Redwood Loop Trail
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
A forested loop among redwoods recovering from wildfire in California's oldest state park
Length
0.7 miles
Rated
Easy*
Trail Type
Loop
Elevation Gain
42 feet
One of the region’s easiest trails, this loop is the ideal outing for anyone seeking a self-guided or docent-led stroll among giant redwoods.
Rated “easy” by California State Parks, this 0.7-mile loop is flat, with compact ground in places and natural trails in others, with very slight elevation changes. Having recently experienced extreme wildfire, this is also a forest in recovery, and an opportunity to reflect on the resilience and majesty of the world’s largest trees in California’s oldest state park.
*Trail ratings vary and in this guide you will find information to make the best choice for your health and wellness goals.
Enjoy the health benefits of time in nature on the Redwood Loop Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Why is this a healthful experience?
Trails Rx Benefits
Unleash the Healing Power of Nature
Trails Rx was established to help you improve your physical and mental health while enjoying time in nature. With guidance from Sempervirens Fund's Wellness Advisor, Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller, we took inspiration from her work with Iowa's Hartman Reserve Nature Center.
The program promotes regular use of these trails, or parks near you, to integrate nature's healing benefits into daily life.
"Research increasingly finds that human health is improved by spending time in nature. Whether exercising, birdwatching, or spending quiet, mindful time outdoors, a host of physical and mental health benefits have been confirmed."
Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller
MD, FACOG FABOIM Sempervirens Fund Wellness Advisor
What Does the Data Say?
Here are ways you can measure the benefits of enjoying the Redwood Loop Trail:
Light Pace
2.5 miles per hour
Trail Length
0.7 miles
Metabolic Equivalent of Task
The amount of energy used while active compared to energy used sitting still.
3.3 METs
Time
17 minutes
Calories
Estimates vary by weight.
130 lbs
57 calories
165 lbs
73 calories
200 lbs
88 calories
235 lbs
103 calories
Moderate Pace
3.5 miles per hour
Trail Length
0.7 miles
Metabolic Equivalent of Task
The amount of energy used while active compared to energy used sitting still.
4.2 METs
Time
12 minutes
Calories
Estimates vary by weight.
130 lbs
52 calories
165 lbs
66 calories
200 lbs
80 calories
235 lbs
94 calories
Trail Benefits
Health Benefits of Unique Features along the Redwood Loop Trail
Give yourself a brain break.
When study participants walked for 90 minutes in nature, as compared to controls who walked in an urban setting, those who walked in nature reported less rumination, or the experience of getting stuck in a cycle of negative thinking. These same participants were then studied in a functional MRI machine, which found they had decreased brain activity in the areas of the brain that are active in depression—specifically sadness, behavioral withdrawal, and negative self-reflection. As you walk Big Basin’s Redwood Loop Trail, notice if your mind clears and mood shifts a bit.
Lower your blood pressure.
Research is finding that time in nature can improve hypertension. One small study compared individuals with hypertension who spent seven days and seven nights in an evergreen forest versus those who spent the same amount of time in a city environment. Those who spent time in the forest environment showed a significant reduction in blood pressure compared to the city group.
Another study looked at a one-day forest therapy program for individuals with hypertension that involved stretching, strolling, sitting and lying on the ground, deep breathing, lying in a hammock, and other non-strenuous activities in the forest. The participants were found to have significantly lower blood pressure during the one-day forest therapy program than they had had during the five days prior to the program. This decrease was maintained at three and five days after the program. It’s interesting to know that the health benefits from time in the redwoods can last beyond the time we spend among them.
Immune boost.
Time in nature boosts the immune system in ways that are still being explored. For example, we know that simply inhaling “phytoncides,” a component in the essential oils from trees, has been found to boost our level and activity of Natural Killer immune cells that circulate in our bloodstream to attack viruses, bacteria, and even tumor cells. Research has found that this benefit lasts for as long as thirty days out from a nature experience, so make it at least a monthly goal to visit the trails!
References: https://doi.org/10.1080/08923970600809439 and https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-008-0068-3.
See more below in our Invitations section for suggestions to maximize this experience.
Invitations
Body and Mind Contemplation
We believe each place has the potential to reward our senses and bring us peace and mindfulness. In the practice of Shinrin-yoku, or Forest Bathing, invitations are prompts we can give ourselves to invite an inward response to the nature we are experiencing. In this section we offer invitations you might respond to in your experience visiting the Redwood Loop Trail.
Pleasures of Presence
For these invitations sit, stand, or rest comfortably against something solid and close your eyes or lower them to the ground.
Notice the Air
Rest comfortably and slowly breathe, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Notice the air: the fragrance, the temperature, and the moisture.
Connect to the Earth
Listen Closely, and Far Away
See this Place
Invitations for the Redwood Loop Trail
Finding Life in Death and Decay
Often, we avert our eyes and mind from the deceased. But consider taking a closer look at signs of death and decay in the forest. Use all your senses to see, smell, touch (if it feels safe) and explore such things as deceased insects and animals, forest floor debris, mushrooms, fungi, and plants or leaves with damage. What is happening in these processes? What emotions arise? Is there a message for you here?
Hug a Tree
Metaphors
You might spend some time jotting down or journaling what you noticed during this experience.
Learn more about Forest Bathing and check out a longer list of invitations to consider.
About the Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park spans more than 22,500 acres of high chaparral slopes, waterfalls, canyons, and marshes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and is home to the largest stand of old-growth redwoods south of San Francisco. In 1902 it became California’s first State Park. At the turn of the century, in response to frantic redwood logging, a group of concerned citizens met at Slippery Rock, along the banks of Sempervirens Creek, to form the Sempervirens Club. The Club raised money to advocate for the State of California to purchase the Big Basin’s original 3,800 acres in 1900, and a movement was born. In August and September 2020, the CZU Lightning Fire Complex burned more than 86,000 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains. This is one of the many parks that has been affected. In July 2022, Big Basin Redwoods State Park reopened to the public.
What The Park Offers
Getting There
Know before you go: Visit the trail page for the latest updates.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
The park is located on Highway 236 in Boulder Creek.
Admission
$10 vehicle day-use fee