Barry Docks of leads to the dock basin entrance. The channel has a least depth of , with a depth of at spring tides and at neap tides. At high-water spring tides the depth of water at the entrance to the basin is . At high-water neap tides it is . There are several moorings for yachts and small craft on the west of the tidal basin. The original entrance to the docks is wide, with two wrought-iron gates operated by direct acting hydraulic cylinders. This sea entrance leads into the Basin, (rarely called No.3 dock), that is and covers . At
Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail Basin park headquarters. It then descends through Big Basin, following Waddell Creek to its outlet at Waddell Beach. Santa Cruz Metro routes 35 and 40 formerly went from Big Basin State Park Headquarters to Waddell Creek and back. Since September 2011 Route 40 no longer goes all the way to Waddell Beach from mid-December to mid-March. but instead turns around at Cement Plant Rd. Route 35 only stops at the Headquarters on the weekends during the Spring/Summer season. There is a proposed plan for a "Saratoga-to-the-Sea" Trail. The plan would create a trail starting somewhere near Hakone Gardens in Saratoga,