Wilder Ranch State Park

The Fern Grotto is a must destination in the park. The vegetation seemed to drip down water like a rain forest. Taking the Old Cove Landing Trail takes about 45 min, but yields breath-taking views of the cultural preserve beaches and cliffs. A shorter back trail will also get there in 30 minutes, but is not as scenic. Be sure to bring footwear to cross the sandy beach.

A little slice of paradise. Small slice although. The land is surrounded by farms. It's to wonder if we couldn't leave more space to all these animals. Lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place. Highly recommend to come by bicycle from Santa Cruz if you can and avoid driving there unless you can't. It's a beautiful and easy ride.. The whole loop is 4km long so it takes 1 hour to walk, or 2 hours most likely since you'll stop everywhere to watch and enjoy the beauty of this coast.

We drove by and turned in, didn’t know what to expect. We saw a mom changing diaper in the parking lot and thought she probably would know the park. It was 1:30 in the afternoon. She said what about taking the Old Cove Landing Trail of 2.1 miles, along the coast. It’s a loop, said she. That was what we did. Wow!

Lovely hike, but the start and end could be confusing as the trails aren't obviously marked. Took the trail to the Fern Grotto, which was amazing! Found lots of seaglass too. Lots of wildlife, wild flowers (late May), and beautiful views. It can be windy and chilly, even in the summer - layers are recommended. The hike was easy - we are in our fifties and trying get get healthier so are novices. Great biking, wide paths. Easy to get to.

The state park has excellent views and is great for trail running and cycling. I saw multiple people biking in the trails, and the views are simply stunning. Surprisingly it wasn’t very crowded, considering how close it is to Santa Cruz.