Wilder Ranch State Park

Great place to visit! Easy parking on the side of the highway, not a long walk into the park. Clean restrooms at the parking lot. WINDY WINDY WINDY along the bluff trail, bring layers as its warm at the beginning and end. As others have said, bring lunch and water. The bluff trail takes you out to a little beach where you can picnic. From the restrooms, head right to the bluff trail or left to the visitor center/​old Victorian homes/​old barn. The old Victorian homes are like a museum inside, complete with ladies dresses like the time period and cooking/​baking a snack in the kitchen for you to try (they were making chicken soup and cornbread when we went.) Chicken coup and other cute areas to see. Large clear trails to walk along, no major inclines. Saw a friendly snake, gopher, seals, birds, lizards, etc.

Great views and trails! Parking is $ 10 if you get there when the guards are there. But I think they get there after 9AM so for early morning hikers such as myself it’s not an issue. You can also park outside and walk in. Lots of bunnies on the trail. =)

Great chill hike/​walk. Good for bringing small kids and/​or folks with trouble walking it’s pretty flat but the views are breathe taking. Highly recommend it you’re in the area! You’ll get to see some unique coast that is made of jagged rocks and cliffs. It’s supposedly not cool to bring dogs but we brought ours and didn’t have a problem except the dog got a million ticks.

Went here the past week with a friend to do some exploring. There was a $ 10 parking fee and we didn’t have any change so we just opt to parking along the street. We went on a trail that looped us along the coast. It was so beautiful but extremely windy! Careful if you’re trying to take some artistic shots near the edge of the cliff, haha. Pretty easy and scenic walk. Definitely want to come back to go on the longer trails that they have.

What has not already been said about this place? Easily one of the most picturesque places in Santa Cruz. Honestly, I can’t believe I had never been their before this weekend. But luckily, thanks to my fellow Unilocalers, we moved this into our hike rotation. And I cannot wait to come back!
Hiking is really a misnomer for the trail we went on this weekend. More of a flat bike path that you can also walk along, with small, remote beaches along the way. You cannot get down to all of them, but the views are incredible! If you have small kids or people who are new to hiking, this would be the perfect place. I think when we do come back, it will be with our bikes, as we saw several when we were here.
I know there are many trails here, but there are also the historic ranch houses! Old barns, stables and farmhouses are the home to dozens of chickens and even horses! My kids made bubbles with ropes and got to feed the chickens. So much fun for little ones!
When you come here for a hike or bike ride, don’t make the mistake of packing too much gear like we did. Honestly, your Keens will suit you better on this than your hiking boots. A simple daypack with a bladder, snacks, sunblock, and you are set. And DO NOT forget the bug spray. I am sure it is just timing, but when we came this past weekend, we had to turn back to the car after 2.5 miles because the mosquitoes were eating us alive.
So, not a «hike» per se, but a really lovely trail that can be walked or biked by the whole family, with awesome historical buildings for you and your kids to geek out over. If you don’t have kids, come for the views! I promise you will be blown away by this gem!

I took my girlfriend here for a birthday picnic on the beach. We went on a Saturday around noon, and paid the $ 10 for parking. There was parking available on highway 1 but I had no problem paying in order to support this amazing park! We hiked from the parking lot to sand plant beach, where we had our picnic. to sum it up in two words; breath taking. We both loved it, it was the perfect location to enjoy each other’s company. There were quite a few people there, but it was not crowded feeling at all. We laid and had our picnic and even though there were about 2 or 3 other small groups of people, we still felt nicely secluded. Afterwards we hiked back up to the parking lot and made it over to the horse barn. All in all, it was a fantastic day! We will be going back to do a longer hike (we only did the smallest loop) and will maybe bring bikes next time!

Beautiful park that has a long, flat trail right next to the cliff’s edge. The coastal trail stretches for over 4 miles, but there are AMAZING views of the Pacific Ocean throughout, so take your time getting through the whole trail.
There are several small beaches along the trail which you can climb down to. Love these beaches because they are a lot less crowded than the touristy beaches right in Santa Cruz.

Probably one of the most scenic and beautiful coastal hikes I’ve been on here in Cali. Extra kudos for it being kid-​friendly, easily accessible and less than 3 mile loop trail. We seen lots of families with strollers and there was also mountain bikers. There’s a small parking area right on the highway otherwise you have to pay for parking if u choose to park inside. We arrived around 9:30am on a holiday and was still able to find parking on the highway.
The trail was not strenuous at all, but make sure you wear proper shoes especially after a rainy day as it can get muddy as you try to head down to one of the beaches. We hiked old cove landing trail which starts in the parking lot. There’s also clean bathrooms. It’s on a farm, here you will find a park map and well marked trails. You begin inland, passing a railroad track and you will begin noticing the coast on the left a little further down. And pretty much the rest of the hike will be coastal views and beaches. Next time we plan on biking so we can explore further down the ohlone trail. Otherwise you loop back and it will take you back towards the farm and back to the parking lot.
We detoured and went down to explore one of the beaches/​caves. Our toddler loved this hike and she was entertained the entire time. We came on a perfectly sunny & clear day. It took us less that 1.5 hrs to hike the loop with stops to take in the views. Would def come back here!

