Big Basin Redwoods State Park Fire Rebuilding Plan Summary Now Available
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Newsroom@parks.ca.gov
Public is invited to a webinar on July 10 to learn more about the plan and preparation of environmental review document
The proposed Saddle Mountain welcome center will provide an entry to the park, welcome center and shuttle parking to access the park on weekends.
BOULDER CREEK — California State Parks today announced the draft project summary of the Facilities Management Plan for Big Basin Redwoods State Park is now available to view, along with a Notice of Preparation of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project. State Parks will hold an evening webinar for the public to learn more about the plan, as well as the scope of the environmental review, on Thursday, July 10, from 6-7:30 p.m. To see the plan summary, Notice of Preparation, and more information about the webinar, visit reimaginingbigbasin.org.
“Big Basin Redwoods State Park holds a special place in all of our hearts,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “We’re dedicated to restoring public access to this iconic park after the devastating 2020 CZU Fire. This project summary reflects the plans to reimagine the park in a way that is focused on the health of the old growth forest and providing inclusive, welcoming access for all future visitors to experience the beauty and wonder of the Santa Cruz Mountains.”
Nearly all park facilities and infrastructure were destroyed in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire nearly five years ago. The park reopened in July 2022 through a limited access day-use reservation system created and operated by Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.
The Facilities Management Plan will guide the rebuilding of all park campgrounds, day-use parking, park operation facilities and park access including visitor centers and shuttle systems to bring visitors into the old growth redwood forest. After receiving public input on three Design Alternatives in 2024, the project summary highlights the proposed plan to rebuild the park based on that feedback and additional technical input.
Reimagining Big Basin
The Facilities Management Plan builds on the 2022 Reimagining Big Basin Vision Summary and the 2013 General Plan for the park and details the strategy to rebuild park facilities after the 2020 CZU Fire. After the Facilities Management Plan and Supplemental EIR are complete, State Parks will begin the next stages of design and permitting for specific projects to allow phased construction of new park facilities over several years.
A Notice of Preparation of the Supplemental EIR for the Facilities Management Plan and a related amendment to the park’s General Plan is now available. State Parks seeks public comments on the scope of the Supplemental EIR until 5 p.m. on July 18, 2025. The project website has information including how to submit comments. The full Facilities Management Plan, General Plan Amendment and Supplemental EIR are expected to be released in late 2025, and there will then be a public comment period on the Supplemental EIR.
Highlights of the project summary include:
- Old growth: The former park headquarters will be rebuilt as a more ecologically sensitive hub for day-use park activity with reduced paving and buildings. The site will be reconfigured to restore natural old growth redwood forest for increased education and interpretation, and to provide a small amount of visitor parking and amenities including a shuttle drop-off.
- Campgrounds: Campgrounds will be rebuilt on the edges of the old growth forest at Huckleberry, Lower Sky Meadow, the Upper Sky Meadow Area, Sequoia Group Camp and Little Basin and will include car camping, cabins, small group sites, large group campsites, walk-in sites and trail camps. The former campgrounds in the more sensitive old growth areas of Blooms Creek, Sempervirens and Wastahi are proposed to be removed and restored to old growth habitat. The proposed plan includes a similar amount of camping in the park as there was before the fire.
- Welcome center and shuttles: At the Saddle Mountain site, visitors will arrive at a new park entrance, visitor center, café and store. Parking would be available for visitors to take a 15-minute shuttle ride into the old growth core. The future park shuttle is expected to run on weekends year-round, and schedules will depend on visitation. On days when visitation exceeds available shuttle parking, State Parks plans to partner with Santa Cruz Metro to provide increased bus service to bring additional visitors from the Transit Center in Scotts Valley and points in between.
- Little Basin: The Little Basin site will be rebuilt for group recreation and for Indigenous land stewardship. A proposed mixed tribal use area will include a new cultural center for partnership with Indigenous groups to complete ecological restoration projects, Indigenous ceremony and cultural activities. Some proposed removal of paving and former facilities at the site will allow for stream, wetland and meadow restoration. Group camps, car camping and tent cabins would also be rebuilt at Little Basin.
Public Access and Visitation
Until the future park facilities are constructed, public access to the park will continue to gradually expand as areas of the park and trails are made safe. Limited parking fills on weekends but can be guaranteed through a day-use parking reservation system. Currently over 14 miles of trails and 25 miles of fire roads are open, though there is still no water available at the park.
Since reopening in 2022, more than 150,000 people have returned to Big Basin. A pilot shuttle program has increased parking capacity on summer weekends, and Santa Cruz Metro continues to provide bus service to the park on weekends from Scotts Valley. Camping has returned only to the coastal side of the park through an interim walk-in campground at Rancho del Oso. To plan a visit to the park, make a parking reservation, or make a reservation to camp at Rancho del Oso, visit the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks website.
History of Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin is the oldest state park in California, acquired in 1902. The lands known today as Big Basin Redwoods State Park were originally the homelands of the Quiroste and Cotoni tribes, ancestral relatives of today’s Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.
The proposed plans to rebuild in the old growth will provide a more natural experience for visitors and allow for restoration of old growth habitat.
The proposed Sky Meadow campgrounds include a mix of cabins, car-camping, group sites and walk-in sites, and include check-in facilities, a shuttle stop and a new campfire center.
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