California State Parks and Sempervirens Fund announced the permanent addition of the 153-acre NoraBella property to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek. The $2.415 million acquisition marks the first expansion of Big Basin since 2011 and represents a major step forward in the park’s long recovery from the devastating 2020 CZU wildfire.
Known as the “Gateway to Big Basin,” NoraBella sits at a critical entrance to the park and is expected to play a central role in its long-term rebuild. State Parks plans to establish a new welcome center at nearby Saddle Mountain, with shuttle service into the old-growth core on busy weekends. By shifting parking and facilities outside the heart of the redwoods, planners aim to reduce impacts on the sensitive forest ecosystem.
Once almost entirely clear-cut at the turn of the 20th century, NoraBella is now forested across three ridges that drop into creeks, waterfalls and canyons. It includes a key tributary to Boulder Creek, part of the larger San Lorenzo River watershed. Wildlife sightings on the land have included mountain lions and gray foxes, alongside healthy stands of redwoods, Douglas-fir, coast live oak and madrone.
Formerly owned by Roy Kaylor, who was featured on A&E’s Hoarders, the NoraBella property underwent environmental review and cleanup before being acquired by Sempervirens Fund in 2021. State Parks finalized the purchase in 2026 with support from state and federal conservation funding.
