Back in the mid-80's, my younger brother and I had a bit of cabin fever, and decided to walk from…read moreour grandparents' central Watsonville home, up to Mount Madonna park. We made it about 2/3rds of the way up the winding, two lane road before a passing motorist stopped for us. The driver told us to pile into the bed of his pickup truck, then shortly after dropped us off at the park. My brother and I briefly explored the park, but dusk was approaching. Back in the days when there were public pay phones aplenty, we used a dime (or perhaps a quarter) to telephone our grandparents to ask for a car ride back down the mountain. In our youthful minds, it was just a little adventure, but our grandparents spoke of it for years afterwards.

On a warm Sat at the end of Feb, I hiked with 2 friends on an 8 miles, 700 ft elevation gain,…read moreSprig, Merry-Go-Round, and Tan Oak Loop. Paid $6, parked at the Amphitheater at 9am. Headed over to the ruins of Miller's Mansion. The forest grove sure was pretty and tranquil. The lake was nice but far away. Saw some benches carved out of huge logs, very cute. Too bad we missed the white deer pen. We completed the hike exactly at noon, 3 hours hike.

HUGE HUGE HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALEX!!!! we had, unfortunately, dropped our keys in the lake and had…read moreto leave our truck over night. I called the park and Alex called maintenance and had reassured our truck was still there. Not only that, but wrote an email to the Park Rangers to let them know we were coming back and to not give us a ticket. You are the BEST, ALEX!!!! With love, Leanne & Brandon.

We had a family picnic and hike in this lovely park by the lake. There were 11 of us and we had a…read morewonderful time and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery and view of the lake from the picnic tables. Room for improvement: The picnic tables were in rough condition and really need to be replaced, there were no rest room facilities nor running water. It would have been nice of one of the covered areas had two picnic tables instead of just one, we were not able to accommodate our entire party of 11 in a single covered ramada and made our party split into two groups that were now more than 50 feet apart and challenged by a significant grade--making conversation between the two groups not possible. Entrance fee is $6 per vehicle for a one day pass.

I looked over probably 50+ campsites for our trip this weekend and they were all completely booked…read more I found this site as available and had not heard of it before and the reviews were not too great. We live in Monterey and typically go to Big Sur but thought I'd go ahead and book here since it was really all that was available. I was NOT disappointed! We not only had our campground basically to ourselves (only 2 other people in the area) on Thursday 7/22/21, but we had unlimited access to the reservoir, forebay, and dinosaur point for fishing and more all in the area within 20 minutes, with our reservations. Thursday evening, the camp rangers were more than happy to tell us where he saw some people landing fish! Something he really didn't have to do. They're so friendly! Friday morning, we witnessed a small bird (the bird books state it was some type of dove ) run into our neighbors car window. He seemed stunned or injured and my husband flagged down another park ranger so the site's children didn't have to see the injured critter. He actually got out of his patrol truck and looked for the bird but he thankfully had flown off unharmed. It definitely showed they genuinely care about the property AND the critters in it Friday night, it did get pretty packed in there but everyone was really nice and quiet times were observed by everyone! Something I fully respect with a crazy 3 year old! I was bummed we didn't have electric hook up but that's something I can live without in the camping world! The bathrooms all have power outlets if you need anything! We couldn't use our fans with the intense heat but we survived driving back and forth to the water with the AC ) And we got by with car adapters for our air mattress, which is all we really needed. Our gps tried to take us on the highway to a gas station 10 minutes away, but if you turn onto Gonzaga road right outside the park entrance, it will run you smack into a gas station 5 minutes down the road with ice, bait, and even electronic DVD players and more! For almost not booking this site due to reviews, I'm so glad I did it anyways! We had the best time! We only left 1 day early because my 3 year old was having a rough time in the heat. But we definitely are coming back later this year with some cooler weather My husband said this is his new favorite campground and we are already looking for our next booking dates in September!

