Waddell Beach Mountain Biking to Berry Creek Falls, Big Basin State Park

For those of you who are looking for a nice mountain bike ride through the Santa Cruz mountains and you are tired of doing the same ride over and over, Waddell beach is the destination of choice. About 15-20 miles north of Santa Cruz Waddell beach is packed with things to do. Mountain biking, camping, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, waterfalls and the Skyline to the Sea trail makes its end point right here also. Once your on your bike you will roll past grasslands, farms, horse stables, huge redwood trees and you criss cross the creek many times (thankfully there are bridges). From the parking lot it is just about a 6 mile ride on fireroad, but there are some singletrack sections where the road washed out. Make sure you bring a bike lock and lock them to the bike rack at the end of the bike road. Here you will find the trail that leads to Berry Creek Falls along the Skyline to the Sea Trail. From your bike it is about 3/4 of a mile to the falls. All in all it makes for a great morning ride/hike and anybody who is looking to get out and get some fresh air will find this portion of Big Basin worth the trip. Make sure you grab a map if you are new to the area. It is so beautiful in Big Basin State Park that you will definately want to keep seeing what is around the corner.

Check out some of my photos:
Danny about to go down a nice section of trail, Berry Creek Falls, and the entrance to waddell beach in the background.








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Highway 9, Los Gatos to Santa Cruz
From the city through the mountains to the beach!

Downtown shot of Boulder Creek, Highway9
Highway 9 runs from Los Gatos through the Santa Cruz Mountains to Santa Cruz at the intersection of River Street to downtown Santa Cruz and the Pacific Coast Highway 1. Highway 9 passes through the cities of Los Gatos, Saratoga, Boulder Creek (gateway to the San Lorenzo Valley), Brookdale, Ben Lomond, Felton and finally the city of Santa Cruz home to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Heading any direction you'll pass by camping spots, rv resorts, mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian trail heads, swimming holes, historic relics, golf courses, county parks, and train rides all while enjoying the comfort of Santa Cruz's most diverse road side merchants providing food, fuel and lodging for any need.




American Flag in Felton, CA
The California State Park system follows highway 9 all the way through, first passing by Henry Cowell and Fall Creek Redwoods State Parks in Felton to California's first State Park, Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek. At the intersection of Highway 9 and skyline Blvd (Highway 35) you'll be at the home of Castle Rock State Park system featuring some of the areas best adventures. If you decide to traverse the Santa Cruz Mountian's highway 9 just remember to drive safe, watch for sharp turns and keep an eye out for bike riders on certain sections of the road. This stretch of highway has taken many lives so be careful. Make sure your car is in tip top condition before hitting the road.

(Highway 9 is the blue line on the map)

GOOGLE MAP of adventures along highway 9 (camping, hiking, swimming holes, vistas, backpacking, historic POI....you get the point now get outside and do something! Also note that sometimes the page doesnt shift properly and the highlighted route may not automatically adjust to different zoom levels.


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If your cruising highway 9 and your in Boulder Creek:
San Lorenzo Valley Museum
12547 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, California 95006
831- 338-8382

Redwood Resort
150 Grove Street
Boulder Creek, CA. 95006
831-338-3413

Big Basin State Park
21600 Big Basin Way # 406
Boulder Creek, CA 95006-9063
(831) 338-8860

Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club
16901 Big Basin Way
Boulder Creek, CA 95006-9218
(831) 338-2111

Joes Bar

13118 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, CA 95006

(831) 338-9417

Boulder Creek Brewery
13040 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
(831) 338-7882

Passing through Brookdale:
Brookdale Inn and Spa
11570 Highway 9
Brookdale, CA 95007
(831) 338-1300

If your going to Ben Lomond, California:
Ben Lomond Market
9440 Mill St
Ben Lomond, CA 95005-9301
(831) 336-3900

Henfling's Tavern

9450 Highway 9
Ben Lomond, CA 95005-9228

(831) 336-9318‎

Bobs Stop and Get It
Ben lomond California
9050a Highway9,
Ben Lomond ca 95005
E Mail, bobby5x@att.net
831-336-9496

Coffee Nine

95009 Hwy 9

Ben Lomond, CA 95005

831-336-4521

Passing through Felton, Check Out
Roaring Camp Railroads
P.O. Box G-1,
Felton, CA 95018
(831) 335-4484

Henry Cowell State Park
Gift Shop
831-335-3174

Eagle Rock - Big Basin State Park, Santa Cruz County

Eagle Rock, Big Basin, California, United States


Eagle Rock is probably one of my favorite spots in all of California, and perhaps the world. It is a nice hike to the top and the view looks over my childhood home at the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club. So this spot has significant meaning to me as I spent a lot of my youth in these mountain ranges. Anyway, Eagle Rock was once a fire lookout tower location for the CDF forest service. Now it is just an abandoned building with unfortunately, a lot of grafitti. But none the less it is still 360 degrees of pure Santa Cruz Mountains beauty. Also you can see Buzzards Roost which is another favorite of mine. The round trip hike is probably a little over 3 miles. The first picture was taken before the grafitti!


Directions:
Now growing up here I know of a couple fun ways of getting to Eagle Rock. The most popular way is go towards Big basin from Boulder Creek or through Watermans Gap at the other end of 236. If you decide to come through Boulder Creek go past the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club. Head to Little Basin and go left all the way to the Hewlett Packard entrance. Park here but dont block the entrance. Hike up the hill and your on the Eagle Rock trail.

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