This week’s hike took Lisa and me to the Santa Cruz mountains and Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Unfortunately for Maggie and Sally, the California State Park System does not allow dogs on the trails. Big Basin was established in 1902 and is the oldest State Park in California. The Coast Redwood tree is native to the United States and only grows along the coast from Southern Oregon to Central California.

The Coast Redwoods in Big Basin State Park were saved from being turned into lumber, shingles, railroad ties, and fence posts by the Sempervirens Club. The fund they created to purchase land from the lumber companies in May 1900 has now protected more than 53 square miles of redwood forest. Many of these ancient trees range in age from 1,000 to 2,500 years old. Some trees measure more than 300 feet tall with a 16 foot diameter.

The image above captures a young Redwood just getting its start surrounded by much bigger trees. By the end of our hike, Lisa and I covered 4.9 mile of trails through a very beautiful Grove of truly magnificent trees.