My family has been coming to this spot for Easter since I can remember. They have the same spot and…read morewe bbq, we play games, the bathrooms are near by, the parking is easy, the view of the water is great. The park is very clean and well kept, as well as the picnic areas. This has been our go-to for years and there have been no issues yet!

Pretty cool bike park that people love to go to. The users take care of the ramps with water, ect…read more I can't speak to the bike park of it because I only go in there after everyone is gone to run my rc monster truck. It has good parking, a fence around it, water, and chairs. I am around this park every single day (in another area) and it is a good place to hang out.

Excellent place for kids to ride! Jumps, table tops, and pump tracks for beginners along side some…read moreextreme jumps for experienced riders. We were passing through town from Watsonville to Santa Cruz and decided to stop. Both boys 10 & 13 had a blast. Bring a chair and an umbrella b/c it's in complete sun with absolutely no shade. Can get very warm if your there for a few hours like we were.

I've been playing paintball since the late 80s when I was a junior in high school and my teenage…read moresons started playing last year. We've been to most of the parks in the greater Bay Area and yesterday was our first time here. All the parks have been a great experience for us. They each have something we like, there's woodsball up north, nice variety in the central valley, we've had fun at all of them. So when I say that this was our favorite place, it means something. First off, great prices and superb staff to help you out. Geared towards the first time player but not limited in the least bit to new players. The fields are excellent, COD fans will have a familiar field to play on! The players we encountered were all good friendly people, both other teens/young adults and adults were friendly to my sons and I and it was a nice mix of teams. Lastly. The pro-shop and management team, the owner/operator and his managers are there to make sure you are enjoying your visit. I spent some time talking with them and they are committed to making your experience a long lasting memory. You want to build those core memories with your family and friends? They are the guys to help you do that. The Park is not limited to paintball, there's other activities available even for the really young ones. We'll be going back again soon!

Our visit to Tag Adventure Park was outstanding. The…read morecompletely outdoor venue provided a serene backdrop for birthday celebration, with zero stress and ample time to enjoy the moment. The team delivered exceptional service, and the space offered plenty of acreage for kids/teenagers to have fun, paintball was definitely a hit. All attendees indicated they would gladly return. The option to DoorDash food or bring our own made planning even easier. Totally recommended for teenagers birthday parties or just any celebration.

Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the…read moreoff button. Shutting it down. All of it -- Khaled Hosseini Located in Uvas Canyon County Park, this is a lightly used trail that is definitely a hidden gem. Of course the reason it is lightly used is the heart pumping 2400 ft incline in only 1.6 miles :) But look at my photos and the stunning views you see going down. Totally worth it. Of course you won't think that going up! You'd be thinking, gee Uncle sidney, were you on crack when you gave this 5 stars? The first short leg starts from the parking lot to the trailhead as you walk through the camping ground. the mountain doesn't look too challenging at this point.There is some shade, lovely Redwood canopy. How hard can this be? Until you start going up and realize this is not your usual incline. Consider that Mission Peak hike goes up 2000 feet in 3 miles and you will see what I mean. And it just keeps going up, up, up. No flat breaks, no plateaus. The first half is shady but then the second part loses the canopy and it is open to the sun. On my hike I wished I had a hat. After 1.6 miles you hit a junction with short .2 mile stretch that takes you to the Knob...which is disappointing after all that hiking in one sense. Not that beautiful, trees obscure most of the view. But then it hits you...you have this bench...a couple of lovely old redwoods...and there is no one around. Going up you saw a few campers running down the trail but they were just having fun. They obviously didn't ascend far. After that there was no one. Everyone else was at the desultory waterfalls (only bad because of the drought. Usually they are quite lovely. I cannot believe anyone actually expected water). This solitude is the first reason why this hike is worth the effort. After the Knob, I walked back to the Junction and went up another .4 mile up to Summit Rd. I thought there might be ocean views going the opposite direction but nothing on this day. Now here is the second reason why this hike is five stars...the jaw dropping views of south Santa Clara Valley and Uvas Canyon as you descend! Absolutely spectacular!!! Just a constant vista of beauty out to the other side of the valley at Harvey Bear Ranch...wow! The downhill is easy, not rocky, but it can also be slippery and for a moment I lost control of my speed and really could not stop. I started zig zagging to use gravity to help slow me enough so I could regain control. That was scary but otherwise going down was fine (even if you are a guy who doesn't like going down...double entendre intended). I added a side trip to the non existent falls to make it a 6 mile hike but you could also add contour trail or hike to the end past triple falls to stretch it out to ten miles or so. When it rains this will be an even more awesome park to hike in! Highly recommended :)

