Nice local beach near our rental. It's a bit hard to get up and down, but very cozy and private…read more There also seems to be parking nearby which is convenient. Loved sitting on the benches up top to take in the views.

Hidden Gem but Get There Early!…read more Sunny Cove is definitely a locals' spot--tucked away and super chill, but it fills up fast and that includes parking too! I made sure to get there before noon, and even then it was already packed. If you want a good spot, I'd recommend arriving before 11 AM. It's a dog-friendly beach, so you'll see lots of pups running around off-leash, which gives it a fun and relaxed vibe (just be mindful if you're not a fan of dogs). There's also a porta potty available, which is better than nothing, but just a heads-up if you're planning a longer visit. Overall, Sunny Cove is a beautiful little beach with a laid-back local feel. Great for soaking up the sun--just be ready to share the sand!

Best views in Santa Cruz!!!! Hit the pleasure point market for awesome breakfast burritos…read more Sunsets are the bomb from the beach just past the market at the end of Rockview Drive. Shark eyes will see seals, sea otters and my favorite: dolphins!

Pleasure Point, on the northern Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County, California, is a world-renowned…read moresurf location, traditionally defined as the area along the coast from 41st Ave to Moran Lagoon, up 30th Ave to Portola and over to 41st Ave down to the sea at the "Hook". It has a firmly rooted surf culture. We regularly spend time in the Pleasure Point area renting vacation houses there in June. We recently got back from renting a property right on East Cliff named, "The Cabin." Great rental with an awesome view of the Bay and surfers. We enjoy seeing all the locals and tourists walk, ride their e-bikes, or surf there. It's location is near Capitola, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk , and many local restaurants, bars, coffee spots you'd expect. They have an annual neighborhood festival there every June also that's very fun to attend. Over 100 vendors sell arts, crafts, local services, food and beverages. They have a kids zone, beer garden and local bands perform a variety of styles of music on two stages including Americana, Blues, Rock, Reggae and Surf Music. Pleasure Point is a great area!

This checked all my boxes for a great hike: woodsy, water, scenic, peaceful, moderate, posted…read moresigns, and free parking was a bonus. We arrived around 10:15 am on a Thursday, and there were still a few parking spots in their smallish parking lot. I'm sure you'd have to come much earlier on the weekend. There's a map of the various trails. We decided to do a loop of: Fall Creek - S-cape - Ridge trail - back to parking lot. The Fall Creek section was very easy, and you're walking along the creek with a few small waterfalls to admire. A couple of times you cross over the creek, but there are planks to walk on. I couldn't stop taking pictures during this section. There's a bit of elevation when you get to the Ridge trail section, but nothing too bad. The only thing to be cautious of is the abundance of poison oak. There are some narrow paths where the poison oak was spilling over from both sides of the path. TIP: wear long pants. This is a hike that I'd come back to.

#641 #1/25 A very…read moreBeLated review of '23 summer hike... til next visit to a Lusher forest :) Started from Big Ben near Bonny Doon airport to Fall Creek and return. Climb Dry rebirth after the fire Me n this Forest Scenery is an old growth forest with little ground cover other than Redwood sorrels after the fire. Entirely canopied, easy and well kept but a steep trail. Heard owls at the top near Big Ben, a squirrel, few birds and some grasshoppers. Otherwise pretty quiet. Fall Creek had steady water flowing and a tiny waterfall at the time of my visit. Pups are NOT allowed here. Less visited old growth forest as the trail is continuous elevation down to Fall Creek and back up to Big Ben. A couple of crossing to HC Lime Kilns where the lime was used to rebuild SFO post 1906 earthquake and to Lost Empire. Signals were virtually nonexistent and the BBT is NOT marked! I took pictures of the Trail descriptions and maps prior to and that was helpful. Go with someone who is familiar with these trails or download descriptions and good trail mapS. Felton Empire Rd runs through it. There is NO parking lot or any signs to per se. Once you find the trail, you can park on the shoulder. Pro tip: It's MUCH easier to find and start from Bennet Creek to Fall Creek Trailhead as there is a parking lot off Felton Road. About 3 to 8.4 miles hike depending on the trails (partial loop) you choose with little to ~1500 ft elevation if you hike to Big Ben and entire loop (8.4 miles). Recommend water, protein bars and comfortable shoes.

This is a beautiful little beach that's great for letting your dog get sandy, wet and tired from…read moreromping around with other doggy buddies or chasing a ball. It's not the kind of beach for quiet relaxation. Only bring your kiddos if they are comfy around running dogs. The stairs leading from the sidewalk down to the beach are kinda steep so beware if that's an issue for you. With patience, parking is ok in the nearby lots. No lifeguard. No restrooms on the beach but there is one within a 10 min walk. BYO poop bags and enjoy the entertaining show!

Walking along west Cliff, we found the beach for dogs to romp, swim, explore, fetch, play in the…read moresand and just enjoy the beach waves. We went around what seemed to be high tide with crashing waves and lots of sea birds that flew by that we enjoyed. Plenty of parking along West Cliff drive and it's a lovely walk no matter where you walk to get to the beach... just be aware of the steep stairs to go down and up from the beach.

