Wilder Ranch State Park
Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 426-0505
- Good for Kids: Yes
21 Reviews for Wilder Ranch State Park
If you haven't been here you definitely have to go! It is great for hiking and even better for biking! The museum are interesting with the old barn filled with tractors is really cool! Looking in the horse stalls you feel like you just stepped back in time. The garden is quite lovely too. I am amazed that this is all still here for us to enjoy. Bring plenty of water for your hike as the trails can be quite steep and not for the faint of heart, but the views from the top my goodness! you just don't get to see views like that from the roadsides.
Another treasure along our beautiful coast line!
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Okay it is pretty hard NOT to like this place. The only way you could not like it is if you were a person who hates physical exertion with allergies, a fear of heights, flowers, the ocean and can't stand it when nice people say hello to you which makes me wonder why the hell you even went there in the first place you masochistic poop? Actually, if you hate all of the above and yet are a masochistic then you probably love it there. In which case, everyone likes Wilder Ranch. Good. I'm glad we've had this influential, rational and entirely necessary conversation.
Anyway, Wilder is a great place for a nice walk or a good bike ride. The tail leads along the cliffs that stretch out to the end of the world....or at least, to Monterey if you're pointed in that direction (what is it with me today?). Next time it's sunny, take the kids, or your partner or a friend and head out there for a nice time together. Just watch out of the masochists scoping out Cannery Row.
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Look, up on the coast!
It's a ranch, it's a farm, it's a State Park!
Holy freakin' cow!
Anyway, this is probably one of the best "all-around" parks in the Santa Cruz area. I say this for a number of reasons.
1. For the historic preservation buffs, you'll find a wide range of old farm equipment, maintained gardens, chicken coops, ranch buildings, and a docent's office to give you some detailed history of the park. Niiice. Also, I couldn't help but wonder if hobos ever wander here and break into the old homes! I mean, if I were a hobo, this would be prime living, right? Veggie garden, chicken coop, shelter, running water, ocean views? Can't beat that with a frickin' stick!
2. Trails. Man, there are some great trails. Biking, walking, hiking, etc. There are lots of splits, so I suggest that you either A: be a boy/girl-scout (gotta be PC folks), B: bring a map, or C: be Chuck Norris. Either way, with one of these options, you'll have no problem navigating the many roads and trails here. Some are pretty steep, but there are also plenty of low elevation "easy" trails for people who want a leisurely experience.
3. Bluffs. Have you ever seen the Princess Bride? No wait. That's not a question. You HAVE seen it. Anyway if you make it out to the edge, it kind of looks like the stage where the sword fight scene between Indigo and Wesley takes place, including the CLIFFS OF INSANITY at the edge. Sweet. Also, watch out for GOUSes, aka Gulls of Unusual Size. They might eat you whole and barf up "you-bits " to feed their young.
Evidently there's some room for horsing around at Wilder Ranch, but seeing as I haven't ridden a horse since I was about 10, I'm not really able to speak to that. Parking can also be tricky here, but I don't have any advice. Why not just be a dirty hippy and hitch a ride out to the ranch?
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Sun 3/2/08 was a gorgeous day and my friends and I went to Wilder Ranch SP. It was great fun! It's about an 1hr drive from Fmt. We left Fmt around 8am and got to Wilder Ranch SP by 9:15am. There is FREE parking on Hwy 1 outside the park, otherwise it's $6 for day parking inside the park.
Bathrooms available -flushed toilets even. 2 sinks on the Left-hand side, no soap.
We did the Wilder Ridge & Zane Grey Trails which is 6 mi RT w/ a 500-ft climb and coastal overlooks. Zane Grey cutoff does lots of going down, then back up, for a while. Lots of bikes on the trail but they all seem friendly and will call out or ring a bell to get hikers to move over.
We had lunch at the Cultural Preserve where there were some picnic tables out in the sun..no shade. Pit toilet available. There's a small Interpretative Center and Park Store to check out..hrs 10a-4p. At the store they had a bunch of Tide Tables FREE. That was sweet. And luck would have it we showed up at low tide..awesome!
So we then took off for Old Landing Cove Trail a 2.5 mi hike that's easy with great views of the Pacific Ocean. Get a Old Cove Landing Trail nature guide..it's kinda neat. Couldn't find #7 Harbor Seals--they were hiding from us. You gotta check out Fern Grotto #8 it's pretty neat. Lots of ferns on the ceilings and fresh water dripping down.
Then we did an extra 1/4 mi to see Sand Plant Beach and since it was low tide got to see mussels and anemones on the giant rocks. Neat.
