Free admission coming to 40 California redwood state parks, once a month, starting Saturday

Starting this Saturday and every second Saturday of the month for the rest of 2018, the public will be offered free vehicle admission to 40 of California’s redwood state parks — majestic preserves that are home to the world’s tallest trees. It’s part of the 100th anniversary of one of California’s oldest environmental groups, Save the Redwoods League, based in San Francisco.

Through the year, there will be 16,800 free passes for day-use admission made available, with between about 1,300 and 1,700 given out each month. To obtain a free pass, visitors must go to FreeRedwoodsDays.org.

The passes can be used at popular parks like Big Basin Redwoods, Henry Cowell and Castle Rock in Santa Cruz County, Mount Tamalpais in Marin County and Butano State Park on the San Mateo Coast. The eligible parks range from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park near Crescent City just south of the Oregon border.

The number of available passes varies by park, and when they run out, interested visitors will have to wait until the Monday after the second Saturday of each month to go online and reserve a free pass for the following month.