$6 for parking, card or cash. Sometimes the cardreader is a little finicky, FYI. You will drive…read morethrough Sveadal, a Swedish - American camp, so please drive carefully! Not to worry - the park is at the end of the road. The first place I hiked in the bay area is at Uvas County Park. While the other trails there are fun, easy, and interesting, this one is more of a challenge - but the views up top are spectacular. The morning started at a cool 55° right when the park opened, but after the first couple of switchbacks, it felt much hotter. Sitting on the bench near the top not only offers an amazing view, it is also quiet and a good place to meditate. And refuel ;-). Bring water. I usually bring a Camelbak & some salty snacks. Can't wait to hike this again!

This was a nice place to go for a hike. My boyfriend and I came here for a hike a couple weekends…read moreago along with his English Bulldog, Meatball. There's a parking lot there, and it's free. They have maps at the front entrance. The park had a few different trails, and I just follow the one that my boyfriend chose. There were ups and downs along with some flat trails. There were some parts shaded, but a good bit was not. Meatball was huffing and puffing. He was so out of breath during and after the hike. He's not used to walking that much. Poor fella. We saw lots of horse poop on the trails, and there is a sign at the parking lot that people are supposed to pick up after their horse. I can see how it would be difficult to pick up the horse's poop while riding them, but it would have been respectful if they did.

Calero Reservoir is close to an urban area, and it is understandable why it is heavily regulated…read more Another Yelp reviewer communicated an eye roll with respect to the level of regulation compared to Coyote Lake. 2026 has brought new rookie rangers who are still learning how to do their job. Historically, I had zero interactions with ranger for the last 3 years. I had 3 interactions with rangers in 1 1/2 months. Of those interactions, (1) interaction was wrong because the ranger was too green and gave incorrect instructions and didn't realize that the rangers actually contributed to this awkward situation (2) one was goofy because the rookie ranger was blocking the automobile path to the launch ramp. I think recent re-arrangement of the parking lot will eliminate this since the rookie rangers will now have room to park their trucks to watch for people staying too late. The funny thing is the old, now retired rangers never did anything goofy like this. 3) In their zeal to stop people from staying to late they were using their bull horns to tell people to bring their boats in...early before the deadline to get off the water. They don't realize that people come close to the ramp to pre-position themselves to be off the water at the correct time. Yelling at them over the bull horn is unnecessary and annoying. The old, retired rangers did not do this. I think these new rangers will learn their job over time. Just don't be surprised if a bright eyed and bushy tailed new ranger comes up to you and starts telling you what to do. Even though it is goofy. It is better to comply since they have a badge. For me, I will go to other lakes where the the level of regulation is less annoying. I think this is just a case of newly minted rangers, with bright shiny new badges, are just being a bit overzealous in exercising their authority and creating goofy issues that don't exist. Be sure your boat is dry, since they also have full time boat inspectors to protect against Quagga and Golden Mussels. I understand why they do this. There are other lakes where the process and procedure and cost is less annoying. One example is Lake Berryessa, and if you show up with a dry kayak, you can go in without all the inspections. Real boats are always more complicated whereever you go, so check the regulations.

This is a small park near the Nob Hill Trail Park. There is a really nice picnic area, and it…read moreboasts the Peace bridge. It is a peaceful area with the mountains in the background.Some educational signs and a bronze statue of the California grey fox are there too.Nice photo opportunity when the weather is right.