Eight trail segments have reopened at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz County for the first time since the CZU Lightning Complex Fire destroyed much of the park in 2020.

The park, damaged by the August 2020 fire and further battered by this winter’s storms, now has reopened trails that include the Redwood Loop Trail, Skyline to the Sea Trail, Dool Trail, Meteor Trail and Sunset Trail.

The fire burned more than 97 percent of the park, destroying its headquarters, campgrounds and nearly every other structure. The park remained closed after the fire until last July when it reopened via a limited access day use reservation system operated by the nonprofit Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.

Reservations are $8 each and can be made online.

Officials with Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks say wildflowers are blooming at Big Basin and that additional trails and roads at the park are set to reopen later this year.

More information about Big Basin, the oldest state park in California, can be found online.

Dan McMenamin, Bay City News

Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.