Camping

Camping in Big Basin's redwood forest is closed: every campground and backcountry trail camp in the main park has been shut since the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. The only camping in Big Basin Redwoods State Park in 2026 is on the coast, at the Rancho del Oso walk-in campground off Highway 1, with five reservable walk-in sites and one shared first-come bike-in site.

The Redwood Campgrounds Are Closed

The fire destroyed all of Big Basin's campgrounds, along with the cabins and park headquarters. California State Parks says plainly that camping reservations are not available because all campgrounds are closed. All Big Basin backcountry trail camps are closed too. Permanent replacement campgrounds are part of the state's long-range Reimagining Big Basin plan, which the agency says will take several years. See fire and recovery.

Rancho del Oso Walk-In Campground

The former Rancho del Oso Horse Camp, near the mouth of Waddell Creek, now runs as an interim walk-in and bike-in campground. No horse camping is offered for now, because trails north from Rancho del Oso are closed.

• Sites: 5 walk-in campsites by reservation; the farthest is about 200 feet from the parking area
• Bike-in: 1 shared site, first come, first served; pay on site by envelope or by phone on the day
• Accessible sites: #2 and #4 are on flat ground with clear space; accessible parking and vault restrooms are about 200 feet away
• Limits: 6 people and 2 cars per site
• Extra vehicle: $10, paid at the iron ranger

How to Reserve

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks manages the reservations through a calendar linked from the Rancho del Oso camping page on parks.ca.gov. The calendar refreshes a few times a day and may lag. For help, call (831) 338-8867 or email trailcamps@thatsmypark.org.

Campground Rules

• Check-in after 2 p.m.; check-out at noon
• Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• No dogs, no generators, no smoking, no drones
• Fires only in the provided rings and grills; beach fires are prohibited
• No firewood for sale: bring locally sourced or heat-treated wood, and don't gather it
• Nothing tied to trees: no ropes, lines, swings or hammocks
• Store all food in the locker; the campground is Crumb Clean
• 10 mph on the entry road

Getting There

Drive Highway 1 to the Waddell Beach parking lot at 3640 Cabrillo Highway, Davenport, about 18 miles north of Santa Cruz or 30 miles south of Half Moon Bay. The campground gate is the yellow gate directly across the highway, north of the Waddell Creek Bridge. Rancho del Oso cannot be reached by road or trail from the main Big Basin area. More on the Rancho del Oso page.

Trail Camps Nearby

For backpacking in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the trail camps open in 2026 are in Butano, Castle Rock and Portola Redwoods state parks, reserved through the California State Parks backcountry system. None of them are in Big Basin.

Good For

• Coastal camping a short walk from Waddell Beach
• Cyclists on Highway 1 who need a first-come site

Maybe Skip If

• You want to camp among the redwoods: that is not possible at Big Basin right now
• You are bringing a dog: dogs are not permitted at Rancho del Oso