5 STAR.
For the views alone, Wilder Ranch State Park is 5 star. Right next to the cliffs with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. Dozens of species of birds, seals laying on the rocks, waves crashing against the cliffs, private beaches to walk down to… pretty easy to see why so many people love coming here!
I’ve been to Wilder Ranch State Park 3 times now, the most recent visit being this past weekend. For the path that we walk on, it’s about a 3 mile trek. It goes around in a circle, next to the cliffs by the water, and you end up back in the main parking lot. Definitely take your time and enjoy the views. Take a million selfies and panorama shots, and enjoy the wildlife.
If you’re coming from the South Bay or Peninsula, I highly recommend getting to Wilder Ranch early (around 9am). Traffic on the 17 coming in is horrific because of the Santa Cruz boardwalk, so it’s best to leave early. Make sure to wear layers as well, because you are right next to the water, where it can get a little windy, and the temperature can drop pretty quickly. Not all of the hike is right next to the water, so you can always remove layers if necessary.
Make sure to park off of the main road/​highway and just walk up to the entrance, otherwise you have to pay the vehicle fee. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bootleg method. There are a lot of cars parked off the main road, and everyone does the same thing.
I highly recommend a visit to Wilder Ranch. It’s a very relaxing way to spend 2 hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but don’t forget your camera! You won’t be disappointed!

I have been wanting to go here for awhile now. I chose yesterday to for my birthday. Seems to be a tradition of mine to drag my family to different walking/​hiking trails. We started on the Ohlone Bluff trail starting at the left of the parking area which is about 4 – 5 miles long. A beautiful coast view of the ocean.
You will see many walking, jogging and riding their bikes. I really wish we had this back home! I would be a regular and would enjoy the trails for exercise. Watch out for the bike riders and I recommend to always stay to the right of the trail. We saw a lot of sea lions and we keep waving to one as he kept popping his head out of the water looking at us. Probably, saying ‘what are those crazy people looking at?!’ Hehe… ;-p
Oh and parking cost $ 10 per vehicle by well worth it since they do well maintaining the trails and the bathrooms. Some actually park outside which is smart if you want to save but the park needs maintenance so why not pay. I barely saw any garbage loitering anywhere. I did not see any garbage cans so whatever trash we had, we waited till we got back to the parking lot.
I am recommending all and depending on the weather conditions to always bring water or healthy snacks and wear sunblock. I would say on warm days start early in the morning before the sun really heats up, There is barely any shade and we happen to walk here late. The sun was blazing about 70 – 72 degrees around noon with barely any wind; very unusual as it’s usually cool here by now.
Totally recommend to come here! My favorite trail so far!

Love this gem! Beautiful views, well maintained trails, and a couple smaller beaches to explore. $ 10 to park in the lot, or get there early and park down the road on Highway 1 and walk over, either way just go!

Whoaaaaa. This place can easily be an «outdoorsy, let’s take a romantic walk for a few hours place.» Seriously, this place is breathtakingly beautiful and I wish I could walk or bike here every day.

Four stars for four mile beach!
My friends and I discovered this beautiful area and we all absolutely loved our time there. There’s a breathtaking hike on the way down to the beach and the beach itself is quiet, serene, and stunning. We were all amazed at how clear the water was!
It’s definitely a good area for surfing too! We saw some really big waves on the right side of the beach.
Overall, it’s a very scenic area, and there’s even a small little cave! You could definitely explore the area for a while and there’s lots of hiking routes nearby. My friend told me that there’s a really nice biking route too.
One of the favorite beaches I’ve been too and I’d definitely come again! If you’re looking for a nice, uncrowded beach in the Santa Cruz area, four mile is a really great option.

This has to be one of my favorite hikes in the bay area. The bluff trail is AMAZING. Breathtakingly beautiful. Wish I could take a walk here every single day.
The trail itself is sort of long. We easily walked 5 miles to loop all of the way around. That being said, I think we went the wrong way… I’d recommend that you start your walk at the entry point that is at the far end of the parking lot. You’ll cross railroad tracks to get to it. Kind of a random entry point, but you’ll be thankful since you’ll see a lot of the cooler stuff on the trail and can turn around more easily to get back to your car.
All in all, highly recommend a visit here.

