Wilder Ranch is a beautiful place to hike along the coast. The rocky cliffs and little beaches in the alcoves make for fantastic scenery. This is not a strenuous hike, but you can go a long way. Parking was fine as long as you arrived early.

Easy trail hike with beautiful coastal views, pretty and accessible beaches, lots of wildlife including many different birds, sea lions, and one coyote. Theres a small historic section with original buildings and equipment and knowledgeable and very pleasant docents, some in period dress. Bathrooms are available near parking. Expect it to be very windy and a little chilly along the coastline, even during summer.

Wilder Ranch is a beautiful place to run, walk or bike. Parking is $10/vehicle, but theres free roadside parking. There are bathrooms here (near the Coastal path) and a place to wash your hands. You should still bring your hand sanitizer or baby wipes. Scenic and Amazing!

Simply the best for an easy walk along the bluffs. The ranch its self is a great step back in time. Say hello to docent, Diane she knows everything and is a gem of the park.

The Old Cove Landing and Ohlone Bluff trails are nice, easy hikes along the coast with great views of cliff side surf. Also the fern grotto is interesting and lets you get down to a small protected beach.

Level trail (easy) with scenic coastal views. Parking inside park is 10$ cash only (self-pay). Trail goes around local farms and is wider. Very close to Highway 1. No shade.

Beautiful views of ocean and cliffs from one of the most popular trails - around 2 miles one way and flat. There are couple of places where you can walk down to the beach. Hike around 1.5 miles to see the birds and seals. Bathrooms available at the main entrance (no soap). Most people were wearing masks.

Great trails that are fun and challenging. Trails are well kept and the place is full of history. Great place to take the kids or SO to get out and get some fresh air. 10/10 would recommend.

Great view. Spectacular bluffs. Well maintained trails.

It took us an hour’s drive from fremont to reach the trailhead. Parking is $10 a day. If you park outside, I can save that too. Amazing view of the ocean, loads of sea lions to watch as you walk. Easy walk of maybe 2 hours if with family to complete the loop. Couple of beautiful private beaches along the trail. Family friendly and breath-taking. Loved it.

Excellent place to hike, see classic California scenery with ocean, waves and cliffs. Coastal trail is very kid and bike friendly. It’s very easy and enjoyable.Parking is $10 unless you park along the highway and walk over. There are restrooms and water fountain.Views are gorgeous.

An amazing place for a coastal hike! The scenery is unbelievable and the hikes are very doable.

Very beautiful trail, takes around 4 hours to finished. I took the Enchanted loop, very beautiful and its great place to reconnect yiur self with nature.

Scenery and Scenery for Miles. Wilderness and Beach Cliffs.

I love mountain biking here! A very challenging, but fun ride, especially through the Enchanted Forest loop (inland). I definitely recommend getting here early, as this place fills up throughout the day. I definitely look forward to coming back soon for another fun ride!

A spectacular place for families. Great trails for hiking, horses, and cycling. Plus an amazing old time barns, and blacksmith shops.

Very nice walk with access to the beach, the kids loved it. Note that there is no shadow along the the trail.

Wilder ranch. Our favorite place to take a stroll.

Love this state park, $10 cash to park in the lot. Great hiking and trails all around.

Its great to hike there so you can see the ocean and feel the cool breeze!

An easy walk to the ocean to see dolphins, seals and other wildlife. Great views!

Absolutely stunningly, beautiful! Amazing hiking trails with fantastic views!

Beautiful views of ocean cliffs with an easy and fairly level path. Lots of wildflowers. It can be quite windy.

Nice walking trails along shoreline cliffs. Many spots to stop and enjoy the view.

Such a fun easy hike. Check out the Wilder Ranch Cabin and Rodeo Ground. There’s not much to do there but it’s worth walking around. There are these huge Aloes bushes that you cam actually walk under. It’s pretty impressive.

The ranch is a great place for the little guys horses to feed old farm with picnic tablesTwo giant aloveraplants that are great for the kids to play hide and seek .Many trails to hike.Two thumbs up.