This beach is picturesque, but dangerous and difficult to access. It's not recommended for children…read moreor anybody who can't handle the steep incline. There's no bathrooms, jellyfish are abundant on the shore and wash up and back with the waves...with violent riptides even near the shore. Out on the rocks people are able to fish for perch, but the whole area is very windy and when lying down you'll be inundated with sand. The parking area is the second one past Laguna when driving north on PCH. It's far easier to navigate the steep cliff going down in shoes. Many of us were barefoot or in sandals and it really slows you down. As such, you're not going to easily get large objects like cool chests down to the beach. You'll not likely want to make multiple trips to the car either. The trash is still a concern as young people leave cans and bottles everywhere. Like some Yelpers have posted, I didn't experience any nudity, nor did anyone ask me to have sex with them, however, I suspect this area is not patrolled often because of it's limited access. I saw people drinking beer without impunity and so it's not hard to imagine, given this beach also appears in nudist beach listings in search results. In my experience, it was younger adults in groups, everyone was dressed. Two people were fishing. There's an arch in the cliffs which leads to another beach to the left, and then rock formations you can carefully walk out on to the right and fish from. It appears high tide covers these areas, so keep that in mind. There were at least 60 people on the beach, so I don't understand the posts about being quiet and secluded, either. This property used to be owned by a dairy company and was ceded to the state, which explains it not having a long public history and the abandoned railroad tracks paralleling PCH. Nobody was surfing or out in the water and that's good, because the riptides are especially fierce and very close to shore. If there's no jellyfish you can walk in the surf washing up but that's about it. I wouldn't recommend going into the water and wouldn't stay on the other side of the arch on the beach when the tide is rising. I also noticed there's no cellular reception, either.

Beautiful, hidden beach with crashing waves and nary a soul. Park at the dusty little lot straight…read moreoff of Laguna Rd on Hwy 1. If you can't find it, the coordinates are (36.986927, -122.156281). From there to the beach, cross the road, go over the railroad track, past the field of poison ivy and down the sandy, rocky ledge. Needless to say, this path is not for the handicapped. The waves are rough and the wind strong; swimming is not advised. But the sand is warm and untouched. Walking further along, there's a lagoon of waste water surrounded by seagulls (and seagull poop!) Along the cliffs at the edge of this small stretch of peaceful and picturesque, tide pools with sea anemones and sea snails can be seen at low tide. This is your chance to go off the beaten track and take the road less traveled. At least until this too becomes popular.

Shark Fin Cove really is a hidden gem. I saw it online and have had it saved for a while, but I was…read morenot too far from there adventuring the coast and decided to finally come check it out. Looking into it, I had seen a few reviews focusing on litter and people there taking photos(?), so I wasn't sure what to expect, but maybe we caught it on a good day. When we went, it felt peaceful and absolutely beautiful. It's a short but steep hike down, so be ready for that. Once you're at the bottom though, it's completely worth it. The way the cove is shaped makes the sound of the crashing waves feel amplified, it's dramatic and so calming at the same time. There's a small cave to the right when you first get down into the cove, we looked inside but didn't go all the way in. Closer to the water, there's another cave that opens out toward the ocean, which was really neat to see. Such a cool natural spot to explore and take in nature. I did notice a piece or two of trash, but instead of complaining and leaving it there, I just picked it up. My fiancé always brings a bag with us on hikes, beaches, or nature walks in case of any forgotten scraps. It's too beautiful of a place not to take a second to care for it. Definitely recommend checking it out :)

Visited Shark Fin Cove Beach and it was absolutely stunning! The dramatic cliffs, hidden cave, and…read morecrashing waves made it feel like a little slice of paradise. Such a peaceful spot to unwind, take in the ocean views, and soak up nature's beauty. Definitely one of the most breathtaking coastal gems along Highway 1! Trail down to the beach is a short but steep, rugged walk across abandoned railway tracks and down a cliffside trail.

We had fun watching our first baseball games of the season. It was fun watching the kids play…read more This park also has a good skateboard area. There are places for barbecues and picnics. There is green grass area. Its a fun park to go to.

Before I start, this review is about the skatepark. Highland skate park is really fun, there's a…read morereally nice bowl wit some street. id give it a vert rating of 7/10 and a street rating of 2/10. it has a really nice section for beginner's and for people learning to grind, but it has very good ramps for vert as well. it is not a big park, its quite small. but it is always so much fun to ride. the community there is always nice and I would rate it a 9/10. overall this park is a 7.5/10 because it is really fun but it isn't higher because its not very big. hope this helps.

Just a little park in downtown Ben Lomond. The playground equipment is really new - my daughter…read moreloves to come here and play on the swings. Lots of dads on Saturday mornings with the kids. There's also a basketball court. And I heard in the summer they used to dam the river and kids could go swimming. Not sure if they still do that.

I like this park and I used to have my lunch there enjoy kids playing and enjoy under the tree…read morelooking at the small river just an anti stress . But why is closed??! Anybody know why?