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Lighthouse Fields State Beach or Point
Santa Cruz
What: Long stretch of road along the ocean (West Cliff Drive);
Breathtaking view of the ocean; Surfing; Walking/Jogging; Surfing Museum;
Lighthouse
More Info: There are parking spaces at several
spots along the road and parking is free
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| Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse |
We
parked the car on West Cliff Drive, at one of the parking spots near the lighthouse. Adjacent to the
lighthouse is the California’s first surfing museum, which has lots of pictures
and information that enlightened us about how the Hawaiians introduced surfing
to the Californians.
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| View of the Pacific Ocean, Municipal Wharf and Santa Cruz Boardwalk |
The
vibe of the people there who were strolling along the ocean, jogging, playing
with their dogs, etc was just so energizing. It was beautiful to see the
surfers waiting for the waves and surfing near the coast.
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| Hole-in-the-rock formation |
We
walked down to the beach to get a closer view of the natural hole-in-the-rock formation. The
sight of the dogs having so much fun in the beach was certainly entertaining.
Municipal Wharf
What: Fishing, Restaurants and Little Shops
More Info: Free parking for the first 30min;
$1/hour parking fee for 4 hours and $2/hour parking fee after 4 hours
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| Municipal Wharf (as seen from West Cliff Drive) |
We parked
the car in the wharf and strolled along it till the end. It was captivating to
see the ocean on one side of the wharf and the Santa Cruz boardwalk on the
other side. I believe it is also a popular place for fishing as we noticed several
people waiting with their fish poles to catch the prey.
As
we were walking, we heard the barking sound of the sea lions and walked around
the Dolphin restaurant at the end of the wharf to see several sea lions and sea
otters.
Wilder Ranch State Park
What: Scenic paved trail along the ocean
Info: There is parking space on the
Cabrillo Highway and parking is free. There are restrooms at the trail head.
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| Wilder Ranch State Park |
We walked
on a ~2 mile paved trail along the cliff that took us through the unruffled Santa
Cruz coastline. The beauty of the ocean waves hitting the rocks and frothing
was mind blowing and we saw a few seals basking on the rocky shores. The
natural cave formation of the rocks tempted me to walk down to the beach (it is
safe in a few places), but the weather was freezing our tails off; hence
decided to put off my adventurous gimmicks to another day. We certainly intend
to visit this place another day and explore more!
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| Sunset from Wilder Ranch State Park |
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