Wilder Ranch State Park is two state parks in one. Just north of Santa Cruz, Highway One divides this state park into two distinctly different landscapes. Coastside, the Ohlone Bluff Trail traces a twisting path along the crest of seaside cliffs. A fog free sunset here would surely send poets into a creative frenzy guaranteed to empty their inkwells.
While the pull of the seaside cliffs is strong, I came to explore the upland portion of the park where you will find the vast majority of the park’s 7,000 acres and thirty-five miles of trails.
Two miles north of Santa Cruz’s last stoplight on Highway One, I turned into the park entrance, paid my fee, and stepped into a gray foggy morning. From my car, I could see in the hills above a stand of Douglas firs nestled along a creek drainage, so I chose to head in that direction. A short walk down the road, I passed between the ranch buildings, crossed the underpass beneath the highway, and stepped onto the right-hand fork of the Engelsmans Loop Trail.
The beginning of the trail follows the course of Wilder Creek but at an elevation even with the treetops well above the creek itself. It also traces a lovely border between two very different landscapes. On my left stretched a vast level grassland dotted with coyote brush and scrub oaks. The huge reach of the field and the browsing deer gave the scene a Serengeti-like appearance. Immediately on my right, a dense forest of Douglas firs, buckeyes, and coast live oaks extinguished the wide-open space. As close as I was, I never saw Wilder Creek, but its gentle gurgle was soothing company.
Two miles up, the trail turned away from the creek drainage and onto the open plateau. Here, higher up the slope, some amazing coast live oaks with massive trunks and high arching limbs joined the show. I could see leaves from long gone Douglas Iris and other flowers that brighten this trail early in the season.
As the trail emerged from the oaks and turned toward home, an immense view was right in front of me. The grey skies I had earlier lamented now seemed to cast a magic spell. Clear blue skies along the coast often come with a windy bluster, but this steel gray morning was hauntingly still. It was so quiet that I felt certain I could hear a pin drop a mile away. The peaceful ocean beyond the hills reflected a lazy shimmering gloss.
Back at the bottom of the hill, the 4.75-mile loop I just walked had been great, but I had intended to do a much longer one. The Enchanted Loop is a 12-mile loop that includes both the seacliff and upland portions of Wilder Ranch. I had set out on the Engelsmans Loop Trail hoping to connect with the upland portion of the Enchanted Loop, but I had somehow missed the trail junctions that would have taken me there. That’s okay. It was a great morning, and now I have a reason to come back soon.
I said Wilder Ranch State Park is two parks in one, but there is a third aspect to the park. An adobe, two ranch houses, and several other ranch buildings are beautifully preserved from the old ranch days. Volunteers often dress in period garb and demonstrate water-powered workshops and other historic ranch activities.
A seaside stroll, an upland hike, or a tour of an historic ranch; Wilder Ranch has a reason to get outdoors for everyone.Â
