destination/location: The Redwood Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on curvy Highway 236 in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
What you’ll see: In just a short walk, you can tour past a series of colossal redwoods, including the Mother and Father of the Forest.
The trail: The loop is 0.6 of a mile, flat and takes about a half hour to complete. The trailhead is just beyond the west side of the parking lot and is well signed. You then pass amid old-growth redwoods en route to the Mother and Father of the Forest. The Mother has a circumference of 70 feet and is 280 feet tall (the top 50 feet snapped off in a storm a few years ago), and the Father is 250 feet tall. In addition, one tree has so many burls at its base that it looks like something out of an experiment gone wrong in an old science-fiction film.
Trail rules: Hikers, wheelchairs OK. No bikes, dogs or horses.
Other trails: The Meteor Trail is routed along Opal Creek and then climbs 400 feet to Middle Ridge Fire Road and nearby to Ocean View Summit; The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail runs from headquarters 4.7 miles to Berry Creek Falls, which now has just a mosaic trickle across its face.
Camping: All styles of camping are available: 31 sites for tents or RVs up to 27 feet or trailers up to 24 feet (no hookups), 69 drivein sites for tents only, 38 walk-in sites; $35 per night; reserve at (800) 444-7275 or www.reserveamerica.com. Also, 52 backpack-style hike-in campsites, $15, reserve at (831) 338-8861; 36 tent cabins (booked full most Friday and Saturday nights), $85 to $105 per night, depending on amenities, two-night minimum on weekends. Reserve at www. reserveamerica.com or (800) 444-7275; camping gear available for rent.
Cost: $10 parking, access.
Map/brochure: At park visitor center, PDF at www.parks.ca. gov; trail map, Mountain Parks Foundation, (831) 335-3174, www.mountainparks.org — click on “Buy Maps.”
Contacts: Big Basin Redwoods State Park, (831) 338-8860, www.parks.ca.gov.
HOW TO GET THERE
GPS: 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek
From San Francisco: Take Interstate 280 south 28 miles to Woodside and the exit for Highway 84/Woodside Road. Take that exit to Woodside Road, turn west (right). Drive 3.1 miles to Woodside, and continue straight on Woodside Road/Highway 84 (becomes curvy) for 3.4 miles to Sky Londa and Highway 35/ Skyline Boulevard. Turn left on Skyline and drive 13.5 miles to Highway 9. Turn right on Highway 9 and drive 6.1 miles to Highway 236. Bear right on 236 and drive 8.2 miles (becomes narrow, twisty and slow) to Big Basin Redwoods. As you enter the headquarters area, the parking lot and trailhead to the Redwood Trail are on the right side of road. After parking, walk across the road to the headquarters and visitor center.
Note: A coastal route on Highway 1 via Santa Cruz is also available.
Distances: 36 miles from San Jose, 38 miles from Woodside, 51 miles from Fremont, 61 miles from Half Moon Bay (coastal route), 66 miles from downtown San Francisco, 67 miles from Dublin, 72 miles from Sausalito.