BOULDER CREEK — Summer shuttle has returned to Big Basin Redwoods State Park beginning Memorial Day weekend, providing expanded public access as the park continues to recover from the devastating 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
The seasonal shuttle program will operate weekends and holidays through Labor Day. The free shuttle service will carry visitors between the Saddle Mountain overflow parking lot and the park’s main day-use area near the historic core.
The shuttle, which is ADA-accessible and equipped with a bike rack, will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. When parking in the main day-use area reaches capacity, visitors will be directed to the Saddle Mountain lot at Highway 236 and Little Basin Road. Parking there costs $10, though the shuttle ride itself is free.
The announcement also marks the reopening Friday of the park’s Sequoia Trail and Sempervirens Falls loop for the first time since the fire. The 2.9-mile trail offers views of the 20-foot Sempervirens Falls and can be combined with part of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail to create a 4.3-mile loop through recovering redwood forest.
More than 230,000 people have visited Big Basin since California’s oldest state park partially reopened in July 2022. Since then, officials said an interim visitor center has opened, more than 20 miles of trails have been restored and camping has resumed on the coastal side of the park at Rancho del Oso through a temporary walk-in and bike-in campground.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve parking in advance online. Reservations cost $8, including a $2 reservation fee that supports park programs through Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. All California State Parks day-use passes are accepted.
In addition to the shuttle service, visitors can reach the park using Santa Cruz METRO Route 35 bus service, which operates weekends and holidays with five scheduled stops daily. Riders can park for free at the Scotts Valley METRO Station and take the bus directly to the park. Bus riders receive free park entry and guaranteed access.
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned more than 97% of Big Basin in 2020, destroying nearly every structure in the park, including headquarters buildings, campgrounds and employee housing. State parks officials said a full reopening will take several more years as long-term rebuilding and restoration plans move forward.