One of the best parks in Santa Cruz County. Trails are open to equestrians, cyclists, and hiking. Beautiful variety of redwood forest, oak woodlands, and open meadows.

I loved Wilders Ranch! Theres parking on the side of the highway in case you dont want to pay $10 to park your car in the lot. The walk along the cliffs is magnificent, and goes all the way down to the next town.

Great trail. Good climb. Had fun with it.

Took a while for our hike to get interesting. At first I thought we made a mistake in choosing it. But then we rounded a corner and it was all worth it. Breathtaking views. Easy fun hike with kids. We spotted lots of animals and even a snake crossing our path.

Gorgeous trails, well enforced social distancing and mask policies, reasonable parking. A fantastic way to get outside.

Beautiful! Nice easy trial to the coast. Parking lot is available as of the date of this post.

Great place to go do exercise with your family and friends like hiking biking or running love it great views

We thoroughly enjoyed our hike on a Wilder Ranch State Park trail. The scenery is beautiful, with lush greens abound and awesome ocean views. We saw seals hanging on the beach, and seabirds flying around. We were able to access and walk along the beach with some effort, heading down a moderately steep hill (see photo). We didn’t have any trouble but it might be challenging for small children. We saw several mountain bikers that seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. I highly recommend checking out the trails at Wilder Reach State Park.

If you go here on a weekend - don’t miss a free tour at 1 pm! It was amazing! Like a time machine! Exciting to experience how people lived here 150 years ago. They had a lot of cool devices like 3D glasses and self-playing pianos. Hiking is good, too. I enjoyed the coastal trail and crazy ocean waves.

Very beautiful beach not far from Santa Cruz. Perfect length for bike trails but too long to walk from start to finish. Make sure to pack some snacks for hiking and if needed, stop by the local Safeway before heading here. The rangers are so-so when it comes to fees but are very nice and helpful. Restrooms are on-site, as well.

One of the best places for a trail.The scenic Pacific Ocean looks magnificent.10$ for a car entry valid till evening. There are restrooms for all.A must visit for all.Definitely recommended

Its simply magnificent if you enjoy no real crowds and plenty of space its wonderful I only go there when I want to relax

Absolutely gorgeous trails! It gets a little crowded near the ranch itself, but if you venture along the coast, you will be blown away.

Its a great place to go hang out with the family walk around and do some hiking

Short hike with multiple secluded, breathtaking beaches. Amazing experience, I will be visiting again soon!

Beautiful walk along the coast, even stroller friendly!

The old residences are interesting, the attendants are friendly and knowledgeable of the history, and host tours regularly. There are trails both inland and along the coast. It is a place you can return to many times and still see something new. The scenery is incredible any time of the year, although the upper trails sometimes close in winter after prolonged rains.

Great spot easy parking can be crowded if hot

Beautiful easy coast hike.No dogs allowed

FabTasTic !!! My second time and I highly recommend this place for hiking,bike riding and soaking up amazing topography and nature Mmmmm

Who could say anything bad about a trail by the ocean!? We chose the easy 2.5 ml hike to accommodate some physical restrictions in our group. It was perfect. There are two other hikes, medium and difficult. Just look on the website for details. Views are amazing. Access to some cool beaches. Birds above. Life in the water below. It is a perfect local place to get your body moving. I also feel the easy hike could accommodate a stroller with large terrain wheels. There are cliff edges so small kids not a good idea. Carry, backpack or stroller.

Completed the old coast trail. Its great for a walk or a ride, as long as its not to hot out as there is no shade during the length of the trail. Wasnt crowded and there are ok (For a park) restrooms available. Got to enjoy seeing cotton tail rabbits, seals splashing about, and neat sea caves. Excellent place to go for a run.

Enjoyed the ocean views, mountain biking trails, and the trees around the homestead.

Really beautiful cliff, lots of pelicans and seals

Great place to take of family, nice breeze, cool beaches and views, calm serene atmosphere

I love the trail. Absolutely amazing. So dissatisfied with the bathroom cleaness. No hand sanitizer, no water or soap. Visitors have been great wearing masks but the bathrooms were dirty. Ready a disappointment for a such a nice place. We paid $10 for the entry. Can they at last have a portable hand wash station? I noticed the park ranger issuing parking tickets. They have staffing for this but not enough to clean the bathrooms?I hope it can be improved.