On the way back a couple was on Wilder Beach (Private & protected) that nobody supposed to be on..and they were Naked. Everyone on the trail could see them down below. No shame I tell you. They're supposed to walk to Three Mile Beach or Four Mile Beach to be naked. Oh well.
Overall, recommended to check out.
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Whoooo Hooooo
Single Track Mania.
Not only is this a great place to hike, but even a better place for Mountain Biking. There are many junctions at this park so grab a map. The first portions are fire trails but when you go deeper into the park you can get some decent woodsy single track. I love it here. The ocean view is spectacular and the ocean breeze makes this place all the worthwhile.
Parking is Free outside the entrance off highway 1, but if you go inside they charge $5-6 bucks cash. Save your money and tough out the 3 minute walk.
wilder ranch is a great park. there's a little bit of everything here. hiking, biking and equestrians. old barnes with wild chickens/hens. goats and lots of trails.
there is a parking fee to park inside with clean restrooms within spitting distance. if you're short on cash, you can park on hwy 1 and hoof/ride it in.
as you come in you will see the parking lot and restrooms. there is a trail (behind the restrooms) that will take you to the coast line. if you continue on the road you will come across these preserved houses/barnes/stables. go through that area, under hwy 1 and past the horse stables. it will begin a fire road that will lead you over a small bridge and to a Y. if you stay to the right, begin your 2 mile climb. if you go left it's about 1.5. it's pretty gradual with one short steep heavily graveled jaunt. make sure you have a map with you because you are on your own from here on out.
roughly about half of the trails are fire road and the other is single track. the single tracks are absolutely fun and technical. beginners, take it slow. intermediates and pros, you know what to do. not sure if the trails are open during or right after a rain spell so you can call ahead to see if they are.
beware, some signs for the trails are missing so again, make sure you have your map and plenty of fuel. there's about 15+ (maybe more) miles of trails here. i've seen deer and bobcats here. bobcats are a little larger than a domestic cat so have not fear with them. not alot of poison oak here. infact, i don't remember seeing any. if there is, they're tucked away from the trail. if you go through some tall grass, make sure you have tick repellent...they are there!!! there are some trails that are not trimmed.
once again, it's a great place!
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If you're looking for an easy hike with beautiful ocean views, Wilder Ranch is the place for you. If you stick to the wide path that runs along the cliffs on the ocean side of the park, you're in for a lovely and easy hike, with no up- or downhill parts unless you decide to hike down to any of the several beaches along the trail. Even on this beautiful sunny October Sunday none of the beaches were very crowded, making them ideal for picnics or hanging out by the water. There's even a big fern covered cave on one of them.
Lots of cyclists here, so take care to share the trail. There wasn't much in the way of wildlife, though a mole did poke its head out from its hole to peer at us.
Wilder Ranch is particularly lovely this time of year, with pumpkins in full orange bloom on nearby fields.
$6 parking fee, and clean bathrooms by the parking lot.
On a hiking date we went on a chill path for about three hours or so.. how do you get the pond!! Stupid wire fences... depending on the route you go, you can also get a stellar view of the recycling plant. Loved the variation of forest and rocky trails. Anyways after walking around on trails and jumping out of the way of bicyclists....we headed down to that beach area you aren't supposed to go on SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. It was beautiful-- if you can get passed the steep slope and passed the massive vines of poison oak there are some killer caves to check out. Afterwards you can also go chill with the chickens and check out some old school farming equipment, as well as their garden. I agree with Edward B. time does stand still before I knew it five hours or so had gone by....
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I'm a self classified intermediate mountain biker - and this place is great for me. I tend to get there early (well, 8:30am - not that early really), park in the official lot (and pay the fee) and head up into the hills.
There are plenty of different trails you can take, but my fave is a loop that takes in Engelsmans Loop, Wild Boar Trail, Eucalyptus Loop, Enchanted Loop (attack from the ocean side so the technical stuff is downhill), Ridge Loop and Zane Grey Loop and back to the start for a 12 mile ride that doesn't involve that much climbing, but does take in spectacular vistas and some fun technical stuff.
There are plenty of other rides here for people who both want less and want more - all with the great views.
Given how popular this place is, you typically get to see a surprising amount of wildlife (coyotes, bob cats and hawks being typical sightings), probably helped by me being there early in the morning.
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This place is a perfect spot to hike after a visit to the BigFoot Museum. It's broken up into several trails so that you can determine the level of difficulty. Obviously we chose the longest route hence it turned into over a 14 mile JOURNEY!! We survived but must say the walk through the mountain portion was a joy but the main reward was reaching the beach and overlooking the great view on a beautiful day. It must have been a half of a percent of what it was like to discover the coast hundreds of years ago after traveling so far. okay that may be much but you get my drift. It's not a brutal demanding hike but great for distance and view. One caution is WARNING: watch out for ticks. We had a scare scaling a mountain side but other than that no different than hiking anywhere else.
