Twenty-seven real, walkable spots—trailheads, bluffs, murals, tide pools and long-closed swim holes—where wonder still slips through the cracks. Bring sturdy shoes, a sense of care for fragile places, and, where noted, an eye on tides, ticks and private property lines.
1. Sunset Trail, Quail Hollow Ranch
The last bench lives up to the trail’s name: dwarf redwoods at your feet, sandhills drifting gold behind you, the whole San Lorenzo Valley in front.
Feel: like you’ve found the lookout your future self will visit in a dream.
INFO: 800 Quail Hollow Road, Felton. Park by the ranch house (8am–sunset), hike uphill past the stables. Spring ticks are real—long pants help.
2. The “Other Path,” Land of Medicine Buddha
Skip the signed Eight Verses Loop. Just past the prayer flags, a narrow track drops left into a pine-soft ravine humming with birdsong.
Feel: like stepping into someone else’s peaceful secret.
INFO: Park on Prescott Road, walk through the front gate, trail starts beyond the stupa. This is an active retreat—move quietly and respectfully.
3. Sunday Flow Jam at Lighthouse Point
Sunset on West Cliff draws poi spinners, jugglers, slackliners and the occasional magician. Waves provide the soundtrack, dogs the applause.
Feel: like orbiting something creative, human and alive.
INFO: Lighthouse Field, West Cliff Drive. Show up an hour before sunset on Sundays; jams are informal but consistent.
4. Jade Street Park at Golden Hour
After 4pm, the Capitola Community Center lawn turns into one big living-room picnic: volleyball nets popping, kids on scooters, card tricks traded for laughter and astonishment.
Feel: like everyone’s invited and nobody’s trying too hard.
INFO: 4400 Jade St., Capitola. Easy parking; indoor restrooms open weekdays.
5. Pogonip’s Fern Alley
Off Spring Street, a faint spur funnels into towering ferns and still air. Seasonal mountain lion closures (January–March, some years) keep it extra-quiet.
Feel: like nature just whispered your name.
INFO: Spring Street trailhead. Walk slowly, notice everything.
6. Natural Bridges Tide Pools
Low tide exposes a maze of anemones and purple urchins. Rinse your shoe soles on the way out—washing off any hitch-hiking germs helps protect sea-star habitats in the next tide pool.
Feel: like eavesdropping on the ocean’s private thoughts.
INFO: 2531 W. Cliff Dr. Check tide charts; sturdy shoes, minimal stepping on the critters.
7. UCSC Secret Swing
Past the Great Meadow, near the treeline, a rope swing (when it hasn’t been cut down) arcs above Monterey Bay. Fog can roll in mid-flight and vanish by landing.
Feel: like flying inside your own memory.
INFO: Trail spur off Empire Grade at Twin Gates. May be absent—bring a sense of humor.
8. Wilder Ranch Ohlone Bluff Loop at Dusk
Start in the eucalyptus grove, wander cliffside single-track; golden hour melts cows, clouds and coastline into one big painting.
Feel: like the planet queued a private show for you.
INFO: Wilder Ranch State Park. Easy 2-mile loop from main lot.
9. Abbott Square Evening Jam
Downtown’s open-air courtyard flips personalities hourly: bao + beer, string quartet, fire spinner, repeat. Sit anywhere and stay curious.
Feel: like catching lightning in a coffee cup.
INFO: 725 Front St. Courtyard officially closes 10pm.
10. Santa Cruz Mission Hilltop
Adobe walls whisper history; the vista above downtown grants instant perspective.
Feel: like stepping out of the timeline for a breath.
INFO: 144 School St. Grounds close 5pm sharp.
11. Arana Gulch Tarplant Bend
Late June–August, the endangered Santa Cruz tarplant—tiny, bright and stubborn—turns one curve of path pure yellow. The rest of the year there are cows at the Gulch, put there to help grow the tarplant. They have helped the endangered species grow healthily.
Feel: like stumbling into a living watercolor.
INFO: Agnes Street entrance; paved path, bend is ~0.3 mi in.
12. Neary Lagoon Floating Walkway at Dawn
Mist coils off still water while egrets stalk breakfast. City noise doesn’t make the invite list. Dogs aren’t, either.
Feel: like nature pressed the pause button.
INFO: 111 Washington St. Boardwalk opens at sunrise; no pets.
13. Moore Creek Sandstone Labyrinth
Behind upper meadows, beach pebbles form a hand-laid spiral. Sometimes storms erase it—then hikers rebuild.
Feel: like solving a puzzle with your feet.
INFO: 255 High St. gate; follow signs toward coast overlook, listen for creek. Step lightly off-trail.
14. Hidden Beach Driftwood Arch (Aptos)
Winter swells stack timbers into a rough arch; by late spring it’s gone. Duck through for a perfectly framed horizon.
Feel: like walking through a portal the sea drew in pencil.
INFO: Hidden Beach Park, 1500 Park Dr. Best seen at low tide, Dec–Mar.
