So beautiful, an amazing area to fish in. I recommend the coves to fish in as they tend to bring in…read moremore fish. Definitely renting a boat next time we go! Parking was easy to find, kind of shocking for a Saturday! Recommend visiting!

We loved the lake and stories about Nesty as they call the dragon. Fun stuff. The people are sweet…read moreand it's easy getting around. The food is great. I want to go back.

NO FISH!! So expensive and I figured it would be a good place to make sure my 5 year old caught his…read morefirst fish using worms could not even get a bluegill to bite and we were there from 12-5pm. $40 bucks a person is ridiculous to catch nothing. They say you have to throw back all the fish except trout but we could have caught all the fish in the pond and took them home because there was no security checking our bags on way out. So seems it's out fished that everything was caught and taken home . We did catch huge catfish but nothing else. My 5 year old could not catch not one bluegill with worms . So disappointed. Almost $100 for 5 hours to catch nothing.

I've had nothing but positive experiences here. It's definitely more focused on the beginner…read moreangler, as the lake is small in size ( approx 7 acres?) and stocked regularly with trout during the cooler months. Small bass, bluegill and catfish are present in the lake also. The lake is maintained by the McAlpine Family, with Chase and Randall providing advice on techniques, tackle and water conditions. Chase is especially well known for his depth of knowledge in the aquatics of the lake and he is responsible for stocking the trout on a regular basis. Sister Scarlett and her husband Rob are managing the lake and also staff the General Store. All are super nice people and customer-friendly. The staff of Chris and "Tahoe Joe" keep the lake and facilities clean and in good order. Shout out also to "Paq" who is a multi-species angler and claims McAlpine Lake as his testing grounds for "Frenzy Spoons", which is his lure manufacturing businesses. Paq also assists at the lake and is quick to share his expertise with novice anglers. Some people "complain" that McAlpine Lake charges both an entrance and overage fee. Listen up folks, this is a private lake that has overhead costs including employee payroll, property/income tax, insurance and $$ per pound of Mt . Lassen Trout (10-12 Hour roundtrip) that Chase picks up and delivers every two weeks or so during Trout Season. There are other places to fish for free, if this doesn't work for you.

Took the scenic route today and came across the Uvas Reservoir. The water line was low however it's…read morea nice place to fish, picnic, or go for a hike. It was very calming and relaxing to be among the trees. I saw lots of bicyclists ‍ riding down the hill, taking in the breeze.

We stumbled upon this park after having to turn around from Uvas Canyon County Reserve for not…read moreknowing to reserve a spot ahead of time. The hike was about less than 30m around the reservoir; it was beautiful, and we got to see plenty of wild flowers and cherry blossom. There are plenty of parking spaces and some picnic benches. Pics were from Feb, so I'm not sure you still can see the wild flowers now. Overall, it's a very pleasant hike.

For those headed to Rte 5 from the South Bay, you've likely passed Pacheco State Park on Hwy 152…read morebefore descending to the San Luis Reservoir. (But don't blink, or you'll miss the exit). Despite the unassuming entrance, it's a surprisingly large and beautiful park. Like a lot of hikes in the Diablo range, your experience will depend much on the season. Summer here is to be avoided, unless you are a heat-freak (or masochist). Fall and winter are much better, but still brown with a capital B. Spring, however, is the time to see sprouting trees and hills bathed in green. I went here with hiking buddy M in early March, and conditions were absolutely ideal. Some wildflowers were already out; and we spotted munching elk on an adjacent hillside (They scattered quickly.) The weather was sunny, windy, and in the 60s. Just gorgeous. (Photos added). Trail junctions were well-marked, but some trails were so faint they sometimes faded into pasture. (For those who want to hike on anything but primary fire roads, a navigation device is recommended.) We had excellent trail maps on our phones, so we were able to explore some more remote trails. Note: Being next to Henry Coe State Park, I had thought to call this a "mini Coe" but that's not accurate. It feels a little less wild and is windier (a wind farm borders the eastern side). Believe it or not, my biggest issue with the park was in leaving. To get back to the Bay Area - and starting from a dead stop - we had to cross two lanes of busy, eastbound traffic on Hwy 152 while also merging with two lanes of 70 mph traffic heading the other way. Patience pants were required, size XL. Hiking Spot Checklist: -- Parking: Self-register lot (paid) after entering gate, but there's also free parking 0.1 mi away (outside the gate) -- Bathrooms: Pit toilets at main entrance -- Potable water provided: No (bring plenty, especially in summer) -- Maps provided: Yes (but not very good); bring good maps on your phone -- Highlights: Unspoiled oak woodland and expansive views

