Highway 236 - Big Basin

Highway 236, headed into Big Basin SP, recovering from the August 2020 wildfire that burned through the park: the pictured 'fuzz' isn’t moss or mold—it’s new growth emerging directly from the burned redwoods. This fuzz is literally hundreds of small, stubby branches sprouting all along the trunk, activated by the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.

Despite the burn scars, the allure and thrill of Highway 236 remains untouched. There’s no center line, it's recently repaved (on the northern half of the loop), and it's just as twisty as always—weaving between redwood trees with s-curve goodness.

The diehard goat fans will scold me if I don't mention China Grade- It's just as torn up and bumpy as I remember from 20+ years ago. (Supermotos, rejoice!)

At the center of the loop into Big Basin SP is the main parking lot where we regroup the relaxed riders in the back. The Park Service has no plans to rebuild the burned original 1936-era visitor center in that same spot; rather, it's going to be rebuilt at the southern edge of the park along Highway 236.

Take a moment at the center of the park, absorb the redwood forest, then head south out of Big Basin SP, pick up Jamison Creek (also recently repaved), and head down Empire Grade. (Ice Cream Grade and Smith Grade get honorable mentions.)

Skip the bustle of Santa Cruz & cut down to the ocean at Pine Flat/Bonny Doon Rd and check out the 'hidden' Bonny Doon Beach. (You can't see it from Highway 1 and you’ve likely ridden right by it a zillion times—I did.)

The name “Bonny Doon” traces back to the 1850s. A Scottish immigrant reportedly named the area after the song “The Banks o’ Doon,” referring to the River Doon in Scotland. It's well worth the climb down to the beach.

https://www.pashnittours.com/peninsula