By Jane Liaw, Owner of Bella Bird Journeys, a travel concierge service for Northern California destinations
When it comes to redwood forests of California, Muir Woods gets all the attention, but Muir Woods is certainly not the only redwood forest in Northern California. In fact, just in the San Francisco Bay Area you can find other stands of redwoods that are as beautiful and much less touristy.
Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
Only half an hour and a bridge away from downtown San Francisco is the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills. This 1,830 acre park has a forest of coastal redwoods, of course, but also other greenery like chaparral and evergreens. Creeks run through the park, full of trout, and almost 40 miles of trails are there for your hiking and horseback riding pleasure.
The trees at this park are not as large and dense as those in Muir Woods (if you have your heart set on dramatically gigantic redwoods, keep reading for other hidden gems below). That said, they’re still 150 feet tall, not too shabby and certainly requiring you to do a good neck-crane to get a glimpse of the tops of these giants.
Watch out for deer, rabbits, and various bird species while you’re here, including rarer ones like the golden eagle. If you have little ones, they will enjoy the play structure not far down the Stream Trail at the park. Or just let them explore the logs, fields, and fallen leaves as you stroll. Stop for a picnic at one of picturesque picnic spots, and if you want to stay overnight, you can camp here (campsites must be reserved in advance though, through East Bay Regional Park District).
The bonus of visiting this regional park is its location on the Oakland hills, offering expansive views of Oakland, San Francisco and the bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. It’s one of the most spectacular vantage points in the Bay Area, but one that most tourists miss out on if they don’t make it out to the hills, which many do not.
If you find yourself in more southerly parts of the Bay Area, drive a bit further south to the Santa Cruz mountains and you can take your pick of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park or Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Both have old-growth (read: massive and ancient) redwood groves that rival Muir Woods in size and majesty.
Big Basin State Park
Big Basin is the oldest California state park, established in 1902, but the trees here have been around for many more centuries, up to 2000 years. Its 18,000 acres (including almost 11,000 acres of old-growth forest) have been designated a California Historical Landmark. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of prehistoric Native Americans in these forests, and more recently, they have been the home and refuge of the Ohlone tribes of California.
There are more than 80 miles of trails in Big Basin, of varying terrain and difficulty. Some will bring you past the park’s waterfalls, some through chaparral hillsides. One popular trail is Skyline-to-the-Sea, which runs along Waddell Creek all the way to the ocean. And if you only have time for a quick walk, there’s a half-mile Redwood loop that winds you through some of the tallest trees in the park.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Henry Cowell is much smaller than Big Basin, with a 40-acre grove of old-growth redwoods as well as second-growth redwoods and other vegetation, but it is close to Santa Cruz and easier to get to. It’s also ideal for families with young children, with an easy, flat hiking loop of less than a mile. The tallest tree you’ll see on the loop is almost 280 feet tall and about 1,500 years old. Kids will also love the Fremont Tree, with its hollowed-out base that you (and all your friends) can enter and still have space to spread out.
While at the parks of the Santa Cruz Mountains, look out for wildlife like black-tailed deer and coyote, and of course banana slugs! Banana slugs—often bright yellow, hence the name—are only found in the forests along North America’s Pacific coast, and Santa Cruz likes them so much that the banana slug is the mascot of University of California, Santa Cruz.
Another draw of Henry Cowell for the young and young at heart is Roaring Camp Railroads close by, which runs two lines of steam trains, one through the the redwood forests up to a mountain summit, and the other through Henry Cowell and down to the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk. Roaring Camp has many events during the year for adults and children alike, including a Spaghetti Western-themed dinner, train and movie night; and A Day Out with Thomas, a popular annual event featuring all things Thomas the Tank Engine.
Both Big Basin and Henry Cowell have campsites, but they are very popular during summer months and need to be booked far in advance (bookings open six months ahead). Alternatively, you can stay at unique and cozy lodgings in the mountains outside of the parks, such as in a treehouse on a working farm.
If you’re planning a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area and seeing the redwoods is on your list, make time for one of these parks. Standing at the base of these giant trees, you really get a sense of how mighty they are and what they must have seen and withstood, to still be around all these hundreds of years later.
