California's oldest state park just got bigger. California State Parks has permanently added the 153-acre NoraBella property to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, bumping the park's footprint to about 18,376 acres. The roughly $2.415 million deal, announced yesterday, brings a key stretch of forest at the Saddle Mountain entrance under state protection and is expected to serve as a new eastern gateway as officials keep rebuilding after the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire.
According to California State Parks, the purchase is the first addition to Big Basin in 15 years and was funded in part by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. Portions of the NoraBella tract are slated for park operations facilities, and a welcome center plus shuttle service at nearby Saddle Mountain are planned to ease visitor pressure on the park's old-growth redwoods. State Parks said it expects to adopt a Facilities Management Plan and General Plan Amendment this year to steer the rebuild and set the rules of the road for future visitor access.
The Sempervirens Fund, a century-old redwoods land trust that originally bought NoraBella from a private owner, said it acquired the property in 2021 after a donor campaign and later transferred it to the state. The organization credited more than 1,100 donors and foundation supporters with helping cover the roughly $2.415 million cost, and Executive Director Sara Barth said securing the land "feels like redemption" for a forest that has been through logging, junkyard use and wildfire. Sempervirens also emphasized that the parcel plays an important role in protecting the Boulder Creek watershed and the San Lorenzo River system.
What NoraBella Includes
The 153-acre NoraBella property includes ridges, canyons, creeks and waterfalls, with wildlife such as mountain lions and gray foxes observed on the land, according to the SF Chronicle. The tract holds a primary tributary to the headwaters of Boulder Creek, which in turn feeds the San Lorenzo River, giving the deal extra weight for watershed protection. Local accounts have described NoraBella as a kind of miniature basin, complete with sweeping views and multiple small waterfalls that will now fall within the park boundary.
How This Fits Reimagining Big Basin
State Parks officials say NoraBella will be a workhorse in the ongoing "Reimagining Big Basin" planning effort by hosting operations facilities and helping shift visitors away from fragile old-growth zones, according to California State Parks. The vision centers on a Saddle Mountain welcome area and shuttle system so that parking lots and new buildings inside the main old-growth stand can remain smaller and less intrusive. The agency said adoption of the Facilities Management Plan and related planning documents will clear the way to start design work and phased reconstruction of visitor facilities.
The land's backstory is anything but pristine. Much of NoraBella was clear-cut in the early 20th century, then later used as a yard for cars and other discarded items under owner Roy Kaylor, who appeared on A&E's "Hoarders." Local reporting notes the property drew county cleanup orders and litigation. Colby Barr, co-founder of Verve Coffee Roasters, bought the land from Santa Cruz County in June 2020 and later sold it to Sempervirens, which completed cleanup and fire-recovery work before the state purchase, as reported by SFGATE. Officials say environmental assessments carried out by Barr and Sempervirens found the streams on the property in good condition.
Sempervirens Fund highlighted the donor push, including contributions from family foundations and regional supporters, as crucial to making the land transfer possible. The state's purchase, partly backed by Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars, is being cast by park partners as a milestone for conservation and a turning point in Big Basin's long recovery from the CZU fire.
For visitors, not much will change immediately on the ground while planners finish environmental review and facilities planning. The timing for new visitor amenities will depend on design work and phased construction. In the meantime, conservation groups say locking in permanent protection for NoraBella creates a stronger buffer for wildlife and sets up a safer, more managed route into one of California's most storied redwood parks.
