Discover the Outdoors
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...
Coming into Portola Redwoods State Park is akin to entering Doyle’s Lost World. Winding down a seemingly-forgotten road, watching as the ferns and huckleberries grow taller, the human population drops conspicuously. Cell service vanishes entirely, and it’s hard not to be overtaken by a growing sense of adventure and wonder. Named for the explorer Gaspar...
In 1902, the early environmental movement saw one of its crowning moments come to glorious fruition with the formation of the California Redwood Park. The park, later renamed Big Basin Redwoods State Park, would prove to be the first unit in what would eventually evolve into the modern California State Parks system. The park continued...
Happening on the Blog
Nestled behind Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, just off the ever meandering highway 9, lives Fern River Resort. Fern River is a charming gathering of cabins in the redwoods fit for large family vacations, weddings, or even just a romantic getaway for two. Fern River Resort was founded in 1929, years after a boulder containing...
They are quiet now. Ferns, mosses, and lichens cling to their stone walls. Shrubs and vines cascade over their buttresses. Trees sprout from their floors. Nature is slowly laying claim to Santa Cruz County’s historic lime kilns. Lime Kiln Legacies If you’ve ever hiked in the Santa Cruz Mountains, you may have wandered upon these...
Rock climbing. Over 4.6 million people tried this sport in 2015 and the numbers have only increased in the last few years. If you’re one of the newly converted rock climbing enthusiasts in the area, you should definitely check out bouldering at Castle Rock State Park. California is known for its granite, but Castle Rock is...
