California’s redwoods may be world-famous, but one enchanting park tucked just off the coast is still flying under the radar.

Butano State Park, a secluded 4,000-acre redwood oasis near San Jose, has been crowned one of America’s “best kept secrets” by travel site Islands. While tourists flock to neighboring sites like Big Basin Redwoods, the lush park offers towering redwoods, creeks, and miles of hiking trails without hordes of people.

Despite its off-the-beaten track reputation, there’s plenty to explore.

The park boasts roughly 40 miles of trails that wind through thousands acres of canyons and uplands, taking hikers through redwood groves, oak woodlands, riparian habitats and sunny chaparral. Wildlife sightings can include woodpeckers and newts, while colorful calypso orchids also come out in the spring.

For visitors short on time, California State Parks recommends the 1.5-mile Little Butano Creek Trail for a stroll among the redwoods, while more ambitious hikers can tackle the five-mile Jackson Flats Loop for wetlands and ridgetop views. The 9.5-mile Canyon Loop offers an even deeper trip into the “forgotten” forest.

Butano became a state park in 1957, protecting the canyon and its coast redwoods from logging.

More recently, however, Mother Nature dealt the park a devastating blow. The massive CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through the region in 2020, damaging Butano’s infrastructure and have closed some campgrounds indefinitely.

Islands included Butano among 13 state parks around the country that it says have largely escaped the tourist crush, alongside lesser known escapes in Hawaii, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Maine, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Pennsylvania.

For Californian’s sick of battling packed parking lots and selfie-stick wielding crowds at the Golden State’s marquee natural attractions, Butano just might be the ultimate escape.

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