Becoming rarer each year, the Natural Bridges State Park is home to the migrating Monarch butterfly. Each year they appear by the thousands. Recent fires, droughts and climate change his reduced their numbers dramatically. Still an amazing opportunity and natural phenomenon. Only a short time each year. Go see them when they are in Santa Cruz.

This was the view yesterday. Taking a binoculars is highly recommended. Look way up high in the trees.

OH WELL ! Another reason we drove to Santa Cruz while on vacation in Pacific Grove in early October was to visit this Monarch Butterfly habitat. When we came here around Thanksgiving 10 years ago there were at least 50,000 beautiful Monarch Butterflies hanging in the trees ( we came here in the morning back then and it was a bit chilly so the butterflies were mostly inactive ). I have since learnt that at 55F the Monarchs will become active. When we rolled up at the entrance gate where you pay to to enter the grounds ( $10 a car ) the female attendant said that there were very few butterflies in the habitat at present...it was early October and the temp was 70F. What the hell we thought ..lets just do it ! Sadly we only saw 2 Monarch Butterflies flying haphazardly around and none at all in the trees. However my wife got some great pics of a few Giant Egrets hanging out in the pond !

Great for anyone to do! His park has so much! Beaches picnic areas trails

Timing is critical when visiting this place. When we visited the monarch butterfly population was quite low. The place is just north of Santa Cruz and easy to reach. There is a parking lot but it requires fee and in busy season it could get full quite fast. The visitor center offers some hands on activities. There is a small butterfly garden but it was in a sad state when we were there. Almost no butterflies and plants were not in their best state. We enjoyed walking on the trails which are well maintained and leads to Natural Bridges beach.

An very relaxing short trail at Natural Bridges with some pleasant and vibrant scenery. Great place for a short hike.

First time visit. There were only a few monarchs still fluttering around after the major population moved on. However, there were other creatures to photograph. Best time to see butterflies here is from mid-October to late January.

Lovely little trail near Natural Bridges beach. Come at the right time of year to see the swarms of monarch butterflies :)

Crowded, far too many maskless people. Hard to park. Low tide, weekend afternoon, line for the monarchs.

Fun park area, where monarch butterflies can be seen.

Great place to walk. Sad, but we visited this place in rain and didnt see butterflies. So will visit it once again:)

Beautiful place for pictures I brought my niece here for her Quince pictures. I love visiting the monarch butterflies when they are in season.

The Natural Bridge isnt there but the Monarch Trail to see the butterfly migration and going down to the beach and viewing the tide pools is worth it.

One of the best places to visit during the winter in Santa Cruz. At peak season in November and December, there are literally thousands of monarch butterflies that are easily visible from the boardwalk trail down from the parking lot. The visitor center runs tours and answers questions too, so its a great place to bring your curious kids. Just remind them to stay quiet so they dont disturb the butterflies and bring some binoculars!

Cool little trail, extend toward the tide pools. Lots of little bunnies, frogs, etc. Love it.

Great place to see monarch butterflies...

If you love watching monarchs, this is the place to be in the back winter!!

Just love this beautiful place!

Natural Bridges Monarch trail is a very nice clean trail. We have been here a couple of times. We saw butterflies every time. They are in the trees and fly above. We saw a momma and two baby deer in the trees as we were watching the butterflies. We took mountain bikes there are trails and nice spots to bike. Definitely a favorite spot

Lovely place to bring the kiddos.

Zero butterfly per- 11/8/2020

Excellent place to see Monarch butterflies

Sadly, there were few monarchs to enjoy. They are disappearing, perhaps due to global warming. I would call before going to see if there are enough to enchant a child.

Fun visit glad we made it. The Mondays we super cool to see in such a tight cluster. Surprised they were only in a small portion of the park, & so defer in that section. Worth the visit, not mind blowing.

A nice walk in a natural setting along the coast.

Saw several clumps of Monarchs, and the docent was kind enough to have a telescope aimed at them for easy viewing.

To begin it is near the ocean/beach. This area has Monarch butterflys at a certain time of the year. There is a nice space for picnicking or just hanging out. There is a gift shop with some interesting items to purchase. Well worth the time to visit. Have fun!!!

I walk along the cliffs here at least once a week. It is stunningly beautiful.

Beautiful place

If you have a chance, talk with one of the volunteers to learn more about this monarch sanctuary. Also they can help you locate the clusters and lend you binoculars so you can get a close look!

Tons of butterflies! They come in during the rain and cold to get protection. They are high up in the trees so it is hard to get good pictures.

The company has consistantly been absent minded and nefarious

Loved it

Its very nice. With all the trees you can stay pretty cool, cold even, and on the beach it gets very warm. Shaded areas have tables and bbq pits and theres lots of restrooms.

Had a wonderful time there we had our family reunions nice weather my surroundings different culture but easy to get along with.... I would recommend this place to friends

Unless you’re here for the monarch or the beach, the trail is nothing much. Very short and flat! The beach view is great though. Didn’t have the chance to see the butterflies.

Short walk to view monarchs which are quite high and difficult to spot unless it warms up and then a few hundred can show up. Parking is 10$, guide was informative.

Bring your binoculars if you have them to see the monarchs. Some days the park staff set some up for public viewing too.

Just walked the main road after the previous nights rain........ spectacular!

It’s is so Beautiful and mostly quite and peaceful

A must see place. Easy walk. Well worth it.

Beautify for my eyes and heart

Go deep into the grove to see more butterflies

The monarch trail was beautiful with all the butterflies

Fantastic! Come during the Monarch season and you will not be dissapointed.

Could be nicer

The Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary just behind the beach is like a ghostly cathedral of eucalyptus and pine trees with their aromas mixed in with the cool ocean scents. Except for the cries of delight from school children, the sanctuary was a place where adults would speak in hushed tones, if at all. Really, really magical. They say the best time to visit is late fall/winter, Thanksgiving being an ideal time of year. In mid October, there were about 2,000 butterflies in residence.The wooden walkway lasts for about a slow 5 minute walk. However, there is a continuation of a trail on the dirt that winds around and eventually ends up back at the main road. Possibly an additional 10-15 minutes walk. But really.. going to the end of the board walk was a perfect stopping point.Highly recommended.The beach is about a 3 star, but add the preserve and definitely 4 stars. Especially for an early morning visit.*Note: Park is open from 8am to sunset. Go early for best experience.

Not so clean beach

The pictures are very deceiving. You do not see Monarchs in bunches like it leads you to believe. Youll see one or two flying around, but thats it (We went in late December). So dont expect much.

One of my favorite local birding spots

Magical

Short but nice.

Beautiful place and butterfly is great

We were under aware that there was a butterfly sanctuary here.

Best in mid-Nov

Always a relaxing walk and fun to see all of the butterflies on a warm day. If its cold dont expect to see many.

Always worth the trip when they are there and active.

Missed the Monarchs

Great view

Tons of butterflies.

Magical! Excited for the butterflies to return..

️

Beautiful park with helpful volunteers.

Favorite

Peaceful place

The edge of the continent

Awesome

Nice

Very interesting to see and learn about the Monarch Butterflies - when they are there.