I've only hiked about 16 miles of this trail, but my oh my is it absolutely breathtaking! This is…read moretruly a hiker's and backpacker's dream trail. I've hiked about 8 miles of this trail through Castle Rock State Park and another 8 miles through Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I hiked this trail with a friend last year up to Berry Creek Falls and it was absolutely stunning! The actual trail itself is almost 30 miles long and stretches from the Santa Cruz Mountains all the way to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The trail begins at the Saratoga Gap which is a ridge within the Santa Cruz Mountains. It makes its' way up the coast past the Pacific Ocean, then through the beautiful mountains of Castle Rock State Park, and finally through the amazing Redwoods within Big Basin Redwoods State Park. This trail has such an amazing variation of different terrains. From your typical coastal ridge paths, to hilly and mountainous inclines, to flat and paved excursions through the Redwoods; this trail seems to simply have it all. I'd have to say that my favorite section of this trail was definitely being able to hike through the Redwoods. Big Basin is California's oldest park and you'll get to see the most amazing old growth Redwood trees. I've always been fascinated by Redwoods, so exploring them while on this trail was so much fun. Aside from the Redwoods, the stretch of this trail through Big Basin is extremely green and filled with a plethora of different plant species and vibrant flowers. And of course, there's Berry Creek Falls which is pretty much the icing on the cake. This waterfall is beautiful and worth the extra miles to get there. I can't forget to mention the incredible rock formations that you'll see while hiking the section that goes through Castle Rock State Park. These views are equally mesmerizing. It's definitely a great workout as much of the trail ascends and descends through the mountains. Lots of water is must and I would recommend bug spray (at least for the portion that runs through Big Basin). I would love to hike the rest of this trail at some point and hopefully make it down to the beach one day. Either way, any hike along this trail will be enjoyable whether it's 5 miles or 30. Would highly recommend this hike if you're planning on visiting Big Basin Redwoods, Castle Rock, Sanborn County Park, or Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve.

What a fantastic trail! 30+ miles over 3 days starting at Castle Rock campground to Waddell Beach…read more(stopping at Waterman Campground and Jay Campground at the Big Basin HQ). Almost all shaded by the trees (lots of redwoods!) and fantastic scenery the entire time, will well marked trails. You pretty much can't get lost at all. If you do, you deserve to get lost! Also all these campsites have piped drinking water and pit toilets so you probably don't need to bring your water pump. You'll need to make these reservations quite early too since they're pretty limited. State park # is (831) 338-8861 to make the reservations. NIGHT 0: Castle Rock Campground. We ended up not actually staying here because we thought (and there wasn't anything that indicated otherwise) that the campground was right at the trailhead. Instead it's 2.7 miles in. Thus as we had prepared for car camping the first night and were meeting others the next morning at the trailhead, we decided to find another campground elsewhere that was next to the road. Parking at Castle Rock trailhead gets crazy packed on the weekends so come early! The parking lot also closes at sunset so you'll need to make sure your car is in before then. DAY 1: This will be the most "complicated" path since you have to take a couple different trails. As you hike towards Castle Rock (assuming you didn't stay there the night before), you'll see a bunch of day climbers and boulderers. Gorgeous views above the tree skyline along the way. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/skyline-to-the-sea-trail-davenport?select=mjXU08P2ueRqY-WvlfHxSw#yvfjWy3mdAw7PSTrD67dWw After you past Castle Rock, take the Travertine Springs Trail for ~2 miles which will connect to the Saratoga toll road trail for another mile until you hit an uphill dirt road on your right. It's 0.4 miles going up a couple hundred feet so not too bad. This will take you to the Skyline to the Sea trail (finally!) in which you'll take this for another ~2.6 miles to Waterman camp. You'll hug Highway 9 pretty closely so you'll see a couple abandoned cars that fell off the road. This one more recent. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/skyline-to-the-sea-trail-davenport?select=mjXU08P2ueRqY-WvlfHxSw#QekFu-9mgaN6xt7NUH5KsA. And this one from a while ago! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/skyline-to-the-sea-trail-davenport?select=mjXU08P2ueRqY-WvlfHxSw#UnpOYfPqPlJ-impxBrz65A NIGHT 1: Waterman Gap Campground Your instinct may be to tucker down at the sites right around the pit toilet. My advice is to walk a little further towards the back to sites 5 and 6. It's a a bit extra of a hike but totally worth it since you get your privacy. Campsite isn't too far from Highway 9 too so you may hear some speedracers zooming by at night like we did. This is also the first (and only) area where you do get cell phone reception. DAY 2: You pretty much stay on Skyline to the Sea trail the entire way from here now. Your goal now is to get to the Jay Campground at Big Bason HQ. You still hug the road sometimes and even cross it a couple times. Again gorgeous views along here. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/skyline-to-the-sea-trail-davenport?select=mjXU08P2ueRqY-WvlfHxSw#WIfT7_JSDYc7zXVP0uHMWA NIGHT 2: Jay Campground You're at the park HQ so good time to stock up on stuff or get a bit of real food if you're tired of your freeze dried! THEY DO HAVE BEER THOUGH. And showers too (1 quarter = 2 min), The camp shop does not carry propane for Jet Boilers in case you run out like we did. However you can ask them to use their hot water though to heat up your freeze dried foods. DAY 3: You're almost there! A slight change in scenery here. No more hugging highways and more bridge crossing and waterfalls. Oh and way more banana slugs. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/skyline-to-the-sea-trail-davenport?select=mjXU08P2ueRqY-WvlfHxSw#mjXU08P2ueRqY-WvlfHxSw I swear, the last ~3 miles felt like FOREVER. The trail opens wider and the trees start thinning in front of you which makes you constantly feel like you're almost there. Then you immediately smell the salty ocean breeze and which iswhen you know you're at the end!

