This beach is picturesque, but dangerous and difficult to access. It's not recommended for children…read moreor anybody who can't handle the steep incline. There's no bathrooms, jellyfish are abundant on the shore and wash up and back with the waves...with violent riptides even near the shore. Out on the rocks people are able to fish for perch, but the whole area is very windy and when lying down you'll be inundated with sand. The parking area is the second one past Laguna when driving north on PCH. It's far easier to navigate the steep cliff going down in shoes. Many of us were barefoot or in sandals and it really slows you down. As such, you're not going to easily get large objects like cool chests down to the beach. You'll not likely want to make multiple trips to the car either. The trash is still a concern as young people leave cans and bottles everywhere. Like some Yelpers have posted, I didn't experience any nudity, nor did anyone ask me to have sex with them, however, I suspect this area is not patrolled often because of it's limited access. I saw people drinking beer without impunity and so it's not hard to imagine, given this beach also appears in nudist beach listings in search results. In my experience, it was younger adults in groups, everyone was dressed. Two people were fishing. There's an arch in the cliffs which leads to another beach to the left, and then rock formations you can carefully walk out on to the right and fish from. It appears high tide covers these areas, so keep that in mind. There were at least 60 people on the beach, so I don't understand the posts about being quiet and secluded, either. This property used to be owned by a dairy company and was ceded to the state, which explains it not having a long public history and the abandoned railroad tracks paralleling PCH. Nobody was surfing or out in the water and that's good, because the riptides are especially fierce and very close to shore. If there's no jellyfish you can walk in the surf washing up but that's about it. I wouldn't recommend going into the water and wouldn't stay on the other side of the arch on the beach when the tide is rising. I also noticed there's no cellular reception, either.

Beautiful, hidden beach with crashing waves and nary a soul. Park at the dusty little lot straight…read moreoff of Laguna Rd on Hwy 1. If you can't find it, the coordinates are (36.986927, -122.156281). From there to the beach, cross the road, go over the railroad track, past the field of poison ivy and down the sandy, rocky ledge. Needless to say, this path is not for the handicapped. The waves are rough and the wind strong; swimming is not advised. But the sand is warm and untouched. Walking further along, there's a lagoon of waste water surrounded by seagulls (and seagull poop!) Along the cliffs at the edge of this small stretch of peaceful and picturesque, tide pools with sea anemones and sea snails can be seen at low tide. This is your chance to go off the beaten track and take the road less traveled. At least until this too becomes popular.

Since I am one of the folks that takes care of this little slice of heaven, here is some…read moreinformation about the spot. It is an overlook of Seacliff State Beach. You cannot reach Seacliff State Beach from the Mini Park. There is a trail nearby between Seacliff and Aptos Creek you can use to reach the beach. It is called the Moosehead trail and there is a dirt parking lot next to it so you can leave your car. The mini park has benches where you can sit and enjoy your coffee or your meal. During the Covid beach closures this area became very popular with families who came to picnic in their pick up trucks and watch the sunset. It is very very popular at sunset. There are no trash cans. Please pick up after yourself and leave it the way you found it. The neighbors clean up after visitors so anything you can do to help is most appreciated. Same with cigarette butts. Many visitors stay in their car to eat or conduct business and enjoy the view. It is a great place to pull over and use your phone or check the surf. Although the property straddles Seacliff State Beach and the County right of way, the Seacliff Improvement Association built the park in the 1970s and maintains it. We often receive donations from grateful visitors while we're cleaning the park. We are so grateful! If you are interested in helping support our work here, you can make a donation to our PayPal link: www.seacliffimprovement.org Please make a note that your donation is for the mini park and we will use it to continue beautifying it. Enjoy!

Overlooking the Monterey Bay, SeaCliff State Beach and the Cement Ship this mini park has to have…read moreone of the best views in the area. The city of Monterey to the South and Capitola to the North. Seagulls and pelicans floating by while dolphins, sea otters and seals swim just off shore. People sit in their car, walk along the side walk or sit on the bench to take in the view or people watch. I head their to see what the waves look like, if the tide is in or out and to see how the fishing off the pier looks. This is the spot to sit and lookout onto the wonderful world of Monterey Bay Area and the ocean.

I used to think this was a secret beach but it's become a lot more popular and for good reason,…read moreit's the best beach around! I LOVE THIS BEACH. I've spent all day at it many times, it's a great place to get away for the day. There is a long stretch of parking along the side of the road and you walk down to the beach. The small path down to the beach is adventurous, tough for the uncoordinated but short. Still, only bring what you can carry because it will be hard to bring stuff up and down. The main beach is big, tons of space for activities but can get a bit crowded quickly. My favorite spot to go to is off to the left. You have to go under the arch and to another beach much longer than the first one. You will want to come back over before the tide is too high or you will have to calculate running back as the tide reseeds.

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.

