Experience tranquility in Santa Cruz's redwood forests

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Maybe it’s the carpet of redwood sorrel sucking up sound; maybe it’s the lush layer of ferns stretching their fingers into the air. Or it could be the cathedral heights of towering treetops. It’s hard to say what makes walking into a redwood grove so special, but there’s no doubt these groves provide a unique peace and stillness you can’t find anywhere else.

Visitors to Santa Cruz are lucky to have access to that experience in abundance. In addition to beautiful beaches and stunning coastal views, Santa Cruz County features a multitude of opportunities to get outside and appreciate these awe-inspiring trees. Here are just a few of the options.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

You might be surprised by the colors you encounter if you visit Big Basin Redwoods State Park this summer. Four years after the CZU Lightning Complex Fire swept through 97% of the park, the canopy is finally filling back in and the understory is returning, creating a lush green shade. That vibrant color was still missing as recently as two years ago when Supervising Ranger Scott Sipes said, the landscape was overwhelmingly “a lot of brown and a lot of black.”

Visitors will still see signs of the fire. Although every one of the park’s beloved old growth “heritage” redwoods survived, many are still visibly charred and scarred. But the salamanders, coyotes and mountain lions have all returned; you might even spot the blue flash of a fire-following lazuli bunting.

“Visitors should expect a much different experience than what they had before the fire, but it’s a...