Guides
The Forest of Nisene Marks SP boasts an old Lumber Railroad Grade.
An introductory walk into the lower reaches of Nisene Marks. This trail is highly popular with the locals for an afternoon break. It's a good one for walks, jogging, and much of it is accessible to bikes. The trail also provide access to the trail heading deeper into this 10,000 acre state park. Dogs are OK on the fire road. Much of this particular...
Between the ocean and the edge of Santa Cruz lies one of the largest monarch butterfly overwintering sites in the west.
In this oasis between the ocean and the edge of Santa Cruz lies one of the largest monarch butterfly overwintering sites in the western United States. The park also includes large coastal scrub meadows that in spring are filled with native wildflowers. In 1983, California State Parks made the monarch grove a natural preserve and sanctuary for these...
A moderate hike from the oak scrub down to the San Lorenzo River in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
This is a moderate hike that will take you from the oak scrub along the Graham Hill trail, through the verdant Redwood jungle along the Powder Mill Creek and finally down to the San Lorenzo River bottom on the steep Buckeye trail. Most of the hike is sandy single track that holds up well even after a good wash, but as it's in the shade most of the...
The intertidal rocks at Natural Bridges State Beach are covered in life: sea stars, seaweeds, urchins, crabs and more.
The intertidal rocks at Natural Bridges State Beach are covered in life: sea stars, seaweeds, urchins, and crabs are just some of the area’s intertidal inhabitants. Visit them in their tidepool homes down in Santa Cruz, California.
Beautiful and blustery stroll along the Pacific Coast north of Santa Cruz, California
Sometimes all you need is an easy stroll by the ocean to refresh your spirits. This track along the Pacific Ocean north of Santa Cruz is one of the best places in California to do just that. You'll see gulls, geese, pelicans and other waterfowl and you might hear the distant bark of passing sea lions. If your timing's right, you might even spot...
Wilder Ranch SP: A 1/2 day visit to the lower park.
This particular walk will give you just a taste of what Wilder Ranch has to offer. The park has 34 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails winding through 4000 acres of coastal terraces, valleys, and inland canyons. Wilder Ranch is an ongoing restoration project, and a very successful one. The walk focuses on the lower portions of the park,...
Hike from California's spectacular coastline to the fringe of its redwood forests on this beautiful loop.
Wilder Ranch State Park, just a few miles up Highway One from Santa Cruz, California, illustrates the region's remarkable biodiversity and throws in a few history lessons as well. This 12-mile loop samples most of what lies in store at the park: an amazing array of birds and wildflowers along California's jagged coastline, followed by a climb up...
Visit the industrial legacy of the Bay Area amid a lush redwood forest north of Santa Cruz.
There's not much left of the 19th century lime processing industry of the San Francisco Bay Area. Processing lime -- a key ingredient in plaster and mortar -- was big business in the California boom years after the Gold Rush. New technology (namely Portland cement) made lime obsolete early in the 20th century, leaving the uncanny recuperative powers...
Strenuous but rewarding hike to a remote old-growth redwood at Henry Cowell State Park
Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is one place Bay Area hikers would prefer to keep secret. It's shady and cool all summer, rarely crowded and contains some of the best redwood hiking in the region. This hike to Big Ben Trail at Fall Creek Unit is admittedly grueling with more than 3,000 feet of ascent spread over nearly 10 miles,...
The best easy hike south of California's Silicon Valley.
Uvas Canyon is a treasure tucked in the hills just beyond the suburban bedlam of Silicon Valley and the South Bay. Spring-fed creeks keep the water running all year -- albeit at a trickle in the summer and fall -- but winter is the best time to come, especially after a big storm blows in off the Pacific Ocean. Local hiking clubs often make Uvas their...
Woods Rd to Barlow Rd to Mt Umunhum Rd
This 7.9 mile / 1554 ft hike goes to Bald Mountain.The trail head is located at the intersection of Hicks road and Mt Umunhum road. Toilet facilities are available and there are usually maps available for the Sierra Azul Open Space.We started out on Woods road. The wide trail/road is a pleasant easy shaded hike for 2.8 miles. You do see some nice...
Strenuous hike promises great views of the rugged backcountry southwest of San Jose, California
Steep trails lead to excellent vistas at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve, which covers a swath of the rugged foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The high ridges look out over much of Silicon Valley; on clear days you can see the white domes of the telescopes atop Mount Hamilton. It's difficult to imagine such rough country so close...
One of the best scenic workouts in the Sierra Azul OSP around Los Gatos/San Jose!
The Open Space Preserve characterizes Sierra Azul as being rugged with steep terrain in the largest OSP in the San Jose/Los Gatos Area. This particular hike from the Limekiln trail head past the Lexington dam parking lot starts off gradually and continues uphill to the junction of Limekiln with Priest Rock. After the left on Priest Rock the real...
Remnants of San Jose's mercury mining history lie in the hills of Almaden Quicksilver Park.
This hike from Almaden Quicksilver County Park in southern San Jose tours the rusting remains of what once was one of the largest mercury-mining operations in the world. The Mine Hill region of the park includes English Camp, San Cristobal mine, a short section of mineshaft and the hulk of a large processing plant. Starting from the park's Mockingbird...
3.7 mile trail around Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Quicksilver Mockingbird Loop - Hacienda - Randol - New Almaden is about 3.7 miles long and located near English Town, California. The trail is great for hiking and normally takes 1-3 hours. The upper part of the the Day Tunnel trail is washed out with lots of exposed rock, but it's passable. Once back on the New Almaden trail, the vegetation becomes...
Hikers and equestrians get the view from on high at this park south of San Jose, California
Calero County Park in the hills south of Silicon Valley has excellent hiking if your timing is right--and you don't mind the horses. Most of the trails are multi-use, and the large corral near the trailhead is ample evidence this is primarily an equestrian park. Even so, in the springtime it's one of the best wildflower-viewing destinations in...
Get a good workout while nature watching in this 7-mile hike on the southern rim of Silicon Valley
Two small ponds and one large reservoir make this an intriguing route at Calero County Park south of San Jose, California. I recommend the Javelina Loop because it passes Calero's bat enclosure and pauses next to a pond at Fish Camp, where a deck looks out over a serene pond frequented by redwing blackbirds and other avians. Los Cerritos Pond near...
Trips
My first trip to this very beautiful park to check out some fall colors and see which mushrooms I can spot. I parked at Felton Empire road parking which starts off as oak woodland but quickly drops into deep Redwood forest. The trails follow creeks most of the way so you are treated to numerous waterfalls and some picturesque overlooks. I stopped to check out the Lime Kilns which were really fascinating, ...
The Forest of Nisene Marks is a coastal park out of Aptos, ca. that is a California State Park. Located on Aptos Creek road, this park is popular with joggers and cyclists (as well as hikers). We started our hike from the Mary Easton picnic parking area. This parking area is about a mile and a half from the park entrance, down a graded dirt road. There is parking for about 6...
Land of Medicine Buddha
Cliftwood Mobile Home Park, California, United States
Hiking | 7.3 miles (2.8 miles away)
Hiking | 7.3 miles (2.8 miles away)
Park in the lower lot as you enter the property, you'll see the temple in the first picture and from there it's pretty easy to figure out where to park. I'm remiss in not recording what should be done at each "station" but there are informational signs to guide you along the way and you quickly realize why buddhists are so mellow and kind as it's a very relaxing area. If I...
