Here's When Big Basin Could Reopen

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — California State Parks and partner agencies launched their Reimagining Big Basin Redwoods State Park campaign to chart a new course for the iconic park a year after it was struck by the CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires.

Other organizers behind the newly launched Reimagining Big Basin website include the Sempervirens Fund, Mountain Parks Foundation, Save the Redwoods League and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.

Though the CZU fires were devastating, they provided a reset for the ecosystem, they said.

The CZU fires were the most destructive in Santa Cruz County history. They tore through 86,500 acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains, destroyed 1,500 buildings and left one person dead. The blaze destroyed all 100 of Big Basin's buildings and structures and raged in 97 percent of the park grounds.

New growth has begun to sprout in most of the park's blackened redwood forests, but fully reopening the park will take years. Conditions there remain hazardous, and visitors are only allowed into a small sliver of the park along the western coastal region, near the Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center.

Organizers see this as an opportunity to "renew the vision for the park's future." The park's general plan was last updated in 2013.

"While new growth began to emerge in the months following the fire, regeneration of the park’s ecosystem and reestablishment of public access to the Big Basin will be a long-term process," they said in a statement.

Initial recovery efforts are slated to wrap up this year, but the second phase of the plan — visioning and planning — is slated for completion in 2030.

When the park fully reopens, organizers will have had the opportunity to address climate change mitigation, forest management, interpretation and infrastructure road and trail management.

Parks will open for initial access during the yearlong planning phase, and a staggered reopening will kick off during the design and construction, which is slated for completion in 2030. It's unclear when the park will be fully open, but initial access will not come sooner than 2022.

There will be opportunities for the community to share feedback on matters related to visioning, planning efforts and design projects.

Organizers seek to develop an aesthetic building style that complements the natural environment, implement land management policies guided partially by Indigenous practices and foster equitable, diverse visitor experiences.

Donate to Big Basin recovery efforts.

As we approach the 1-yr anniversary of the #CZULightningComplexFire, #CAStateParks & partners are showcasing this week and next how #BigBasinRedwoodsSP will be reimagined as a model for resilient & inclusive parks. Learn more @ https://t.co/OMrgtRsb4c. pic.twitter.com/KrNGpiDy3J
— CA State Parks (@CAStateParks) August 10, 2021