What a pleasent surprise to come upon the versatile Wilder Ranch State Park near Santa Cruz, CA. We were looking for a fun hike, and found so much more. There is the old farm house, complete with animals and volunteers bringing them healthy restaurant and Farmers Market leftovers for the critters.Then there are lots of hiking trails. We took a mile loop that went down along the seaside and saw lots of birds and seals and just had a wonderful time.

Great open space. Bathrooms were open and in decent shape. Stickers and marks for social distancing

I would definitely go back. Beautiful trails and views of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I rate Wilder Ranch State Park a 4 out of 5 stars because the California Park Ranger, who was collecting visitor parking fee, was not welcoming. I find that to be very rude. If I was a out-of-towner, and Wilder Ranch State Park was the 1st California State Park of my choosing. I would not want to go to any other California Parks! I would not be pleased .

Good spot to hang out, walk the beach and watch the sunset

Beautiful park, love the trails and animals! Perfect way to spend a day outside.

Excellent spot for a jog, bike ride or wildlife sightseeing. Not particularly great for beach access but there are a few great picnic spots along the main trails.

Historic buildings well preserved and docented, fun annual activities, lovely picnic spot, great bike rides for all levels.

The property is full of trails for the whole family. Many families with younger children were biking through. The dairy farm has live animals, historic artifacts and a museum. The trail is a couple of miles if I had to guess (not sure exactly distance) but it does take you back to where you parked. Goregous views and some options to walk down onto the beaches!

The trails are so amazing. Run along the ocean. Amazing views. Can be narrow if crowded.

A gem of Santa Cruz, history, hills, and stunning ocean views. you can get there by car ($10 parking if you park inside) or bike via a nice path.

Great trails and amazing views. There are some historic buildings from and old dairy farm and an interpretive space that tells that history and a bit about the natural history as well. The trail along the ocean is flat and popular with bikers. We parked just outside the entrance on a nearby street parking lot so we didn’t have to pay the fee. There are toilets.

Id say this sunset is definitely worth the 10$ parking fee

Great place to spend the day hiking or Mountain Biking. Incredible vistas of the Monterey Bay. On a good day you can see all the way to the Carmel Valley Highlands. In the spring you have plenty of wild flowers in the open meadows as you progress up the hill from highway 1.

The views are beautiful, especially on a sunny day. There are many beaches in coves that you can hike down to, and enjoy an almost private time. However, the hikes could be marked in a better manner. You can also come here for a bike ride, would like to try that next time.

A lot of trails. If hiking try to not go on the weekends. Lots of mountain bikes. $10 parking fee.

Nice park with great wildlife and ocean views

Fantastic Ranch for kids of all ages. We did not even have a chance to go to the beach portion but the small ranch is beautiful. It has several buildings and a beautiful grounds with places for kids to climb and hide within plant caves. There are chickens, sheep and horses if you walk under the highway through a short tunnel. A nice place to picnic and let the kids run around. Very scenic and worth the $10 park entrance fee (if you dont already have an annual pass or park fee from somewhere else you have visited recently).

Mother Natures best. Great trail for walking cycling, cliff views of ocean, birds, sea lions and Cslifornia plants.

I had an absolutely awesome ride on my mountain bike. Its very beautiful and beginner-friendly. Just keep an eye on your children and be careful if you go out solo, especially towards night time. I encountered a young mountain lion on my way back and it was getting pretty dark, so that was a bit scary. However, mountain lions are present all over bay area, so same rules apply everywhere. Luckily, this one did not bother me. Anyways, beautiful area, fresh area, sound of waves breaking on cliffs and shore.... what more one can ask for out of a relaxing ride? Two thumbs up.

Gorgeous. Did the 12 miles loop. Not too exhausting.