Wilder Ranch State Park is a beautiful park. It overlooks the ocean as you’re walking on the trails. We went on a weekday and there were a few bikers and a handful of walkers. It’s easily accessible from Highway 1, only a few short miles north of Santa Cruz. There is also beach access so it makes for nice beach picnic. Bathrooms are available at the parking lot. On our hike, we saw deer, a snake slithering across the path, many birds, butterflies, and a dead beached sea otter that the kids were very much interested in. This park is full of wildlife. We will certainly make our way back to check out the other trails.

Wilder Ranch is easily one of my favorite outdoorsy places to go for a leisurely afternoon walk for a few hours.
When you arrive you have to pay to park in the main lot, but if you don’t mind walking a little further there are several places to park along the road instead. There are paths that people have created by walking that make it fairly easy to access the main park area.
If you haven’t yet been, I highly recommend a trip. The views alone are incredible and if you’re feeling adventurous make sure to bring a light beach towel so you can wander down to some of the more secluded mini beach areas for a relaxing cat nap.

Disclaimer: Honestly, I’m not sure if I could give less than 3 stars to a State Park, unless someone made a state park out of a dilapidated concrete bunker for no reason and charged a $ 20 entry fee…
Wilder Ranch is a great place for beginners interested in hiking, folks who like biking, and more! I came here last weekend and decided to do the Ohlone Bluff Trail. First, there is a nice bathroom at the entrance I started at and a fair amount of parking.
If you do the entire Ohlone Bluff Trail out and back to the parking lot, it’s about 12 miles. I did a slightly shorter version of that. I went by myself and didn’t feel particularly unsafe at any given point in time. The views were beautiful. I got there around 10 am and hiked until about 3. Walking along the bluffs, I saw whales and dolphins in the distance and bunnies and a garter snake on the trail. There were beautiful flowers and intriguing views of organic farms. There are several beaches along the way which looked very beautiful.
There are a few downsides to this park. #1 is the parking fee is pretty steep ($ 10) for the amount of stuff you could reasonably see in a day. #2 is that when I was hiking the Ohlone Bluff Trail, there are certain portions where it strays away from the coast and goes in toward the railroad tracks. I wish it was better marked there, because I wasn’t 100% sure if I should go along the tracks or go past it on the road/​trail that went inland. #3 is that there don’t seem to be any picnic tables or anything at the entrance near the historical site by the ocean.
I think this park would be good for taking kids for their first hiking experience because it is so flat… as long as you keep them away from the cliffs.

What a beautiful place! This has got to be my new favorite, no frills hiking spot. A huuuuuge plus that is a coastal and has a few secluded beaches too! It’s only a 45 minute drive from Santa Clara.
My bf and I went on the Old Landing Cove Trail that’s right next to the coast. It’s a full loop and you start at the south end of the parking lot near the bathrooms. We arrived around 1pm this past Sunday and the weather was gorgeous. There are plenty of cliffs that you can sit at to take in the fresh air. I’d recommend you be careful though because some of them are very loose. We climbed down some of the coves to explore a bit too. I essentially love that it was very quiet and calm. The beaches were very clean and not crowded at all.
Wilder Ranch State Park also has a bunch of longer trails that you can go on as well. It’s also an excellent location for mountain bikers. We saw tons of people on their bikes and families with strollers. I’d recommend bringing snacks or some lunch to soak in the sun while sitting on the beach.
Difficulty: Easy; family friendly
Parking: $ 10 for the lot that could fit at least 40 cars
Distance: 2.6 miles RT
Bathrooms: 6 stalls at the parking lot
Trail information:

This spot isnt bad! Lots of space not too many people: D and it is really beautiful!
Came here for a sunny sunday and it was really fun! I wouldnt bring much to carry the walk is kinda long.
Lots of surfers catching waves, bring a wetsuit the h20 is cold!

This place is gorgeous! I came here with my fiancé today for a workout. We wanted to just explore the area since we just moved to mountain view and wanted to see the beach…
It’s about a 45 minute from mountain view… We left around 11am and got there a little before noon.
It was the first place in California that wasn’t crowded! We practically had the beach to ourselves for a good half hour…
The small hike into the beach was quiet and full of nature. We even saw a deer in the grasses lands.
In the beginning of the hike you don’t see any water. Leather and the hills! But then the ocean surprises you! It comes right out of nowhere… It’s breath taking! And as we kept walking the view Just kept getting better. It was an easy 3 mile walk through the ocean coast. Also vey secluded, at least the time we went.
It’s also very close to down Town ! there’s a ton of restaurants there and an amusement park!
Fell in love with Santa Cruz today