15. DeLaveaga Quarry Lookout
Past disc-golf Hole 16, a scramble reaches an abandoned sandstone cut. Loose rock, big views, bigger echoes.
Feel: like climbing backstage catwalks of the forest.
INFO: Branciforte Drive entrance; veer left at tee box, use caution.
16. Twin Lakes Jetty Bench
A lone whale-mosaic seat faces the harbor mouth; pelicans dive so close you flinch. Storms occasionally remove the bench—your mileage may vary.
Feel: like renting a private theater to watch tides change.
End of Fifth Avenue, beside Walton Lighthouse stairs.
17. Pelton Avenue Mural Stairway (Seabright)
Step-by-step sea-life mural by Yeshe Jackson unfurls toward the sand; late-day light ignites the blues.
Feel: like descending through a moving postcard.
INFO: Pelton Avenue stairs at East Cliff Drive.
18. Wilder Ranch Old Dairy Ruins
Crumbled concrete walls and rusted hardware frame crashing surf like a proscenium.
Feel: like history humming under salt spray.
INFO: From main lot, hike 1.2 mi north on Ohlone Bluff Trail; stay outside fencing.
19. Seascape Bluff Pocket Meadow
Between cliff-top homes, a 30-ft meadow with a lone Monterey pine offers front-row moonrise.
Feel: like the coast saved you a VIP seat.
INFO: Park at Seascape County Park, Sumner Ave. lot; short spur left along bluff.
20. Nisene Marks Maple Cathedral
A ring of giant big-leaf maples off Split Stuff Trail turns to golden stained glass mid-October.
Feel: like standing in a breathing kaleidoscope.
INFO: Porter Picnic Area; 0.6 mi up Split Stuff, unmarked gap on right.
21. Mission Hill Mosaic Staircase
Ceramic tiles of waves, sunsets and foxes climb from High Street to California Street—a community art love letter with skyline payoff.
Feel: like walking up through a storybook spine.
INFO: Base at 200 High St. Best colors at golden hour.
22. Moran Lake Tide Cave
Minus-tide only: a moss-draped alcove under the south cliff frames the beach like theater curtains.
Feel: like the ocean let you backstage.
INFO: 227 Moran Lake Rd.; descend south stairs, walk 200 yards. Check tide tables first.
23. Shark-Fin Cove View Ledge (Davenport)
A five-minute scramble above the old cement-plant tracks lands you on a fang-shaped outcrop. Fog below looks like dry ice.
Feel: like riding the dorsal fin of California.
INFO: Pull-out 0.7 mi south of Davenport on Hwy 1; cross tracks, angle right uphill.
24. Soquel Demo Forest Gate 1 Overlook
Before the single-track plunges, a serpentine shelf serves a 200-degree skyline from Monterey Bay to Mt. Umunhum. Weekend mornings buzz with bikes—be prepared for rugged trails and share the space.
Feel: like zooming out on Google Earth—no screen required.
INFO: Highland Way to Gate 1, walk 0.4 mi on Road 1.
25. Valencia Creek Orchard-Swing Ruins (status uncertain)
Local lore says a lone plank swing hangs from an ancient pear tree beside mill foundations. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes not—but the ivy-wrapped stones still transport.
Feel: like scooping a century of stories in one arc—if you find the rope.
INFO: Trailhead at Valencia Road and Aptos School Road; creek path 0.3 mi. Respect private boundaries.
James Vergon’s Nostalgic Picks
James Vergon—lifelong local and longtime admin of Santa Cruz’s largest Facebook community, who’s put countless hours into curating and moderating local stories—swears these shuttered swim holes still hum with memory if you know where to stand.
26. Lompico Fresh-Water Pool Ruins
Concrete basin and diving platform sit mossy under redwoods; laughter echoes if you listen hard enough. Viewable from the road only—private land beyond the gate.
Feel: like paging through a sun-bleached scrapbook—only it’s yours.
INFO: End of Lompico Road near Redwood Lodge Road. Please stay outside fences.
27. Old Ben Lomond Swim Hole (Junction Park)
The dam’s gone, but riverbank scents of redwood needles and cold tannin water remain. Stand on the smooth rocks behind Junction Park and time-travel to summers past.
Feel: like the water kept your childhood on file and loans it back for a minute.
INFO: 50 Mill St., Ben Lomond. Follow path to river; tread lightly—this is still a backyard for wildlife and locals.
Josh Logan is a magician who grew up bouncing between NorCal and SoCal and has called Santa Cruz home for 20 years. He’s performed worldwide and for many companies around Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz, under the mentorship of Paul Harris, the “Wonka of Magic.”
While I am liking seeing this list, please allow me to say that I am not crazy about returning to Neary Lagoon since there have been encounters with transients and/or drug influenced potential trouble makers there.
What a amazing article so much information. I love hiking and exploring this article gives some interesting places to check out.
Thanks for sharing