Discover the Outdoors
Billed as the gateway of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Castle Rock State Park earns that title in spectacular fashion. A great staging ground for a number of adventures, from bouldering to rock climbing, day hiking to backpacking, and even birding. The crown jewel, Goat Rock, is a limestone formation that is typical of the park’s geology...
The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail runs about 30 miles, depending on where you start and what side quests you settle on. Fulfilling the promise of its name, the trail dips, climbs and winds from the peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. On this epic journey, it passes waterfalls, springs and creeks, wetlands and chaparral...
The park’s connection to California Indian and Ohlone history is rich as is its archaeological significance, as it lies directly along an ancient trading and seasonal migration route, mainly used by the tribelet that controlled the area, the Quiroste (KEER-osh-tee). Now it’s a green and pleasant park, great for day hikes of all sizes, car camping, and short backcountry overnight trips.
Happening on the Blog
Located between Ben Lomond and Zayante, Quail Hollow Ranch County Park sits in a small, amphitheater-shaped valley ringed by sandy, teardrop-shaped ridges. At roughly 300 acres, it is home to a startlingly diverse array of plant communities, including revitalized grasslands, rare Santa Cruz Sandhills...
The Eight Verses Trail is a short meditative loop designed to help hikers calm their minds and contemplate Buddhist teachings. Walking under the canopy of redwoods, you’ll find the Eight Verses written in beautiful script on signs posted every 15 or 20 minutes along the trail.
In between Bonny Doon and Scotts Valley, small windows into the Miocene Epoch pock the Santa Cruz Mountains. At first glance, they might be easy to dismiss -- barren stretches of sand occupied by hardy, arid chaparral scrub or pine. Yet look a little closer, perhaps as you hike...
