Wilder Ranch State Park

Wilder Ranch State Park encompasses 7,000 acres of coastal terrace grasslands, redwood-forested ridges, and dramatic Pacific bluffs just 2 miles north of Santa Cruz. The park's dual identity — part working cultural heritage ranch, part wild coastal preserve — makes it one of the most interesting state parks in the Central Coast region.

The most family-accessible section of the park is the Ohlone Bluff Trail, a 2. 5-mile coastal path that runs along the cliff edge from the main parking area to a series of remote coves. The trail is almost entirely flat, surfaced with compacted gravel and dirt, and wide enough for a side-by-side stroller for most of its length.

The views are spectacular throughout, with the bluffs dropping sharply to rocky intertidal zones below and the Monterey Bay opening wide to the south.

The park's coastline includes several significant harbor seal haul-out areas where animals rest on the rocks below the bluffs. The park maintains viewing areas at a respectful distance — binoculars reveal individual animals sleeping, nursing pups, and occasionally barking at intruders. Unlike some wildlife viewing areas, the seals here are largely undisturbed by trail traffic, making it possible to observe natural behaviors rather than stress responses.

The inland sections of the park offer more strenuous hiking through redwood canyons and chaparral-covered ridges, with trails connecting to the UCSC campus and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. These trails are popular with mountain bikers and hikers looking for a more challenging experience than the coastal walk provides.

The historic Wilder Ranch complex near the entrance preserves the structures and equipment of the dairy operation that ran here from the 1800s through the mid-20th century. The Victorian farmhouse, creamery, carriage house, and equipment sheds are open for self-guided tours, with interpretive panels explaining the history of this remarkable coastal ranch.