What a delightful State Park with medium and short trails that are coastal. We went at the end of…read morethe day, so we couldn't hike very far-- thus, we plan on returning another day when we could arrive earlier with the right gear (snacks, water, sunscreen, hat, camera, etc) because there is SO MUCH to see here! The trails aren't super long to get to cool sites, like seal pups and fern caves, and you get to gaze at beautiful wildflowers and bushes along the way, like giant calla lilies and blackberries. There were also many frogs croaking and birds singing while we were hiking, which created such unexpected symphonies. It also wasn't very crowded. We saw a few groups of casual hikers and a few joggers. There was some construction in areas close to the parking lot that was unsightly and a parking fee, but other than that, everything was just lovely. I can't wait to return to Wilder Ranch for a deeper exploration! [TIP: If you're a serious hiker who's looking for an all day trip, this isn't the location for you. Wilder Ranch is on the easy to medium hike level with trails that are fairly short, like 2.5 miles for one of the popular beach loops. You can, of course, make it a longer hike but exploring multiple trails or crossing the freeway to the other trails, but it is not the kind of location you can get lost. It's perfect for families and people who have a couple hours to spare.]

Great for hiking. Provided some great scenic views. Got some great photos and felt the ocean mist…read moreright at the edge of some cliffs. After parking you made about a mile walk to where the cliffs overlook the ocean. There is no beach access at this location. Parking with access was $10. Good price for the experience for my family of 3. After the 3 hour drive from Sacramento this visit was the perfect way to stretch our legs and also get some much needed steps in.

Deep New Sea…read more ±4.2k-acre state park and beach, that's located almost equidistant from Half Moon Bay (±32min drive) to the north and Santa Cruz (±26min drive) to the south. It is probably the preeminent place*** to see a pinniped rookery (i.e., elephant seals) in the state, as they accumulate here by the thousands** every winter to breed. The Good: *Tours available to get you as close as possible to the Elephant Seals and are REQUIRED btwn mid-Dec to the end of March. *April to early December you can visit the park without a reservation but the number of elephant seals will be drastically reduced and certain areas will be off‐limits without a docent. *We've done the tour here around three times and the docents are always fantastic and full of great info. *Nice visitor and marine education center you check into at the beginning of the tour with restrooms, displays, and some CA park swag to purchase. *Even if you're not here for the elephant seals, the ocean views are worth the drive alone in the off-season. *Picnic tables by the VC *Trails are a nice gentle four-mile round-trip The Meh: *No dogs allowed *No bikes *$10 entrance fee *Tickets are $10.99/adults ($7 + $3.99 processing fee) and nonrefundable *The area around Año Nuevo is very desolate, and there's not much around in terms of food, so bring a snack or picnic lunch with you so you're not starving by the end of the three hour tour. A three hour tour... The Ugly: *You'll definitely need to plan well in advance if you want to have a weekend tour during the breeding season. Don't think you can just book one the week of--you pretty much need to book in October when they release the tickets for sale, even as far away as March! Weekday availability is pretty good throughout the year, though, for obvious reasons. Conclusion: Fantastic place to get your learn on, enjoy some nature, and get in a few steps while you're at it. **Some years there could be up-to 10k elephant seals! ***Also, check out the Elephant Seal Vista Point in San Simeon (near Hearst Castle)

Best place to see northern elephant seals in the wild. Fantastic, super knowledgeable naturalists…read more 10/10. We make a $20 donation after the tour. Wish we could donate more.

The only reason this is 4 stars is because of insane parking and lack of accessibility. The parking…read moreis in a dirt lot, and if you turn your car facing the entrance to the beach, it's quite hard to turn around when you're leaving, especially when crowded. You literally have to scale a cliff to get to and from the beach, which is a little difficult if you're hauling things or very difficult if you're physically disabled. Once you're on the beach though, it's gorgeous. Plenty of room to spread out, and the waves are super big. The Saturday we went (7/17) it was clear and sunny- perfect weather! Would recommend this beach if you are able-bodied and want to get away from the crowds at Santa Cruz and Capitola.

