The 1,534 acres (621 ha) Mill Creek Redwood Preserve is located in Big Sur, California, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) from Highway 1 on Palo Colorado Road.

To alleviate resistance by residents of Palo Colorado Canyon who were concerned about the impact of traffic on the narrow, one-lane road, access was limited to six visitors per day who must obtain a permit in advance from the district.

Local Japanese from the peninsula were hired, a camp was constructed, and several steam-donkeys were brought in from San Francisco.

Their plan to harvest over a million board feet of redwood and then build upscale residences in the area was only derailed by the savings and loan crisis, when the land was seized by federal financial regulators.

[1] The district joined the seized land with three adjacent properties to form the Mill Creek Redwood Preserve.

[2] Responding to concerns of canyon residents about traffic on narrow Palo Colorado Road, the county agreed to limit access to six permits per day.

When open, visitors are required to obtain a permit in advance from the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.