I love this park. A lot of greenery and a hiking trail with a lot of shade. What's not to like? Oh,…read morea lot of parking too and they never seem to be busy. 5 stars!

What a gem! Beautiful park with biking and hiking trails, disc golf and golf courses, ball field,…read moreplayground and picnic areas. We came for a UCSC mountain bike race and got to watch some amazing athletes compete from up and down the state. Dogs on leash are allowed on trails. Parking is free.

"If a tree falls in the woods, and there's no one there to hear it, how will the Environmentalists…read morereact?" ~Anonymous If you know me, you'll know that I'm an avid indoorsman who's highly regarded for my skill at building rubber band balls, paperclip chains, staple removal and writing Yelp reviews. I like to take a break once in a while and get outside to clear my head...or destroy printers with a baseball bat like those guys from Office Space. When I do get out, I like to take a walk in Arana Gulch. Arana Gulch is a rich habitat of wetlands, live oak forest, and coastal terrace prairie that is quite literally in my backyard. Trails run through the open space from either Agnes Street to the north or the Santa Cruz Harbor from the south. Hiking and biking are allowed on the primary trail north to south, but the real beauty is in the loop that encircles the prairie and that's only open to hikers. When you walk here, you're instantly transported to a natural wonderland full of ancient oak trees that grow over the trail. Spring is a perfect time to visit Arana Gulch as amazing wildflowers are in bloom all over the prairie in whites, pinks and purples. You'll definitely never be alone here. This space is well used by hikers, walkers, bicyclists, dog owners, birdwatchers, homeless folks who camp nearby and some kids who like to smoke "the pot". If you search the bushes hard enough you might find some interesting things. On a recent walk I saw tighty-whiteys hanging from a tree branch, a full tent setup in the underbrush, and someone's water supply. The best find ever however was when I was 10 years old and my friend and I found a whole stash of porn mags on the bluff overlooking the harbor. That was seriously a good day. Anyway go to Arana Gulch, you'll never know what you'll find.

It's makes for a quick hike, where you get to see cows. Be careful going very off-trail; there may…read morebe homeless camps in the bushes. The paths are so easy that I saw someone using a walker. Parking is on-street, and generally OK. You can stop by Bottega Del Lago for sandwiches beforehand.

I love taking my youngest grandson to this park. He loves to climb, and there are lots of things…read morefor him to climb on there. Also, it is walking distance ro get there from where he lives. There are 3 parks close to his home, and last 2 times he chose this park over the other two. There are swings, slides, and playground equipment. There are benches, a covered area with picnic tables, and bathrooms. For skaters there is a very nice skateboard park. There is a parking lot, a horseshoe pit (you need to bring your own horse shoes), and area to play basketball.

A cute park tucked in a neighborhood. If you weren't paying attention, you'd drive right by with a…read moreflash of the park. There are two ways to get to the park by driving. Recommend the parking lot closer to the apartment buildings. There is a skate park and an amazing playground. Lots of grass for little kids to run around on.

Made a stop here after a visit to our favorite Natural Bridges Beach to try and get a run or jog…read morein to burn off all the calories from picnicking. This is a small neighborhood park. There is a bball court where an intense game was ensuing. There is a small playground, some benches by a bbq area. It is on the small side and not much of an option for a run, so ended up leaving fairly quickly.

The park is okay, but the bathrooms are not the best. One bathroom stall didn't latch closed and…read morethe other one had a homeless guy staying in it. We had to go somewhere else.

Since I am one of the folks that takes care of this little slice of heaven, here is some…read moreinformation about the spot. It is an overlook of Seacliff State Beach. You cannot reach Seacliff State Beach from the Mini Park. There is a trail nearby between Seacliff and Aptos Creek you can use to reach the beach. It is called the Moosehead trail and there is a dirt parking lot next to it so you can leave your car. The mini park has benches where you can sit and enjoy your coffee or your meal. During the Covid beach closures this area became very popular with families who came to picnic in their pick up trucks and watch the sunset. It is very very popular at sunset. There are no trash cans. Please pick up after yourself and leave it the way you found it. The neighbors clean up after visitors so anything you can do to help is most appreciated. Same with cigarette butts. Many visitors stay in their car to eat or conduct business and enjoy the view. It is a great place to pull over and use your phone or check the surf. Although the property straddles Seacliff State Beach and the County right of way, the Seacliff Improvement Association built the park in the 1970s and maintains it. We often receive donations from grateful visitors while we're cleaning the park. We are so grateful! If you are interested in helping support our work here, you can make a donation to our PayPal link: www.seacliffimprovement.org Please make a note that your donation is for the mini park and we will use it to continue beautifying it. Enjoy!

Overlooking the Monterey Bay, SeaCliff State Beach and the Cement Ship this mini park has to have…read moreone of the best views in the area. The city of Monterey to the South and Capitola to the North. Seagulls and pelicans floating by while dolphins, sea otters and seals swim just off shore. People sit in their car, walk along the side walk or sit on the bench to take in the view or people watch. I head their to see what the waves look like, if the tide is in or out and to see how the fishing off the pier looks. This is the spot to sit and lookout onto the wonderful world of Monterey Bay Area and the ocean.

This is a big, beautiful park…read more There are picnic tables, bathrooms, and there's plenty of trees for shade. Parking is free.

A wonderful expanse of greenery, creeks, and recreation. This location has all the equipment one…read morewould require to have a ball. If that ball being used is a basketball, football, or baseball you're in luck as this area includes all the amenities one could possibly imagine. You will not be wanting or bored at this place of play. Have fun, play hard, play safely, and leave the park cleaner than when you arrived, please. The only downside is the trash piling up, perhaps new garbage bins / recycling program would be beneficial to combat litterbugs.

Love this park! It is so huge, seems so clean...and so much to do…read more There are bocce ball courts, playgrounds, a dog park, what looked like a skate park but was closed, a big field that we definitely saw a coyote running rampant on, picnic tables for birthdays, trails... So much in one park!

We were on our way to Santa Cruz, when we needed to make a pit stop for our dogs. We had stopped by…read morenext door at the dog park,but didn't even bother getting out. This park was a much better option. A paved trail to walk on. Water stations that worked and a very clean bathroom. There's also a huge green grassy field. We saw plenty of people walking their dogs on the lawn. Almost everyone had their dogs on leash. A much better option than the dog park

While the park is lovely, the older people in the dog park make visiting impossible. They complain…read moreabout noisy kids, playful dogs and do NOT follow any park policies. They treat the park as if it's their own private area and harass other visitors. They refuse to follow the simple rules, like no big dogs in the small dog area. When anyone says anything, they gang up on them and chase them off. I have been going to this park since I was a little girl and am saddened to see that park management refuses to deal with this "gang" of abusive and aggressive older persons!

My son and dog both like it a lot. Decent playground but miss the old wood one from the the 80sread more