BOULDER CREEK — California State Parks has acquired a 153-acre property known as NoraBella, permanently expanding Big Basin Redwoods State Park for the first time in 15 years as the historic park continues to rebuild from the devastating 2020 CZU wildfire.
The $2.415 million purchase from Sempervirens Fund adds a forested tract described as the “Gateway to Big Basin,” creating what officials say will be a keystone entrance to the park’s future visitor facilities.
“Big Basin is California’s oldest state park, and this keystone expansion will help accelerate the park’s recovery from the devastating 2020 CZU wildfire while supporting the Newsom administration’s Outdoors for All and 30×30 initiatives,” California State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a statement.
The acquisition marks the first addition to the park since 2011, when State Parks acquired the Little Basin property from Sempervirens Fund and the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
Founded in 1900, Sempervirens Fund helped establish Big Basin in 1902 and has worked with State Parks to protect much of the park’s 18,376 acres. Executive Director Sara Barth said securing NoraBella fulfills a long-standing conservation priority.
“The land, habitats, waterways and redwoods at NoraBella have been through so much over more than a century — from clearcutting, to being treated like a junkyard, to the CZU wildfire — and it feels like redemption to finally secure the forest’s future as part of Big Basin,” Barth said.
Once almost entirely clear-cut of redwoods at the turn of the 20th century, the property is now fully forested across three ridges descending into creeks, waterfalls and canyons. NoraBella includes a primary tributary to the headwaters of Boulder Creek, which flows into the San Lorenzo River system. Wildlife observed on the property includes mountain lions and gray foxes.
David Cowman, Sempervirens Fund’s director of land stewardship, called NoraBella “a conservation gem,” citing its redwood stands and mixed evergreen forests of Douglas-fir, coast live oak, tan oak and madrone. He said protecting the land will help ensure the long-term health of the Boulder Creek watershed and the broader river system.
The addition is central to State Parks’ “Reimagining Big Basin” planning effort, a comprehensive rebuilding process launched after the 2020 wildfire destroyed or damaged nearly all of the park’s facilities, infrastructure and trails. State officials are preparing to adopt a Facilities Management Plan, a General Plan Amendment and a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report to guide reconstruction, including a new visitor center and campgrounds.
A key element of the plan is the Saddle Mountain Welcome Area, which borders NoraBella. The vision calls for a welcome center and shuttle service from Saddle Mountain and from areas outside the park into the old-growth forest on busy weekends. By shifting parking and major facilities away from the heart of the old-growth redwood groves, officials say the park can reduce impacts on sensitive habitat.
Portions of the NoraBella property may also accommodate operations facilities needed to support the rebuilt park.
NoraBella’s recent history drew public attention before its conservation. The property was previously owned by Roy Kaylor, who amassed cars and other objects along its roads and was featured in a 2011 episode of the A&E television show “Hoarders.” After legal disputes with Santa Cruz County over debris and chemical contamination, the land was purchased in June 2020 by Verve Coffee Roasters co-founder Colby Barr. Environmental assessments later confirmed the property and its streams were in good condition.
Sempervirens Fund acquired NoraBella in February 2021 and transferred it to State Parks in 2026. The purchase was funded in part by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund through the U.S. Department of the Interior and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
State officials said the expansion reflects broader efforts to protect open space and improve climate resilience. Legislation signed last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom, AB 679, streamlines the acquisition of properties adjacent to Big Basin, Butano and Año Nuevo state parks.
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Photos Credit Jordan Plotsky