Rancho
Del Oso to Berry Creek Falls,
Big Basin Redwoods State Park,
California State Parks,
Santa Cruz County
In brief:
12 mile out and back from the ocean to Berry Creek Falls. Mostly on fire roads,
this is an easier hike than the equivalent journey from park headquarters, and
far less crowded.
Getting there:
From CA 1 at the San Mateo/Santa Cruz County border, drive south about 1 mile,
then turn right into the parking lot (this trailhead is about 15 miles south of
Pescadero Road/about 7 miles north of Davenport).
Trailhead details:
No parking or entrance fees at this trailhead. Maps available (for $3) at the
ranger station (open weekends). There's a portable toilet at the beach parking
lot, and a pit toilet near the ranger station, not far from a pay phone. No drinking
water in this part of the park. There is one designated handicapped parking spot
near the ranger station, but you'll need to get through the gate at the park entrance
to get to it; contact park staff for more info. Santa Cruz Metro bus #40 stops
right in front of the park.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, and restaurants a few miles north, or south in Davenport. Costanoa,
about 6 miles north, on Rossi Road, has good food to go, and they even serve breakfast
(good coffee too). Big Basin has extensive camping options, including several
drive-in campgrounds (reached from the park headquarters area) and backcountry
camps.
Rules:
Most trails are open to hikers and equestrians. Bikes are only permitted on fire
roads. Some trails are designated hiking only. No dogs on trails (they are allowed,
on leash, on paved park roads in the park headquarters area). Park hours 6 a.m.
- 10 p.m.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 12.1 mile out and back hike is not hard, but it is long, so
I rate it as moderate. The elevation at Big Basin ranges from about 15 feet to
over 2280 feet. The featured hike begins at about 15 feet and climbs to about
400 feet.
The Official Story:
CSP's
Big Basin page.
Big Basin Info (recording) 831-338-8860
Map Choices/More Info:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region or Monterey Bay Region
map to get to the park.
• Dave Baselt's Big Basin Redwoods State Park map is an excellent
guide to Big Basin (order
from Redwood Hikes).
• The official Big Basin map (available at the Rancho Del Oso ranger station,
which is open on weekends only) is most helpful.
• Virtual
Parks features a great map (panels 1 and 3 show the featured hike) as well
as panoramic photos.
• Sempervirens Fund's Trail Map of the Santa Cruz Mountains (Map 2)
is a great map of Big Basin's southern section.
• BBRSP's unofficial home
page.
• Ann Marie Brown's California Waterfalls (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and good directions to Berry Creek
Falls, as well as Golden, Cascade, and Silver Falls.
• Cyberhikes
has photos and descriptions of a few Big Basin hikes.
• Tom Taber's The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and some Big Basin trail descriptions.
• South Bay Trails, by Jean Rusmore, Betsy Crowder, and Frances
Spangle (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and trail descriptions
of a few Big Basin hikes.
View
photos from this hike.
A 12-mile out-and-back hike really 
must
have something special at the turn-around point to make the effort worthwhile.
This long Big Basin hike on Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail follows Waddell Creek from
the ocean all the way to Berry Creek Falls, and boy, is the trip worth it. After
trekking through creekside groves of maple and alder, and forests of redwood,
tanoak, and Douglas fir, you'll reach a secluded redwood canyon where the falls
(which run all year long) cascade more than 60 feet in a single sheer drop.
This is a pleasant hike all year round, since the trails
are mostly shaded. Expect muddy trails in winter and spring, and it's best to
check conditions with park staff after a major storm. In spring a host of wildflowers
nestle under the trees, and alders, buckeyes, and maples show off their new leaves.
Those same trees are pretty again, in autumn, as they color and fall to the ground.
I hadn't really considered hiking from the ocean
to Berry Creek Falls, because I thought the falls were best accessed from the
park headquarters trailhead. Anne Marie Brown in her excellent book California
Waterfalls 
suggests
visiting Berry Creek Falls (and Silver, Cascade, and Golden Falls) via either
trailhead. From Rancho Del Oso a long 5.4 mile segment of Skyline to the Sea permits
bikes (as well as horses), and Brown advocates riding to the end of the fire road
(where cyclists must leave their bikes), then hiking the rest of the way. I thought
maybe since this is a hiking website, that would be a bit of a cheat, so I decided
to hoof it the whole way. The trip, though lovely, does get a bit dull in the
middle, unless you're a real freak for forest fire roads. During miles 4-5 (and
most of the way back from the falls) I daydreamed of speeding up the trip with
the assistance of two wheels. It is indeed an easy ride, even for non-bikers like
myself, although beginners will probably want to walk some stretches.
