In
brief:
7.7 mile partial loop on grassy hills above the ocean. Popular with mountain
bikers.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 7.7 mile hike is moderate, with about 1100 feet
in elevation change. Park elevation ranges from sea level to 1200 feet at
the northern boundary. Elevation changes are gradual.
Exposure:
More shade than sun.
Trail traffic:
Moderate -- lots of cyclists.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trails and fire roads.
Hiking time:
3 1/2 hours.
Season:
Nice any time, but best in early spring.
Getting there:
From CA 1 in Santa Cruz County (about 6.5 miles south of Davenport/6 miles
south of Bonny Doon Road), turn right into the park. Proceed past the entrance
kiosk to the parking lot.
GPS coordinates* for trailhead:
Latitude
36°57'36.60"N
Longitude 122° 5'8.03"W
(* based on Google Earth
data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lodging:
Stores, restaurants, gas, and pay phones north in Davenport or south in
Santa Cruz. No camping in the park. There are campgrounds nearby at Portola
Redwoods State Park and Big Basin Redwoods State
Park.
Trailhead details:
Lots of parking in a paved lot. $10 entrance fee. Restrooms and drinking
water at trailhead. There are two designated handicapped parking spots,
and wheelchairs should be able to navigate to the historic area, but the
remaining trails are not suitable to wheelchairs. Pick up a map from the
entrance kiosk (if staffed), or from the ranger station, just past the entrance
kiosk, on the right. From a perusal of the somewhat cryptic Santa
Cruz Metro website, it looks like bus #40 stops at the park entrance
on Highway 1.
Rules:
Park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. All trails are multi-use, except for
the path on the south side of CA 1, which is closed to equestrians. No dogs.
The Official Story:
CSP's Wilder
Ranch page
Park office 831-423-9703
Map Choices:
• 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco, by Jane Huber (yup, that's me, the creator
of this website) has a simple map and a featured hike. Order
this book from Amazon.com.
• Trails of Santa Cruz, by Pease Press (order
from Pease Press) shows Wilder Ranch trails in great detail.
• Buy the park map (the one with topography) at the entrance kiosk.
• Official
park brochure (includes map)
Wilder Ranch in a nutshell --
a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page