Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach

Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach offers many fun activities including hiking, biking, wildlife watching, surfing, kayaking, canoeing, boating, snorkelling, swimming, sunbathing and tidepooling.  Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach is popular with surfers because the water here is not crowded and it also occasionally offers fun surfing waves.  If you are planning to surf or swim near Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here can have extremely dangerous rip currents and hazardous waves.

Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach including dolphins and migrating whales (usually between December and March).  Please note that dolphins and whales are protected under a law named the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and harming them can result in a civil penalty of up to $11,000 and possible imprisonment.  If you like birdwatching, you can also see many seabirds around Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach.  If you like hiking, you can hike around the blufftop area above Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach and explore the vibrant coastal landscape here that has farmlands, wetlands, and coastal plants.  It is important to note that Wilderness Ranch State Park- Strawberry Beach is also occasionally used by clothing optional visitors.  If you are planning a clothing optional visit to that Wilderness Ranch State Park- Strawberry Beach, please note that public indecency is legally punishable by local authorities.

Wilderness Ranch State Park also has many other beaches nearby that you can explore including Wilder Beach - this beach is the seasonal nesting site of thecritically endangered snowy plover (that is protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973).  It is important to note that walking on this beach is forbidden and you can only see this beach from an observation area due to its status as a nesting site for the endangered snowy plover.  You can also walk north of the beach through the Ohlone Bluffs Trail to explore 4 Mile Beach, which is also a popular surfing site.

Wilder Ranch State Park offers many fun actvities including hiking, biking, horseriding, and camping – this state park has a vibrant landscape consisting of many habitats including forests and grasslands and you can also see many kinds of animals here including deer, bobcats, and mountain lions.  In addition, this state park also has the remnants of a barn and a house which date back to the 19th century – theses buildings were earlier part of a dairy and they offer a unique insight into the local history.

Getting to Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach can be difficult – from the city of Santa Cruz, you need to drive around three miles west along Pacific Coast Highway/ Cabrillo Highway/ California State Highway 1 to reach the free parking lot for a beach named 3 Mile Beach (which is also called Three Mile Beach) and then hike to the blufftop area above Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach through a nearby hiking trail.  Once you reach the blufftop area above Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach, you can take one of the multiple small access paths near the bluffside that lead down to the beach below.  It is important to note that the parking lot near 3 Mile Beach is small and can fill up really quickly.  In addition, we recommend being careful while parking here and avoiding blocking the nearby access gate to Wilder Ranch State Park while parking at the parking lot for 3 Mile Beach.

As an alternate parking option, you can also park at the free parking lot for a beach named Four Mile Beach (which is also called 4 Mile Beach) – this parking lot is located along Pacific Coast Highway thre miles west of Santa Cruz.  Once you reach this parking lot, you then need to undertake a long and slightly strenous hike along a trail named Ohlone Bluffs Trail – this trail will leventually lead you to the blufftop area above Wilder Ranch State Park - Strawberry Beach.

There are many attractions near Wilder Ranch State Park-Strawberry Beach.  Seymour Marine Discovery Center is an educational and research center that offers interesting exhibits on a variety of topics including marine biodiversity, marine navigation and undersea exploration, and consrvation of water – the center has many other interesting features including touch tanks, aquarium, a gift shop, and a whale skeleton.  Lighthouse Field State Beach features a grassy park with multiple walking trails.  In addition, the state park also has a surfing museum that offers surfing-related memorabilia including photographs and antique surfboards and it offers a unique insight into surfing history of Santa Cruz – in addition, the state park also has a lighthouse named the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse.  Neary Lagoon is a wildlife refuge that has two playgrounds, walking trails, tennis courts, a basketball court, barbecue pits, and floating boardwalks – the refuge also has interpretive signs that offer information on the local biodiversity.  You can also see many kinds of birds here including coots, pied billed grebes, and wood ducks.  If you are looking for another attraction near Wilder Ranch State Park-Strawberry Beach, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History offers interesting historic and artisticexhibitions – the museum has a collection of around 7,000 historic items and it also hosts many interesting events including an arts festival named CommonGround and many educational programs.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Wilder Ranch State Park-Strawberry Beach.  Avanti Restaurant is an upscale restaurant that offers excellent Italian-style dishes including pasta, gnocchi, soups, salads, poultry dishes, and seafood.  Upper Crust Pizza & Pasta is known for serving amazing pizzas and pastas.  In addition, the restaurant also serves delicious soups, salads, sandwiches, and buffalo wings.  Bantam serves a variety of delicious gourmet dishes that are prepared using seasonal ingredients and contemporary cooking techniques – this restaurant is known for serving delicious pizzas (that are prepared in a wod-fired oven) and the restaurant also serves delicious seafood, poultry dishes, bread, and salads.  Walnut Avenue Cafe is a great family friendly restaurant that is famous for its delicious breakfast dishes including its amazing pancakes and omelets – the restaurant is particularly famous for eggs benedict.  In addition, the restaurant also serves amazing dishes for lunch including sandwiches, salads, and burgers – the restaurant has always been awarded "City's Best Breakfast" by Sunset Magazine and it has also been voted as the "Best Breakfast"in 2013 by Santa Cruz Weekly newspaper’s Readers Choice Awards.  If you are looking for another good and affrodabe restaurant near Wilder Ranch State Park-Strawberry Beach, De La Hacienda Taqueria serves some great burritos and al pastor tacos.

If you are looking for a place to stay near Wilder Ranch State Park-Strawberry Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Casa Blanca Inn (also known as Casablanca On The Beach) is an upscale waterfront hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a lounge, and complimentary breakfast.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star The Fairfield by Marriott Santa Cruz, CA  that offers many amenities including complimentary coffee, a hot tub, a pool, fitness center, dry cleaning, complimentary breakfast, and laundry facilities.  The 3-Star Best Western Plus All Suites Inn is another moderately priced hotel that offers many amenities including a hot tub, laundry facilities, vending machines, and complimentary coffee and breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and afffordable hotel near Wilder Ranch State Park-Strawberry Beach, the 2-Star Beachview Inn offers complimentary breakfast and it is located close to some of the best restaurants in Santa Cruz.