Start at the gated entrance to Big Basin on CA
1. Skyline to the Sea Trail, initially a wide, paved road, heads north. The
trail winds at a level pace through blackberry, lupine, elderberry, pine, California
coffeeberry, nettles, coyote brush, 
sagebrush,
lizardtail, monkeyflower, and poison oak. In early spring you might see blossoms
on bluewitch nightshade, paintbrush, and vetch. Quail and cottontail rabbits are
common along the trail, and ducks frequent the damp marsh which cushions Waddell
Creek, off to the right. Although the surrounding hillsides are fairly steep,
the trail keeps to a nearly flat grade. At 0.31 mile, the trail curves left in
front of the ranger station, and bypasses a self-registration station for campers.
In late winter, look for a luxuriant patch of calla lilies blooming on the left.
At a gate, the pavement ends and a dirt surface takes over. A hiking-only section
of Skyline to the Sea veers off to the left (closed on my visit). The trail descends
slightly, with creambush, coast live oak, and pines growing on the sloped hillside
to the left. A private road sweeps right (the first of many in this part of the
park, where private inholdings are still a reality), but Skyline to the Sea continues
left, heading into an area lush with coast live oak and buckeye. You'll bisect
a small farm,
where the fence to the right is lined with rose bushes, and you might see fruit
trees blooming in early spring. You'll cross a bridge (and Waddell Creek, for
the first but not the last time) and remain close to the creek, but thickets of
alder, willow, and California bay keep visitors at a distance. Skyline to the
Sea drifts to an open shoreline, and the trail suddenly seems transformed with
a shift in vegetation. Alder and willow still thrive near the creek, but to the
right a steep hillside is covered with fern, Douglas fir, California bay, and
redwood. In late winter, look for trilliums and stream violets nestled close to
the ground. At 1.60 miles, a path to Alder Camp doubles back to the left. Continue
straight on Skyline to the Sea Trail.
At 1.68 miles, a signed cutoff trail crosses the
creek and heads uphill. Continue on Skyline to the Sea Trail, where a short
distance ahead, you'll pass a signed path to Twin Redwoods Camp. Redwoods mix
with tanoak, and huckleberry shrubs and young nutmeg trees occupy the understory.
The trail creeps near the creek for awhile, where on an exposed slope to the right,
you might see mission bells and milkmaids in mid-March. 
A
chunk of trail that slid toward the creek leaves little room for foot traffic.
A bit further down the trail there's a reroute that creeps along the edge of a
redwood forest, then returns in a short switchback to creek level. At 3.11 miles,
a path to Camp Herbert breaks off on the left. Continue straight on Skyline
to the Sea Trail.
A split in the trail before the creek bids equestrians
to cross the creek, while hikers and cyclists are beckoned to a pretty bridge.
Alders drape over the creek here, dangling flower bracts in late winter, and catkins
in autumn. You'll walk through a cramped meadow and then reach a signed junction
with McCrary Ridge Trail at 3.16 miles. The sign warns that McCrary Ridge Trail
is steep, and best suited to horses. Continue straight on Skyline to the Sea
Trail.
Skyline to the Sea returns to the shore of Waddell
Creek, where buckeyes, maples, and alders are common. In March I saw a generous
display of milkmaids along both sides of the trail. You'll pass
through a pretty patch of redwoods, then climb easily away from the creek, into
a thick forest of Douglas fir, redwood, and tanoak, with a few madrone and ceanothus
as well. At a sturdy bridge a side creek feeds in from the right, but at the next
creek crossing, the bridge was out on my visit -- here the path dips down to the
creekbed, then rises to rejoin Skyline to the Sea. Just past this, at 5.11 miles,
you'll reach a signed junction with Henry Creek Trail. Continue straight on
Skyline to the Sea.
The trail descends slightly, then crosses Waddell
Creek on another car-sized bridge. Skyline to the Sea is always prone to storm
damage, and there were deep ruts in the center of the trail when I hiked here
in March 2002. At 5.51 miles, Skyline to the Sea prepares to cross the creek yet
again, this time on either a footbridge or 
rock
hop (depending on conditions; the bridge is easily washed away). Cyclists must
leave their bikes here (there's a rack), and proceed on foot. On the other side
of the creek Skyline to the Sea, shrunken to a footpath, climbs on a gentle grade
through redwoods. At 5.68 miles, Howard King Trail begins on the right, at a signed
junction. Continue straight on Skyline to the Sea Trail.
The trail begins a sharp descent under the shade
of towering redwoods. Ferns are plentiful, and you might see mushrooms in winter
(I saw a nearly florescent yellow one). Once more you'll reach the shore of Waddell
Creek, but here the only way across is via a twin pair of long metal guides. It
was a strange feeling, for each beam is narrow, and walking felt odd and bouncy
and, as my beam was partly filled with water, damp. On the other side the trail
picks up again, heading back into the redwood forest, where you'll duck under
some huge old fallen trees. You might see redwood sorrel in early spring. At 5.95
miles you'll reach 
an
undersigned junction (no signs identify Berry Creek Falls Trail). Skyline to the
Sea Trail veers right, then crosses Berry Creek. Continue straight/right on
Berry Creek Falls Trail.