Berry Creek Falls is absolutely stunning! If you're coming to Big Basin Redwoods State Park and…read moreyou've never hiked to the falls, you MUST do it. Don't come all the way out here and miss out on this gorgeous waterfall. We did an 8 mile out and back hike to the falls via the Skyline to Sea Trail. The hike is moderate and begins on a downhill slope into the forest. Going down is always the easiest part for me, especially when a trail starts off descending. The real challenge is going back up once you reach the falls. It's nothing too strenuous but I'd definitely bring plenty of water and bug spray because there are lots of bugs on the trail. The trail itself is mostly shaded and features an abundance of beautiful redwoods, vibrantly green foliage, and scenic viewpoints. The waterfall is definitely the highlight of the hike! The falls were still flourishing in mid-July which worked out for us because we were able to take full advantage of the scene. When you make it up to the falls, there's a small deck area with two benches where you can sit and enjoy the picturesque views of the falls. Surprisingly, it wasn't too crowded on a Saturday afternoon in mid July. You may have to wait your turn to take a picture next to the falls. People were really courteous and didn't spend too much time which allowed for others to capture the moment. Bring your lunch and take a break here before continuing on your hike back. The scenery is so amazing here. Definitely recommend a hike to Berry Creek Falls is you're visiting Big Basin Redwood State Park.

AMAZING PLACE…read more Beautiful views and scenery. We did the Redwood Trail to the Skyline to the Sea to the Berry Creek Falls to the Sunset back to the parking lot. There are so many beautiful waterfalls along the trail. Some parts of the trail near the falls are muddy so wear good hiking shoes Note: This is a long trail (11 miles). Pack water and lunch and stay on the trail. You pay for parking with the rangers (10$ cash or card). Bathrooms at the park entrance are nice!

I LOVE to take trips down Highway 1. Local day trips often just take me anywhere from Bodega Bay…read moreup north to Monterey down south, but most times just from the stretch of Pacifica to Santa Cruz. And when I cruise down leisurely down this glorious highway, I won't just gun the vehicle and go from destination to destination. I like to randomly stop at little towns, beaches, roadhouse eateries that's dotted along the way. There are so many beaches on highway 1. I'm still exploring around myself. Pulled in onto this beach as they had a big parking area on the cliffside. This is in-between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, super close to the road that you can take to go to Big Basin. This is not a lying around type of beach. It is very raw and very windy for some reason. Lots of seabirds on parts of the beach, lots of stranded seaweed and due to the wind, lots of white water surf. And a big attraction here actually is due to the surf and wind conditions. Lots of surfers and wind-surfers here that it'll catch your eye even from the highway. Wind surfers are these skilled and brave souls that go out in rough seawater with a parachute like apparatus connected to them, as so they can take flight and take leaps almost at bird level. And they are able to surf more waves without being pounded by rough waves, as they are able to jump from wave to wave via air/wind. Even tho it was too windy for me to sit out there for longer than 30 minutes, it was a blast watching these guys bounce and float around in what would otherwise be dangerous waters. I'm eventually going to knock out all the beaches from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay, and this one was a special one to knock out.

Such a beautiful beach! It was very windy and cold and I imagine it's like this all the time. But I…read morestill enjoyed my 2 mile walk along the beach. This place has bathrooms and parking. It's pretty big so I can't see it getting crowded.

So going into this hike we had high spirits and a positive attitude. Leaving however I felt like…read moreSatan him self came down and stung my ass from how many wasp attacked me and my friends, which btw gave me a free eyebrow piercing I never asked for. If u want to take someone u despise I would recommend taking them there and leaving them. P.s tell them to wear full black.

It CAN got hot in Santa Cruz and when it does, you're gonna want to find a shaded trail like a…read moreLadato loop to keep from overheating. I'm down here at Glenwood open space preserve, fully exposed to the sun and sweatin' like a crawdad in a gumbo eat'n contest. That's what Im at Lodato and I aint going back to Glenwood it cools down ovah there.

This is probably my favorite beach to visit in Santa Cruz. The beach and Natural Bridge is…read morebeautiful. You can see lots of impressive wildlife at the right time of the year. The beach can't get crowded sometimes but it's not that bad and it's cleaner than other beaches in Santa Cruz. It's also a great place to take kids too because there is a natural tide pool and the nature center and the monarch butterflies if you time it correctly. It's a bit of a drive from Santa Cruz Central and you may have to pay the $10 fee if you don't want to walk a ways, but it's worth it in my opinion.

Love this small but mighty Monarch Butterfly preserve…read more I've been coming here for years with family and friends. Check the migratory schedule of the monarchs so you will not be disappointed. They are not here all year round. What is here are the short lovely trails and peace of mind. I've seen wild deer here grazing many times nearby. Be sure to checkout the educational center and shop with helpful info on the best types of milkweed. Also, useful is finding out what types of flowers are best for monarchs. Ah yes, nectar of those noble butterflies. Help support the preserve and take that knowledge to your own neighborhoods.

It was hot and dry out when we visited during the holiday weekend, with summer coming to a close…read more And there were a lot of bikers zooming by, on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. If this doesn't bother you, it's a nice peaceful atmosphere for taking a walk or run. This past Monday, we went for a jog along the trails bordering the various percolation ponds. There are 6 ponds total, including the Camden ponds, and they are simply labeled #1-6 (see photo of map). The ponds vary in size, but are not all too different from each other, with calm waters and surrounded by vegetation. However, note that pond #1 (closest to the park) is a fishing pond, which many seem to take advantage of. The entire area is also a waterfowl sanctuary known for birdwatching during the winter months. During our recent visit in September, we found the most birds at pond #6, a few herons and egrets, though it wasn't much, again, due to the warmer season. We spotted a few lonely ducks in some of the other ponds, as well, but nothing noteworthy otherwise. There are three parking options to access the Oka Ponds located at the border of Campbell and Los Gatos... Dell Avenue and Vandell Way (free street parking), Mozart Avenue and Oka Lane (free street parking), or the entrance to Los Gatos Creek County Park (requires a small parking fee).