Love this park! It is so huge, seems so clean...and so much to do…read more There are bocce ball courts, playgrounds, a dog park, what looked like a skate park but was closed, a big field that we definitely saw a coyote running rampant on, picnic tables for birthdays, trails... So much in one park!

We were on our way to Santa Cruz, when we needed to make a pit stop for our dogs. We had stopped by…read morenext door at the dog park,but didn't even bother getting out. This park was a much better option. A paved trail to walk on. Water stations that worked and a very clean bathroom. There's also a huge green grassy field. We saw plenty of people walking their dogs on the lawn. Almost everyone had their dogs on leash. A much better option than the dog park

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.

Hidden trail that is visited by locals. We came here on the way to Mystery Spot. It is a short…read more1-1.5 mile loop. Air is excellent, and short enough that you won't need to really prepare water. Great for groups with kids or dogs!

Stayed at the campgrounds of the Henry Cowell State Park for 2 nights. The sites are spacious with…read moremost of them having plenty of shade and room to park our car with tent on top. They just finished building brand new restrooms, showers and a dishwasher station near the site we chose which was awesome. There are individual restrooms cubicles that are spacious with warm water and a hook to hang a towel, etc., and an electric outlet. We took one of the nearby trails accessible from the campground that led to cable car beach which is fed by eagle creek. One side of the hike was beautiful with views of Santa Cruz and an observation deck and the other shady with trees. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Only downside was a campsite full of younger people were next to us and kept talking loudly until maybe 12:30 a.m. Camp hosts are supposed to keep those things in check and it was not dealt with. And as it was a chilly night, we didn't want to get out of our tent to go ask them to keep it down. I would if in the future I come to this campground alert the host ahead of time of a potential problem before retiring so they can be aware to check on it. Otherwise, this is an excellent campground near to Santa Cruz and many trails and the skunk train that takes you into Santa Cruz.

Love love love this place, it's beautiful and serene for stunning trails and streams. It feels like…read moreevery tree has a story to tell, these giants with some as tall as 180 feet have been standing here for centuries. Must visit with your kids, friends and family for a breathtaking experience.

Our favourite park! We used to spend hours at skypark that is always crowded, but now we go to this…read morepark at the back of scotts valley. It has never had more than 1 other family there, even on a Saturday. It is small, but the bathrooms are clean, there is enough to do to keep my 1 year old busy for a couple of hours.

Great little park tucked away in Scott's valley on a quiet street. Rarely crowded, toddler and…read morebigger kid playgrounds, basketball court, bathrooms, shaded picnic area. I love this park!

I was here for a birthday party the past weekend and it was quite lovely. And it was a great place…read moreto meet not really busy. We had about 30 to 50 people so it was good enough size I am not positive about the facilities because we only used really the barbecue area and it was a great size and a great time for everything

Wow.... Apparently somebody decided that it would be great to spend tens of thousands of dollars to…read morereplace the existing playground. Unfortunately it was replaced by the most dangerous and confusing pile of rocks I've ever seen! No really...pile of rocks. All the play equipment was removed and replaced with concrete climbing rock piles. Completely dangerous slippery piles of concrete with chipped wood on the ground. Can you say concussions! I've sat and watched kids walk up to these piles and look at them...and then walk away confused. One day I saw a kid climb up on one of the rocks...and then started crying for his mother because he was afraid to try and climb down. AND THE PLAYGROUND IS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR TODDLERS! Maybe toddler chimps...but human toddlers...uh uh. And there are these odd alien looking metal bars and wheels that hang 10 feet up in the air completely inaccessible to a toddler ( unless he is a 6'4" toddler ). Uhh... why folks why? Why spend the money? Why create a safety hazard? Why... Wow

This is a very small Park with two on the small side trash/recycle receptacles, two smallish…read moreparking lots, and a short bridge/walkway above the creek. As far as the fishing thing- there's a cool wood fish carving that's taller than I, but I don't think you're gonna catch much fish in that creek. I could certainly be wrong, maybe there is another area that I haven't found yet. I usually go here to let my dog out for a short time, or to eat a quick lunch with an easy access after- to a trash/recycle bin. The new wood chips look really nice~

It's a sports park attached to an elementary school. Signs warn against loitering, so no place for…read morea picnic or to hang out at while your car is being serviced. Looks great if your kid is in sports. Otherwise not.

