Big Basin Redwoods State Park
By 7 am we were on the road heading for the Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We took Highway 85 and turned left on Saratoga Avenue. Just before we reached Saratoga, we picked up Highway 9. Saratoga is a cute town with lots of nice restaurants but not much happening there early this morning. We saw one dog walker and a gentleman who just picked up a paper from the newsstand.
(Click on the image for a larger version)
Soon we were through the town and started to climb. The road was steep and twisty This is a favorite route for mountain bikers and even that early there were a few already heading uphill. It is a magnificent drive through trees with the occasional glimpses of craggy peaks. Occasionally there would be distant, hazy views over to the East Bay. Brown leaves lined the sides of the roads. Every so often I would spot a large house built on a hilltop. They must have some magnificent views from their commanding position.
The scenery changes slightly when we crossed Skyline Blvd. The views were now mainly westwards, down to scenic valleys. We drove through Castle Rock State Park though I saw no signs telling me so. There is a brilliant hike in the park. To reach it drive south on Skyline Blvd for about 2 miles from the junction of Highway 9.
We turned onto Highway 236 and passed a sign saying Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The Visitors Center is a further nine miles away up a narrow, very twisty road between some very large redwoods. There are even more wonderful views. Shafts of bright sunlight pierced through the trees.
Rounding a large redwood we turned in to the Visitors Center and parked the car. The only other car there was a Ranger’s pick up truck and he was busy emptying bins. As the Visitors Center was closed, we put the $7 fee ($6 for over 62) into an envelope and deposited it in the appropriate place.
Following the directions for Hike number 5 in ‘60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of San Francisco‘ by Jane Huber, we
looked for the Campfire Center. The first part of the hike was on the Skyline to the Sea Trail. This trail is 30 miles long. It starts at Castle Rock Ridge near Skyline Blvd, bisects the park, and ends at Waddell Beach on the Pacific Ocean. Almost immediately we were surrounded by tall redwoods. We crossed a wooden bridge over Opal Creek. Tom had already stopped to take photos. I wondered into a small clearing where a huge redwood lay on the ground. The only sound I heard was the faint tap tap tapping of a woodpecker. Try as I might I could not spot it.
The further we walked, the deeper the silence. Though it was only 46 degrees, there was no wind at all. Hardly anything moved. The sun was shining but it was a shady walk. The tall redwoods with their spreading canopies many feet up kept the sun hidden but every so often there would be a break and its warming rays not only gave light but also shafts of sunlight spearing through the tree trunks.
We took the Dool Trail for a bit and then turned onto the Sunset Trail. The trail eventually leads to a couple of waterfalls but it is a long walk and we don’t plan to walk that far today. The falls are probably dry anyway.
The trail rose steadily and every so often Tom would stop to take photos. He was taking long exposure shots. The lack of wind and therefore movement makes this the ideal choice. While he took photos, I stood and drank in the beauty of my surroundings. Craning my neck, I strained to see the top of the redwoods. So far up are they that I feel very small. Standing totally still in complete solitude, the silence was deafening.
Redwoods are amazing trees. They can be several hundred years old, over 300 feet high and are the tallest trees in the world. They are fairly resistant to fire. I read somewhere of one tree which caught fire and the core burnt for 14months but it is still standing. Walking on the hike we saw a lot of fire damage to the trees but most of the trees were not only still standing but living. Fire is very necessary though for the seeds to germinate. The cones are amazingly small though. It is hard to imagine how they can produce such immense trees.
At one point we heard a lot of birds making alarm sounds. Something was obviously worrying them but we couldn’t see the birds or whatever it was that was causing them to be upset. We also heard another animal noise which we later realized was made by a squirrel. We discovered this because as I rounded a corner I disturbed a gray squirrel on a nearly tree trunk and it made the same noise. Tom swears this squirrel was bigger than the ones in our garden and it’s ears were more pointed.
We cut the walk short by taking a connecting trail back to the Skyline to the Sea Trail and made our way downhill to the car park. We did not see anybody else the whole while we were on the walk. There were several other cars parked when we arrived back at our car and one couple were just setting off for their walk.
We really enjoyed our short, early morning hike among the Big Basin Redwoods but it was time to go and look for breakfast.
December 12 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