Beautiful stunning beach! Parking is a challenge but it is wonderful once you get to the beach…read more Note that the waves and tides can get rough, so be careful out there.

Shark Fin Cove really is a hidden gem. I saw it online and have had it saved for a while, but I was…read morenot too far from there adventuring the coast and decided to finally come check it out. Looking into it, I had seen a few reviews focusing on litter and people there taking photos(?), so I wasn't sure what to expect, but maybe we caught it on a good day. When we went, it felt peaceful and absolutely beautiful. It's a short but steep hike down, so be ready for that. Once you're at the bottom though, it's completely worth it. The way the cove is shaped makes the sound of the crashing waves feel amplified, it's dramatic and so calming at the same time. There's a small cave to the right when you first get down into the cove, we looked inside but didn't go all the way in. Closer to the water, there's another cave that opens out toward the ocean, which was really neat to see. Such a cool natural spot to explore and take in nature. I did notice a piece or two of trash, but instead of complaining and leaving it there, I just picked it up. My fiancé always brings a bag with us on hikes, beaches, or nature walks in case of any forgotten scraps. It's too beautiful of a place not to take a second to care for it. Definitely recommend checking it out :)

Visited Shark Fin Cove Beach and it was absolutely stunning! The dramatic cliffs, hidden cave, and…read morecrashing waves made it feel like a little slice of paradise. Such a peaceful spot to unwind, take in the ocean views, and soak up nature's beauty. Definitely one of the most breathtaking coastal gems along Highway 1! Trail down to the beach is a short but steep, rugged walk across abandoned railway tracks and down a cliffside trail.

This park is perfect for nature lovers. It's fantastic, and the wildfire did not change it. There…read moreis a lot of mysticism in the park. The trails are beautiful and offer privacy for quiet reflection. The rangers are friendly and helpful. The park needs you. There's a lot of work to rebuild, but I enjoyed every minute I spent there. One trail is especially spectacular. Ask the ranger about it.

I found so many banana slugs on the Skyline to sea trail! It got warm real quick so make sure you…read morehave enough water and a hat. The volunteer working at the little store they had was so sweet and informative. He told me all about the fire that happened here several years ago! I'd come back again. Also, lots of benches to enjoy the views and good amount of parking.

Such an awesome beach that feels sort of hidden in plain sight…read more We came here while on the search for tide pools, while we did find tide pools they didn't have the marine life we were hoping for, we did explore some cool natural coves and hang with a seal lion pup. This is a state run beach, so to get that premier and close parking you'll need to pay. It was ten-dollars, but that covered you for the whole day and you could leave and come back if needed. The beach area itself is small, but offers amazing views of the "natural bridges" or rock formations that give its name. My son and I crawled through a small hole in the rock wall that opened up to private cove. The cover was awesome, but not a place where you can lounge due to the tides. The tide pools are located high up on the rocks that are only accessible during low tide. You'll mostly only find sea anemones and a few small crabs. There are some picnic tables here near the back of the beach under some shaded trees, so families can enjoy lunch without leaving. This picnic area butts up to a pond that, I assume, when it's high tide is a direct link to the ocean.

Walked through the monarch butterfly preserve area and ended up overlooking the beach. For a…read moreTuesday, it wasn't so busy, so parking was easy. Gorgeous views, small beach area, and cool view of the rock bridge. It was a quick visit for me, but it was pretty.

Planned out a day trip including a stop at Pescadero first followed by a hike at Butano State Park…read more The park itself is quite small and cozy and it's easy to see why it's often referred to as one of the least known California State Parks, because you really do have to make an effort to come here. That being said, the road to the park is quite well paved and there should be no trouble accessing it. We unfortunately visited the park during one of the controlled burns. I would not recommend visiting at those times because the smell of smoke lingers for quite some time even though we visited over a week after the burn ended. There was even one area of the park that was still smoking. It's also sad to see the extensive damage from the CZU fire that ripped through this area back in 2020. But overall there are still tons of beautiful redwoods and the trails are well maintained. Also not many people visit this park so you'll have plenty of peace and quiet on the trails!

Butano, as it once was, prior to the summer of 2020, CZU fire, is no more. It's prior lushness is…read moremarked by charred redwoods and lack of undergrowth. But that doesn't mean it's not worth a visit. As of December 2024, all trails in the park are open. I commend the crews that restored the trails-they did an amazing job restoring safe access to the park. While camping remains closed, there are limited facilities (no drinking water and only pit toilets that are in sad shape.) However, if you come with an open mind and an appreciation for how forests regenerate after fires, it's quite an interesting park. I'd hiked an out and back last summer on Jackson flats and then, on NYD 2025, hiked the recently reopened loop of Little Butano Creek, Goat Hill Trail and Olemo Fire road. The creek was still low but there were too many banana slugs and mushrooms to count. Yes, lots of charred trees but also lots of green coming back. The lower trails aren't particularly steep or challenging and it's never crowded. Very peaceful park. It will be interesting to come back, over time, to see how the park regenerates and changes.