Berry Creek Falls is a 55-foot horsetail waterfall on Berry Creek in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz County, California. Every trail to it has been closed since the CZU Lightning Complex Fire of 2020, and all trails remained closed as of May 2026.
The falls
Berry Creek comes down in a single horsetail drop. Lidar data indicates the drop is about 55 feet. Earlier surveys showed 60 feet; an earlier park release gave about 70, and a 2012 measurement found 61 feet, give or take 3.
Getting there
The falls can't be reached legally at present. All trails to Berry Creek Falls, and all trails in the West Waddell Creek Wilderness, are closed because of fire damage, and the park as a whole is only partly open and may close in bad weather. Before the fire, the usual route was described as the Sunset and Skyline to the Sea loop: almost 12 miles and about six hours, strenuous in places.
The main day-use area at 21600 Big Basin Way near Boulder Creek is open 8 a.m. to sunset. Parking costs $8 with a reservation or $10 first come, first served, and only a reservation guarantees entry; reservations are recommended on summer and holiday weekends. The coastal Rancho del Oso section of the park is reached only from Highway 1 and has its own trails, but there is no trail or road link from it to the main day-use area. Check Big Basin Redwoods State Park for reopening news.
When to go
Before the closure, spring was the recommended season, when winter rain has the falls at peak flow and trail crews have cleared trees that fell over the winter.
On site
A viewing platform is at the falls. Dogs are allowed only on paved areas on a 6-foot leash and are barred from all trails and unpaved roads. The park has no drinking water and no cell service.
History and name
Big Basin, founded in 1902, is California's oldest state park. The 2020 fire swept through 97% of it and destroyed all its historic structures, though most of the old-growth redwoods survived; the Reimagining Big Basin project is rebuilding facilities over several years.
Nearby
Silver Falls is about 0.6 miles away and Golden Cascade about 0.7 miles. Sempervirens Falls, about 3.1 miles away, is on the open Sequoia and Skyline to the Sea loop, 4.3 miles in total.
Distances are straight-line.