ICYMI: Big Basin Planning Recap & Last Chance to Speak Up!

Following the CZU Lightning Complex wildfires of 2020, Big Basin park managers are completely rethinking the layout, accessibility, and connectivity of park resources. They’re reimagining the park so that they are able to best balance environmental resilience with recreation and accessibility. The long-term goal is for the new Big Basin to offer expanded outdoor access (more trails, campsites, and visitor resources) and allow park managers to care for the unique natural resources on the property as climate change continues to take effect.

Big Basin will soon be the poster child for sustainable parks of the future–and important public planning is taking place now! You can make a difference in creating new, expanded trail access in Big Basin.

California State Parks’ Reimagining Big Basin campaign is about to move out of the public comment period. After months of webinars, outreach, and surveys, park officials are giving the public one last chance to speak up for what they want to see in the all-new Big Basin. The final planning workshop is scheduled for Thursday, February 17, from 6-8:00 p.m., and registration is now open. Don’t hesitate: this is your last chance to speak up and share your thoughts on the future of Big Basin! Register today to participate.

Here are some potential changes we support in accordance with the 2013 Big Basin General Plan. Consider speaking up about how we can:

• Reestablish historical trails and identify new opportunities for improved access through multi-use trail connections.

  • Expand multi-use trail networks in the park.

  • Enhance connectivity of trail networks both within Big Basin and to surrounding open spaces, including Empire Grade, San Vicente Redwoods, Castle Rock, Butano, Pescadero Creek, Portola Redwoods, and the coast.

  • Create non-motorized connections between different parks and existing Big Basin infrastructure.

  • Implement a multi-use trail connection between the Hihn Hammond Road/trail and the Skyline to the Sea Trail at West Waddell Creek.

• Relocate and expand park infrastructure to support sustainable visitation & recreation.
  • Improve the overall accessibility of park for users of all types.

    • Relocate infrastructure outside of old-growth areas.

    • Establish bike access to trailheads and visitor resources like campgrounds.

    • Provide alternative means to enter the park, including a shuttle system, expanded trail connections, and bicycle/walk-in campgrounds.

Fire recovery work in Big Basin is a part of our Timeless Trails multi-year fundraising campaign. Once plans are finalized, our professional Trail Crew will assist in trail rehabilitation and new construction throughout the park. We’ll be the boots-on-the-ground support for California State Parks, and our team’s hard work will expedite the reopening of Big Basin.

You can support and expedite the reopening of Big Basin when you donate to Timeless Trails. Make a contribution today!

On January 20, California State Parks gathered a group of experts to discuss post-fire research that is currently taking place in the park and share their considerations surrounding sustainable park design and management. We learned that park managers are trying to make a big difference in how they’re managing the park’s natural resources and infrastructure. Get excited for an all-new Big Basin in the years ahead!

Here’s what we learned…

• The first goal for CA State Parks: try and provide some limited public access into the former headquarters area of Big Basin by this summer.

  • If winter weather cooperates, they hope to have some limited parking serving the Redwood loop trail and interior park roads available first.

  • Once the core of the park is open, park managers will then gradually open the backcountry.
    

• Ecosystem health comes first. The CA State Parks team is taking a thoughtful approach to infrastructure placement and considering how any new buildings, parking lots, campgrounds, and roads can best facilitate ecosystem health in the long term. They are also taking time to align park management plans with indigenous knowledge and land stewardship priorities.
  
  

• Post-fire research is ongoing.
  • Teams are actively surveying the burn scar to understand both the extent of the damage and the regrowth that is currently taking place.

    • They’re working at a watershed level and tracking each forest type present in the park so that any rebuilding will match the needs of present species.

    • Surveying activities are expected to wrap up this summer, and then the foresters will begin compiling actionable recommendations for future management of Big Basin.

    • A few early takeaways from their work:

      • While there was tremendous loss, foresters are optimistic about regrowth potential and the ability to perform controlled burns in the future.

      • Because of the land’s long history with fire, foresters are able to review over 20 years of prescribed burns in Big Basin to understand how preventative measures affected the resilience of resources during the CZU Lightning Fire Complex.

      • They’re using these comparisons to recommend the locations and types of materials are used in new infrastructure in the park.

      • CZU wiped out much of the understory and brush in the park, which is a good thing for ongoing preventative measures! After CZU, park rangers will be able to conduct prescribed burns in 15x more of the park.
        

• Other takeaways:

  • The health of natural resources must come first in any reimagining effort!

  • Guiding question of the replanning effort: what is best for the natural resources and wildlife in Big Basin?

• Potential changes:
  • Infrastructure solutions that were floated at the last meeting included:

    • A shuttle system to reduce car traffic in the park

    • Elevated walkways in sensitive habitats (second most popular among webinar attendees)

    • Replacement of vehicle roads with trails

    • Placement of high-use areas like campground and visitor centers outside of old-growth areas (most popular among webinar attendees)

    • Allowing hydrology to dictate park planning

    • Leveraging Little Basin for new park infrastructure. Relocating campgrounds, multi-use trails, and parking to Little Basin was a part of the park’s 2013 plan, and it’s looking like a strong possibility post-CZU.

• What is Big Basin?

• California State Park’s process to reopening Big Basin

• FAQs