BTW: check out my photos to see some of the hikes settings.
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Wilder Ranch State Park has a lot to offer for the outdoor enthusiast.
Runners, mountain bikers, walkers, nature lovers, horseback riders, bird watchers, unicyclists (I'm not making this shit up), beach goers, picnic-ers, seal lovers, air lovers, and sun lovers all love to come here. Heck, even heart-broken-bluff-leaping suicide squads would agree that there are few places in the world as beautiful and as accessible.
You stay east of Hwy 1 and you're headed up the trails into the Santa Cruz mountains. Take it far enough and you'll run into the UCSC campus. There are multiple ways of getting to the top or around the side or through the canyon. Runners, look out for mountain bikers. If you're wearing your mp3 player (which I do), be especially careful. If you can't hear them when they scream "die, scum!" that's your own ass. (He may have said "on your left!", but Godsmack distorts that shit up). Mountain bikers, watch out for runners. Most of them are batshit crazy and will knife you if you get close enough. Some carry poison blades. I'm just saying.
Stay west of Hwy 1 and you'll find the 5 miles round trip trail that follows the bluffs. Totally different gig, but equally incredible. If you love waves, ocean views and beer you'll find 2 out of 3 of those here. Not bad.
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Yee Haw!
What a beautiful place to go mountan biking. Absolutely spectacular. Great for all levels as you can make it as tough or as easy as you like depending on which trail you take.
Here's a little tip: park free outside the Santa Cruz Housing Authority on Mission off Western and pick up the trail there (just go straight down the hill).
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Some of the mountain bike trails are my favorite coastal rides. The views of the Ocean are enough, but add the technical challenges and the beauty and you are set.
Wilder Ranch certainly has a unique topography. Unlike many of the parks in the Santa Cruz area, it is not a dense forest, but nor is it quite like the rolling oak hills of the South Bay. Instead, it is comprised of almost savannah-like plateaus peppered with steep, tree-filled ravines. Check out my pics and you'll see what I mean.
The expansive setting and wide trails make it far more popular with mountain bikers than hikers, and in fact I don't think we saw another foot hiker for our whole trip. Nevertheless it is an undoubtedly beautiful and quite large park where you can hike in as far as you want--though be sure to bring a map as the trails can be confusing.
Another bonus is the historical Wilder Ranch homestead itself, located very near the parking area. There is an interpretive center here that is worth a stop for museum addicts. Finally, there is a coastal trail you can take, though I haven't personally tried it.
At a mere 5 minutes from Santa Cruz, Wilder Ranch is yet another reason why I envy the people who live down here.
On a beautiful spring day, this state park boasts some of the most bucolic and expansive views on the northern California coast line. The trails rise gradually and are appropriate for beginning mountain bikers as well as trail runners who want to put in a solid three to seven mile work out. End your day with a drink in Santa Cruz while basking in the joys of daylight savings time.
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Incredibly beautiful trails, with amazing views from hills to the ocean. Great place for a day hike and picnic. The trails are popular with both hikers and cyclists, so please be aware and make way for one another.
For trail runs, you've got two options: head up to the hills or stick to the coast. If you go along the coast, you need to cross the beach at one point to keep on the trail. You'll be running on the bluff, above the sea and there's usually birds flying above the water but they're at the same height as you. After a few miles there aren't many people on the trail, so use caution if you are running alone.
If you head up towards the hills, make sure you have plenty of water and a map - the trails can be confusing. If you're going to listen to music, try to stick to the side or keep the volume low enough that you can hear if there are bikers coming. The inland side is a really popular mountain biking spot, so share the love!
On the weekends, they have some family-friendly events at the old farmhouse area - nature walks and that kind of thing. It seems like it would be a great place to let the kids off the leash!
This is always a fun ride. The trails can be looped in many combinations and there's a variety of sections for every rider. I've only had to make room for horses a few times. Other than that, the trails are pretty clear. Make sure you pack some treats and a camera. The good thing is that you're not too far away from food once you're done.
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Time stands still when I go. I
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I have heard that there are some of the best trails in California here, and riding them frequently I can believe it. The difficulty level is very mixed from straight down hill from the top of UCSC's north campus to Wilder Ranch, to some pretty rugged terrain up and over valleys. A ride can last from an hour to 4 depending on the routes you take. The views from the top are breathtaking and well worth a trek up.
Beautiful ocean cliff trails lead to soft beaches mostly devoid of people on weekdays.
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