Great place for short hike or long bike ride along ocean cliffs or hills overlooking ocean. Cute little historic village to walk through ( Museum like, no stores or services.).

Great place to walk and enjoy nature. Seals, seaguls, rabbits, quail. Very beautiful.

Pros:1) its a nice flat hike you can do with family.2) It has very nice cliffs on the ocean side.Cons:1) it was very windy. At least in Feb when we visited.2) The hike was missing some signs for directions. And, the map in the parking didnt help. We took wrong routes in the beginning of the hike. Also, in the middle of the hike there was a fork with no info. Even hikes with no entrance fee, have this covered.

What a beautiful hike! Great trails through fields and forests. Bring lots of water and a snack.

A perfect place to take a walk along the coast together with families and friends and enjoy the scenes of nature. Its beaches are fun places for kids too.

I Love it its a great place to get some peaceful moments from the busy everyday life.

This place is clearly Gods country. A beautiful 2 mile hike/run/bike around the trail once. Slight incline at times but not too challenging. Majority of the hike is along the cliff overlooking the ocean. And then they have the historic ranch as well. Great for all ages, picnics and pictures!

Great place for a casual hike. This park has two personalities. On the coastal side the trail is long and flat. It winds along the coast and provides stunning views. On days when the surf is rough the spray provides dramatic displays as it collides with the cliff faces. There are a couple places where you can descend onto the beach. On the opposite of highway 1 the trails are more of the typical hillside Cali trails. These dont get as much use as the coastal trail but are still quite enjoyable. The rains have damaged them so at the time of this writing they are closed. The coastal trail has remained open.

Wonderful trail along the ocean. Perfect temperature, and gorgeous coastal views.

Great place to take kids to play and see farm animals, hike, and see some antiques.

Great state park. My only complaint is the same complaint I have with other state parks, its ten bucks to pay... Or park right outside the park for free. Anyways, its a beautiful place and worth a stop. Can walk, run, or bike here

Excelent experience. Never seen so much orange pumpkins!

Very nice visit of the ranch by the rangers and marvelous walk along the ocean.

Nice view,fresh air ang good relaxing.but its a place that only few people visit.

Hidden gem on Santa Cruz coast. Great place to smoke in nature. Great place for sunset or sun rise.

Coastal hike is scenic and easy to do. Great for kids.

Beautiful open space near Santa Cruz. The trails are well maintained and marked. Great views of the ocean.

Great mountain bike trail. Especially Enchanted loop. Got $40 demo bike from Santa Cruz bike factory. Was awesome.

Great hiking place with kids. You can also use a bike or stroller. Some places are bumpy but its still ok.

Its very nice but you have to walk VERY far to get a decent view

Beautiful... worth going...liked costal bluff trail was nice.

Great walk with great view, very easy

Iv bee bike here for over ten years its so beautiful

So beautiful I would recommend this place if you need peace and quiet.

B e a u t i f u luse caution after rain, trail will be muddy and slippery

Great place to spend a day on a trail. We did a 7 mile hike over mostly flat terrain. If you get there early enough to park on along route 1 (just south of the entrance to the park). It was early so there werent many people out until around 2pm. Lots of wildlife! Birds, seals, small mammals, and abundance of flora. Bring a snack or lunch and dont forget to visit the visitors center and old properties.

The Old Cove Landing Trail is a beautiful place to go for a walk or run. It has stunning coastal views, some wildlife depending on the time of day and a variety of birds.

Somehow, this gem of a state park escaped me for years...I am in deep, passionate love with the Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz coastline, and this wonderful state park along the coast provides an incredible opportunity to enjoy everything the area has to offer: meandering trails, breathtaking vistas, the powerful coast, abundant wildlife.During my afternoon wandering the trails, I enjoyed rabbits, seals, countless seabirds, a pod of whales offshore, and even a bobcat watching as I strolled by.If youre in the mood for a wonderful walk, peaceful coastal hills, fresh air and the chance to say hello to Mother Nature, then Wilder Ranch State Park is a perfect place to park, get out of your car, and invest a few hours of your life. Youll get one heck of a return on that investment and carry those hours with you, I promise.