Without GPS you would be completely lost hiking these trails. At least 40% of the trails are…read morebeautifully overgrown with wildflowers. There are at least a dozen places to make a wrong turn, but as long as you're not in a hurry, the wrong turn will likely leave you to a steep beautiful hillside. I did this hike on a beautifully sunny and cool April 1st. On a blazing hot day I think it would be miserable unless you have a good hat and plenty of water. Almost zero cover. April 1st 2023, the wildflowers were amazing. So many wildflowers that you couldn't find the trail. Check out my GPS track for this trail and you'll see how chaotic it got. But all the time it was amazing and beautiful.

The people here are awesome, always welcoming and makes you feel very comfortable and informational…read moreabout anything fishing related. Ive been coming here for years, they've helped me prepare with gear and bait to have a great time with my family out fishing.

The AMAZING customer service is enough to keep coming back. Fair prices and the fact that this…read moreplace has been in business for over 50 years says it all! Denice made our trip and is super knowledgeable on all things fish and bait!! Thank you Coyote Bait! Customer for life!

Such a beautiful spot to lay a picnic out and walk around catching beautiful scenery of the sun set…read moreand wildlife. We saw many chipmunks, seagulls, and otters! I will say if you bring food, beware of the very brave and bold seagulls and chipmunks who are not scared of humans! We lives how accessible it was as we were able to stroll around with our stroller very easily.

This park is great for a first stop before heading out for an adventure or watching the sunset…read morewhile dining on some pizza from Gianni's. Lover's point offers plenty of opportunities for the kids to get worn out, like a public beachside swimming pool, beach volleyball, an actual beach area just inside the cove, and a grassy area for picnicking. even though this beach/park was packed, the vibe was still super chill and didn't feel overcrowded. This beach also offers some great opportunities for people to enjoy tide pools, watch wildlife, and take-in gorgeous views. There is a public bathroom here, but if you can avoid. Not the most clean.

This is my favorite spot to stop for lunch on the coyote Creek trail. It has a great covered…read moreoutdoor area for eating. It's in deep shade, so it remains cool even in hot weather. It has five picnic tables under the shelter and all are in shade. It has a garbage can which is almost always not full, so it is obviously maintained regularly. It has nice water fountains for both humans and pets. The restrooms are awesome and clean! I would give this park five stars, but the lake is closed until 2032. Otherwise, it's still my favorite spot at the end of Coyote Creek trail.

Ok so supposedly it cost six dollars to get in to the parking lot. Um... the parking lot I went…read moreinto had nowhere to pay, none, zip,zippo, nadda "not that I'm complaining lol!! Looks like they are doing seismic retrofitting stuff so we couldn't walk over this cool bridge that was over the stream, lots of chain link fence and construction going on... sad face. Wifey and I were able to sit on a bench near the stream "which honestly was quite beautiful if you didn't look to far up" We sat there for about 2 hours watching the Black Phoebe's fly around catching bugs. Beyond that there doesn't seem to be much else going on in this parking lot site. There is another entrance, haven't been there as of yet, maybe that entrance will be better.

My daughter wanted to see ducks. We went by 4 times. We only saw them once but each time was an…read moreadventure looking for them. Thanks for the memories.

