The Creeping Forest Loop

Length 2.5 miles • Climbing 500 feet

California > San Francisco Bay Area > Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Redwoods on the Creeping Forest Trail, leaning because of seismic activity

The hillside just west of the Big Basin Visitor's Center has the densest trail network in Big Basin, with six trails and roads climbing from the main parking lot toward Middle Ridge. The scenery is, for Big Basin, unexceptional; the area is forested with relatively mundane small redwoods over a dense huckleberry understory that hides the trees. Nonetheless, these trails are still pretty enjoyable, since in a few minutes' walk they leave the commotion of the visitor's center area behind and meander pleasantly through richly green woodland.

The Creeping Forest Trail is the only purpose-built loop through this area. The park often offers guided nature walks on this trail, and it's easy to see why, since it's not too challenging and passes through an interesting variety of environments. For the most part the redwoods aren't all that impressive, but the trail does have a scattering of good-sized redwoods near the highest point of the hike.

Click map to show all trails and roads
Part of the Bay Area Trail Map, Saratoga to Big Basin (Redwood Hikes Press, 2010)

Hike description

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From park headquarters, cross Opal Creek and take the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail north. The trail runs alongside the burbling creek, passing by some large trees in a relatively open understory before descending slightly to Gazos Creek Road. After crossing the road, the trail climbs for a few yards to the intersection with the Creeping Forest Trail. Turn left onto this trail, which winds up a hillside, passing through a pleasant mixed-species forest with an especially dense understory of huckleberry shrubs. The redwoods quickly get a lot smaller as the trail climbs, and the understory hides what redwoods there are.

Near the beginning of the Creeping Forest Trail

The trail crosses a small ridge and descends through a patch of forest that doesn't have any redwoods at all, bottoming out at a T intersection. The trail to the left is a short spur leading to Gazos Creek Road. Turn right, and the trail begins to climb again. The understory thins as the trail climbs; near its highest point, the trail passes through an unusual-looking grove with no huckleberry, some pretty good-sized redwood trees, and lot of really tiny trees.

The trail crests and then crosses a log bridge that can be precariously slippery when wet. This forest here at the crest is classic redwood upland, drier, more scraggly, and less attractive than the lower elevations, especially in summer.

As the trail descends, it passes through a grove where the soil has slid downhill due to earthquakes. As a result the large trees are all leaning in the same direction, while the many small trees are leaning haphazardly against each other.

Unusual-looking grove near the top of the Creeping Forest Trail

After passing another short spur trail to Gazos Creek Road, the trail climbs a few yards to a T junction with the Dool Trail. Turn left, cross Gazos Creek Road, and continue downhill on the Dool Trail. This trail follows a redwood-lined ravine. Increasingly large redwoods are visible through the dense huckleberry as you descend.

At the bottom of the Dool Trail, turn right and take the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail back to park headquarters. A nice alternative is to turn left to reach Gazos Creek Road, then cross Opal Creek on the automobile bridge and take North Escape Road back to headquarters. The road passes through an attractive grove of large redwoods known as the Stanford Group.

The Stanford Group, North Escape Road

© 2005, 2010 David Baselt