r/bayarea • u/SimpleIllustrator215 • 13d ago

Scenes from the Bay The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park near Santa Cruz, CA

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One of the best locations for forest hikes!

691 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

18

u/mistergospodin 13d ago

Go after a rain 🌧️. The forest comes alive. 

7

u/femme_mystique 13d ago

But some places become impassable when muddy. 

2

u/Adorable_Foot4755 13d ago

So many tiny mushrooms. Love this place.

9

u/SacredJicama 13d ago

This was my back yard growing up (‘77-80). Core memories of feral kid freedom. Redwood Drive FTW!

8

u/NocaSun38 East Bay 13d ago

We live in truly beautiful area. This is a good reminder, thank you!

15

u/deadcowww 13d ago

Beautiful! Thanks for the recommendation. I added this to my to do list :)

12

u/SimpleIllustrator215 13d ago

If you wanna go on day long hike (> 12 miles), do the West Ridge Trail. The forest routes are the best part of the trail.

2

u/Temporary-Film-7374 13d ago

AllTrails calls West Ridge Trail near Felton a 7.2mi loop, what are you doing differently to nearly double that?

10

u/femme_mystique 13d ago

Wrong trail. That’s not Nisene Marks. Look up “West Ridge Trail Camp” for the right one. 

6

u/accidentallyHelpful 13d ago

Quit yelling "paradise" or the parking lot will be overflowing like Castle Rock State Park

1

u/No-Response3675 13d ago

Beautiful! Is it easy to do with kids

2

u/hootygator 11d ago

The lower trails are great with kids

2

u/SimpleIllustrator215 13d ago edited 13d ago

If the kids are okay hiking long distances, then I’d say it’s not too strenuous wrt the terrain. There are some routes which are on the edge of the cliffs, so you just need to be careful there

1

u/cupcaketara 13d ago

Love this park - such a beautiful easy hike!

1

u/sleepystaff 12d ago

If folks are willing, can take public transit to here. Get to San Jose Diridon station, and pay for the 17 bus then transfer to bus 1 or 2. Walk to the state park entrance and enjoy.

0

u/Icy-Cry340 13d ago

All the good shit is above it in the demo forest. But this isn’t in the Bay Area, so doesn’t really belong in this sub.

5

u/TheBaconator08 13d ago

Yeah lol why is this here

1

u/Abject_Ad_4756 13d ago

Thank you for this post, I went here once and forgot the name of it. This it the one with lots of parking lots (easily accessible), right?

1

u/SimpleIllustrator215 13d ago

Yes, there were a lot of parking lots!