This is a review of Pinto Lake City Park…read more You may not believe it, but I drove all the way from Costanoa to Downtown (?) Watsonville just to get a breakfast burrito. By the time I got to the market taqueria in question (review upcoming), it was too late for breakfast burritos, so I ordered a regular burrito and then looked for a green spot on the map to eat my (non-breakfast) burrito in peace. That green spot was Pinto Lake City Park, which isn't as green as you believe it will be but which is greener than its surroundings. The park comprises a whopping seventy-eight acres, although seventy of those acres are the southern half of Pinto Lake. The remaining eight acres are mainly the greenish park-looking areas south of the lake and these funny thin strips of land along it southwestern and -eastern shores. There's a different park farther north called Pinto Lake County Park; I didn't drive that far, but if you're having any kind of gathering, make sure everyone knows which of the two Pinto Lake Parks you're actually visiting. Strangely, Pinto Lake City Park is within the city limits of Watsonville even though it's far from Watsonville. How's that again? Well, the park is an exclave of the City of Watsonville. That is, it's a part of the city that's separated from the rest of the city by a few miles of what I assume is unincorporated Santa Cruz County. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, type "Watsonville, CA" into Google Maps. You'll see that Watsonville has three exclaves: one to the south, one to the west, and this one to the north. OK, enough map-nerding. It was already quite hot by the time I got here, and the lack of trees, especially near the lake-view picnic benches, borders on the criminal. What kind of landscape architecture is that, City of Watsonville? It's not the most beautiful lake, so you wouldn't be blocking anyone's views with more trees lakeside. The main part of the park does have quite a few trees, and it looks like a nice city park that gets lots of use. I didn't use the restroom while I was here, but the buildings are in decent shape, and I saw lots of women using the ladies' room, and that's generally a good sign in terms of restroom cleanliness. The parking lot is huge. Besides the lake itself, there's a basketball court, a baseball diamond, plenty of green open space, and a children's playground, I believe. I was surprised by the number of people shore-fishing in the afternoon, although it was a Sunday, so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I probably would have enjoyed myself and my burrito more if I had eaten it at one of the tables closer to the park entrance, rather than near the water. Oh well. I guess if I ever wake up early enough to make it to Downtown Watsonville in time, I'll bring that breakfast burrito and eat it on the other side of the park, where it's greener and there's more shade.

A beautiful CA national park. We did 2 short hikes in one day…read more The pinnacle rocks and the caves are SO cool! Parking was really easy for the trails we wanted to access. National Park pass is required.

On our road trip up north, we wanted to stop into Pinnacles National Park in hopes of spotting the…read moreCalifornia condors (no luck). On our way in, we passed Chalone Vineyard (random!), which was closed, but looks like a fun place for wine tasting after a day of hiking. We entered the park's West entrance and be warned that the drive up there frequently merges the 2 lane road into one lane. Luckily there weren't very many cars coming and going so we didn't have any problems. We arrived to the visitors center and did the wheelchair accessible hike on Prewett Point Trail. It's not super long but gave us a good view of the pinnacles. We then made our way to the end of the road to try the North Wilderness Trail. My wheelchair bound son only made it so far until the little bridge by the big rocks, so he turned around, while my middle son and I continued on to explore more of the trail and to look for caves. Would love to see the park from the east entrance next time for a different perspective of the park!

Nice little business that has some room for improvement…read more Good price wise compared to competitors, however additional fees do slightly increase it. Little shop has okay selection of the same type fishing poles and appliances to meet your fishing needs. Crew and some customers do smoke on board and it really bothers those who don't smoke. Half way through the day with low quantity caught crew advised to head back to the port.

This is a great boat for a fishing excursions. The captain Kris V is very knowledgeable about the…read morelocal ocean and fishing spots. Boats leaving at 6:00 am and returning by 3:30 pm. You can buy fishing license and your own canned beers and what ever you want to eat. If you haven't fished before make sure you take a Damamine or Bonnine the night before and an hour before boarding the ship. Carry $40 or more in cash for tips and fish cleaning. Parking cost $10 for all day. Your fishing cost includes fishing rod, reel and bait.