California State Parks officials have announced the return of the shuttle program at Big Basin Redwoods State Park for summer weekends and holidays beginning Saturday, May 23, ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
The shuttle program, operated in partnership with the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, builds on pilot programs offered during the summers of 2024 and 2025 and is intended to improve visitor access while redevelopment continues following the devastating 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
In addition to the shuttle service, State Parks officials announced that the Sequoia Trail waterfall loop will reopen Friday, May 22, for the first time since the fire.
“The 2.9-mile Sequoia Trail allows visitors to view Sempervirens Falls,” California State Parks officials said in a news release. “The moderate hike passes through recovering redwood trees and features the picturesque 20-foot Sempervirens Falls.”
The trail can be combined with 1.4 miles of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail to create a 4.3-mile loop from the park’s main day-use area.
More than 230,000 people have visited Big Basin since the park partially reopened in July 2022, according to State Parks officials. An interim visitor center is now open, more than 20 miles of trails have been restored and camping has returned on the coastal side of the park through an interim walk-in and bike-in campground at Rancho del Oso.
The shuttle will operate in a loop between the interim overflow parking area at Saddle Mountain, near Highway 236 and Little Basin Road, and the park’s main day-use area near the historic core.
“The 14-passenger, ADA-accessible shuttle includes a bike rack and will operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day,” State Parks officials said.
When parking at the main day-use area reaches capacity, visitors will be directed to the Saddle Mountain parking lot, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for a $10 fee. State Parks passes will be accepted, and the shuttle ride itself will remain free.
“To guarantee parking in the main day-use area, visitors are encouraged to make reservations in advance online,” officials said.
Public transit access also is available through the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District Route 35 bus service, which operates weekends and holidays with five scheduled daily stops at the park. Riders may park for free at the Scotts Valley METRO Station and take the bus directly to Big Basin. Bus fares are $2 per ride or $6 for a day pass, and K-12 students ride free with a valid student ID.
“Visitors arriving by METRO bus receive free entry and guaranteed park access,” State Parks officials said.
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned more than 97% of Big Basin in 2020 and destroyed nearly every structure in the park, including headquarters buildings, campgrounds and employee housing.
State Parks officials said long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts remain underway through the park’s Facilities Management Plan, which will guide the phased reconstruction of trails, campgrounds, utilities and permanent visitor facilities over the coming years.
Established in 1902, Big Basin is California’s oldest state park. The area was originally the homeland of the Quiroste and Cotoni tribes, ancestral relatives of today’s Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.