Great find! Was looking for a nice strenuous hike with beauty and comfort. Scored on all accounts…read more Wonderful docent provided advice and cautions (and a clean bathroom inside). Did a loop that was about 2 1/4 miles up, across the summit and back down - Woodrat Trail - Sunset Trail - Lower Chapparal Trail. Hint - Take a picture of the map at the sign. Caution - not all intersections are marked with signs. To get to the start of the Woodrat trail, you need to walk the Discovery Trail a bit (even through the sign "all other trails" seems to indicate otherwise). Lots of flora.....on June 1, lots in bloom. Bring bug spray (didn't see bugs, but be ready). Lots of wood shade which is a welcome break from the sun. Saw plenty of other hikers of all ages, so difficulty was only my being out of shape. Go check it out!

All I need to say is that this is the birth place of Sunset Magazine. I cannot believe this place…read moreis 2 miles from my house. Gorgeous for day hikes and watching wildlife. I've seen so many different bird species here it's unbelievable. Oh, and plenty of foxes, deer, and of course pumas.

This is a beautiful nature walk with a relaxing swim hole to swim in. It does get crazy crowded and…read moreparking is limited, so plan ahead for that. There is no bathrooms, cell service, or trash cans, so keep that in mind when coming.

I spent a Saturday afternoon hiking at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, getting lost in the forest…read moreamong the massive towering trees, and running along the dirt-covered train tracks. Don't worry, I wasn't being chased by a train, I purposely came there to run (note, there are "no trespassing" signs, so you venture along the train tracks at your own risk). Following the tracks, you'll see below, parallel to it, the river that turns into the Garden of Eden lagoon. Peaceful, isolated, with no other visitors in sight while I was there this past weekend, the whole area was pristine and picturesque (no pesky college kids or trash laying around as other reviewers have described... but maybe that's cuz it's October). Just a flowing river forming tiny waterfalls over the giant rocks in the water. A hidden oasis and sandy shore in the middle of the forest! There's a bit of climbing needed to get to and from the swimming hole, but it's not too steep and totally worth the trek. The best place to park is Henry Cowell "Ox Parking Lot" off Highway 9 (it looks like a turnout area along the highway and can easily be missed). Don't google map "Garden of Eden", it will lead to the middle of the forest, and there is no vehicle access. The Garden of Eden is gorgeous, and feels like stepping inside a Thomas Kinkade painting. Will definitely be back.

This "skatepark" is easily 6 stars except for the overabundance of razor scooter riders that polute…read morethis park a bit like a maggot infestation. They travel in packs with seemingly no regard for skaters taking whatever line they like without looking first. A lot of this blame should go to the parents that drop the kids off unattended and do whatever they do while they wreak havoc without any guidance... So -2 stars from a 6 star rating leaves this park at 4 stars for me. The variety of terrain and the awesome craftsmanship in the concrete is truly bad-ass. The mini bowl is about 3 to 4 feet deep and super addicting. It's a kidney shape with metal coping with smooth lines making it fun and endlessly carveable. The big bowl is 8 feet deep and clover shaped. It has a roll in hip in the center with almost all metal coping with exception to the 2 foot tombstone extension that has pool coping. Being almost 50 years old I don't get any where near that though ;) I do however carve the bleep out of that bowl and really appreciate the epicly smooth concrete. The street course blends into an oval bowl with coping varying from 5 to 8 feet with about half the bowl being a free roll in. There are some stairs and a few steps with rails as well as a few 1/4 pipe features surrounding this section. Beyond all that there is a micro bowl that's about 2 foot deep and some metal rails around the edges of the park. 20k square feet of bliss that is partially ruined by the razor daycare aspect but still totally worth checking out. I love this park and I'm stoked that it is in my home town. Razors were initially not allowed at this park. The parents of the razor kids stepped up at a town meeting and got that rule overturned. It would be great if they stepped up and spent some time with their kids educating them about the park etiquette instead of treating this like a daycare where they can just dump their kids off.

Wow a kids dream of a skatepark. Can't wait to come back. Nice clean bowls, spacious with bumps and…read moreareas to kick in speed and trick areas. Surrounding the park are 6.5' iron fence Skateboards, inline skates and scooters only. No BMX. No pets allowed. Open sunup to sunset Helmets and pads required but only my kid and another skater were wearing helmets. A BMXr arrived and no problems lots of room We arrived around 7pm on June 18th so there was lots of daylight left. My kid made friends with another skater as they taught each other some skills Plenty of parking. The lot is also shared with dog park and soccer fields. There is a lot on the other side of the skatepark as well near the Scotts Valley Recreation No food or drink allowed in park but you could wheel up an ice cooler next to one of several benches outside of the skate gate and even a small bleacher. Water faucet also there. This park is where the old Scotts Valley SkyView airport was located. Next to soccer fields, and a splendid dog park