The path starts out tiny, but widens a bit as it
ascends through thick stands of redwoods. The creek is mostly out of visual range,
but is certainly audible. When you reach a wooden fence lining both sides of the
trail, lift your head for the first glimpse of Berry Creek Falls. At 6.03 miles,
you'll reach the base of the falls and a viewing platform with a bench. The trail
continues uphill toward Silver, Cascade, and Golden Falls, an optional 2 mile
extension to this hike. Berry Creek Falls is a favorite with bay area waterfall
lovers, and one visit might hook you as well. Water drops sharply about 60 feet,
pools at the base, then continues downstream. The rock face on both sides of the
falls is cloaked in moss and ferns, and redwoods loom above. When you're ready,
retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance:
12.06 miles
Last hiked: Monday, March 18, 2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
must
have something special at the turn-around point to make the effort worthwhile.
This long Big Basin hike on Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail follows Waddell Creek from
the ocean all the way to Berry Creek Falls, and boy, is the trip worth it. After
trekking through creekside groves of maple and alder, and forests of redwood,
tanoak, and Douglas fir, you'll reach a secluded redwood canyon where the falls
(which run all year long) cascade more than 60 feet in a single sheer drop. 
suggests
visiting Berry Creek Falls (and Silver, Cascade, and Golden Falls) via either
trailhead. From Rancho Del Oso a long 5.4 mile segment of Skyline to the Sea permits
bikes (as well as horses), and Brown advocates riding to the end of the fire road
(where cyclists must leave their bikes), then hiking the rest of the way. I thought
maybe since this is a hiking website, that would be a bit of a cheat, so I decided
to hoof it the whole way. The trip, though lovely, does get a bit dull in the
middle, unless you're a real freak for forest fire roads. During miles 4-5 (and
most of the way back from the falls) I daydreamed of speeding up the trip with
the assistance of two wheels. It is indeed an easy ride, even for non-bikers like
myself, although beginners will probably want to walk some stretches. 
sagebrush,
lizardtail, monkeyflower, and poison oak. In early spring you might see blossoms
on bluewitch nightshade, paintbrush, and vetch. Quail and cottontail rabbits are
common along the trail, and ducks frequent the damp marsh which cushions Waddell
Creek, off to the right. Although the surrounding hillsides are fairly steep,
the trail keeps to a nearly flat grade. At 0.31 mile, the trail curves left in
front of the ranger station, and bypasses a self-registration station for campers.
In late winter, look for a luxuriant patch of calla lilies blooming on the left.
At a gate, the pavement ends and a dirt surface takes over. A hiking-only section
of Skyline to the Sea veers off to the left (closed on my visit). The trail descends
slightly, with creambush, coast live oak, and pines growing on the sloped hillside
to the left. A private road sweeps right (the first of many in this part of the
park, where private inholdings are still a reality), but Skyline to the Sea continues
left, heading into an area lush with coast live oak and buckeye. You'll bisect
a small farm,
where the fence to the right is lined with rose bushes, and you might see fruit
trees blooming in early spring. You'll cross a bridge (and Waddell Creek, for
the first but not the last time) and remain close to the creek, but thickets of
alder, willow, and California bay keep visitors at a distance. Skyline to the
Sea drifts to an open shoreline, and the trail suddenly seems transformed with
a shift in vegetation. Alder and willow still thrive near the creek, but to the
right a steep hillside is covered with fern, Douglas fir, California bay, and
redwood. In late winter, look for trilliums and stream violets nestled close to
the ground. At 1.60 miles, a path to Alder Camp doubles back to the left. Continue
straight on Skyline to the Sea Trail.
A
chunk of trail that slid toward the creek leaves little room for foot traffic.
A bit further down the trail there's a reroute that creeps along the edge of a
redwood forest, then returns in a short switchback to creek level. At 3.11 miles,
a path to Camp Herbert breaks off on the left. Continue straight on Skyline
to the Sea Trail.
through a pretty patch of redwoods, then climb easily away from the creek, into
a thick forest of Douglas fir, redwood, and tanoak, with a few madrone and ceanothus
as well. At a sturdy bridge a side creek feeds in from the right, but at the next
creek crossing, the bridge was out on my visit -- here the path dips down to the
creekbed, then rises to rejoin Skyline to the Sea. Just past this, at 5.11 miles,
you'll reach a signed junction with Henry Creek Trail. Continue straight on
Skyline to the Sea.
rock
hop (depending on conditions; the bridge is easily washed away). Cyclists must
leave their bikes here (there's a rack), and proceed on foot. On the other side
of the creek Skyline to the Sea, shrunken to a footpath, climbs on a gentle grade
through redwoods. At 5.68 miles, Howard King Trail begins on the right, at a signed
junction. Continue straight on Skyline to the Sea Trail.
an
undersigned junction (no signs identify Berry Creek Falls Trail). Skyline to the
Sea Trail veers right, then crosses Berry Creek. Continue straight/right on
Berry Creek Falls Trail.