If injecting a little nature into your monthly routine is on the agenda for 2018, then put a star on the second Saturday of every month. In celebration of their 100th anniversary, the Save the Redwoods League is offering free day-use passes on the second Saturday of each month to over 40 redwoods state parks, starting on January 13. Read on for some tips, nearby favorites that are perfect for a day trip and how to print out your free pass.
Save the Redwoods
The majestic redwood trees draw visitors from worlds away and we are super lucky to have them reside in our own backyard. Redwood forests are an important ecosystem as they contain the tallest and largest trees on the planet and store more carbon from the atmosphere than any other forest ecosystem. Before 1850, there were two million acres of old-growth redwood forest. Today, only 5% of that remains. The Save the Redwoods League has been working for 100 years to protect the redwood forest and they want you to head to a nearby park to enjoy it for yourself.
A Habitat for Endangered and Imperiled Wildlife
If you’ve visited any of our local redwoods state parks recently, you’ve no doubt been given information about the Marbled Murrelet, a Pacific seabird that nests high up in tall trees in coastal forests and is seriously threatened by redwood logging. Both the Marbled Murrelet and the Northern Spotted Owl make their home in our redwoods and only by protecting those redwoods can we save these creatures from extinction.
Parks from North to South
With participating redwoods state parks from Del Norte county down to Big Sur, there’s tons of opportunities to explore a park you haven’t been to yet. Check the website for all of your options. Some nearby favorites include California’s oldest state park—Big Basin, the staggering vistas of Mount Tamalpais in Marin and Butano State Park on the coast near Pescadero. The giant sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Mendocino’s Hendy Woods State Park are worth the drive and even an overnight nearby.
The Details
More than 16,000 free all-day passes will be given away throughout 2018. Visit the website to find an available park and print out your free pass. If there are no free passes available for the date and location you’d like, you are still welcome to visit that park and pay the day-use fee. Only one pass per vehicle is needed.
Save the Redwoods League staff will be leading free guided hikes at select parks. Sign ups for free hikes can also be done via the website.
Dates: January 13, February 10, March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, October 14, November 10 and December 8
Online: savetheredwoods.org/get-involved/free-redwoods-days
What’s your favorite redwoods state park? Shout it from the trees below!
—story and photos by Kate Loweth
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