New Big Basin bus schedule brings car-free San José residents closer to the redwoods
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is California's oldest State Park, and one of its most popular. Its old growth redwoods, the largest continuous forest of its kind south of the North Coast, have welcomed visitors since 1902. Santa Cruz METRO operates seasonal spring-through-fall service from its Cavallaro Transit Center in Scotts Valley up into the park, and this year, they've specifically scheduled them for Bay Area residents to have an easy trip up to the redwoods!
Santa Cruz METRO runs Hwy 17 Express buses between San José Diridon and downtown Santa Cruz twice an hour on weekends. Only some of those buses go to Cavallaro Transit Center in Scotts Valley, and in past years the schedules have meant long waits there for the park-bound 35B.
When they launched the 2026 seasonal service this past weekend, however, it came with a schedule thought up with the Hwy 17 Express in mind.
San José to Big Basin Redwoods State Park
| Hwy 17 - Depart SJ | Hwy 17 - Arrive Scotts Valley | 35B - Depart Scotts Valley | 35B - Arrive Big Basin SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:25a | 10:05a | 10:10a | 10:57a |
| 11:25a | 12:13p | 12:25p | 1:13p |
| 1:25p | 2:15p | 2:25p | 3:14p |
| 3:25p | 4:08p | 4:20p | 5:09p |
Big Basin Redwoods State Park to San José
| 35B - Depart Big Basin SP | 35B - Arrive Scotts Valley | Hwy 17 - Depart Scotts Valley | Hwy 17 - Arrive SJ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:45a | 9:39a | 10:04a | 10:47a |
| 11:00a | 11:54a | 11:59a | 12:42p |
| 1:15p | 2:09p | 3:04p | 3:47p |
| 3:15p | 4:10p | 4:45p | 5:45p |
| 5:10p | 6:05p | 6:44p | 7:42p |
What to know
2020's CZU Lightning Complex burned a significant portion of Big Basin. Redwoods are fire-adapted, and according to State Parks "most" of the old growth redwoods in the forest survived. In the years since, the ecosystem has been rebounding, and the fresh green growth on the redwoods is looking beautiful.
For second-growth redwoods not affected by the CZU Lightning Complex, the 35B also serves the town of Felton. From Felton, it's about a 15-minute walk into Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park,from which you can follow trails all the way down into Santa Cruz itself, or enjoy the historic Roaring Springs tourist railroad.
Fares
Use a Santa Cruz METRO Highway 17 Express Day Pass ($14) to get to and from the park. If camping, a single ride pass for the Express ($7) includes the transfer to or from the 35B.