Boulder Creek, Boulder Creek, CA

Boulder Creek sits at the top of the valley on Highway 9, and Big Basin Way is where the town does most of its living. Several blocks of wooden storefronts hold cafes, antique and gift shops, a pizza place, a few markets and a good many murals, with redwoods starting at the end of nearly every side street. Houses range from small cottages and cabins near the center to larger hillside homes among the trees farther out. Steep driveways, decks and shaded, irregular lots are the pattern, and a few streets climb quickly from the creek bottom into the hills. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California's oldest state park, is about nine miles up Highway 236, which turns off in town. The 2020 wildfire swept through most of the park, but the old redwoods came through. Several trails and fire roads have reopened, including the flat Redwood Loop Trail at six tenths of a mile, and day-use parking is best reserved ahead. In town, Junction Park and Barbara Day Park give the center some green, and Garrahan Park sits farther up the road. Scopazzi's, at 13300 Big Basin Way, has served Italian dinners since 1912 and keeps live piano evenings. Jenna Sue's Cafe opens at six for espresso and breakfast, and the Tree House Cafe has redwood trunks running through its interior. The Sawmill Restaurant & Ale House is the pick for a beer outdoors under the trees. Johnnie's Super Market is a full grocery with a deli and stays open until nine, and Wild Roots Market sells locally minded groceries and prepared food. Santa Cruz is roughly fifteen miles down the valley, so a bigger shopping run is a real outing. Sunny weekends bring a steady line of cars through the center on the way to the park, and the curving highway below town slows right along with them. Midweek, Boulder Creek goes quiet again, and the redwoods do the talking.