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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Castle Rock State Park, California

Castle Rock State Park is located along the crest of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties. The park is filled with redwoods, oaks, madrones and firs. Wildlife everywhere and there are vultures, hawks, owls and eagles for the bird lovers. Castle Rock State Park offers 30 plus miles of hiking and horseback riding trails. Dogs are not allowed to keep the natural preservation of the surrounding wildlife. It is also a trailhead for the Skyline to the Sea Trail which leads you to Wadell Creek Beach and the Pacific Ocean. I recommend a trail map and definately check out the falls, Goat Rock and if your determined for some privacy, doom rock is really spectacular and remote from your average hiker and rock climber.

What is this? A Prehistoric Eagle head or Turtle head or what?









More Pictures:













Other Information:
The contact number is 408-867-2952. I would always bring extra layers throughout the year because the coastal weather can get nippy even in the summer nights. But more so for the fall, winter and spring season. Check out the map below in Terrain Mode.

Directions:

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