Wilder Ranch State Park

A state park north of Santa Cruz that combines a preserved Victorian dairy farm complex with some of the best coastal bluff trail riding in California. The farmstead buildings — dating from the 1870s and 1880s — are open for tours and contain remarkable intact examples of Victorian dairy farming equipment. The surrounding coastal terrace has trails running along the cliff edge above the sea, with views south to Santa Cruz and north to Año Nuevo.

The mountain bike trails in the park's inland section are well-maintained and range from beginner bluff paths to technical singletrack in the redwood-covered hills. Bike rental shops in Santa Cruz know Wilder Ranch well. The park also has good tidepools at the beach below the bluffs, accessible by trail from the farmstead parking area.

things to do sight cycling
A story
Wilder Ranch was a Victorian dairy farm from 1871 to 1969, and the farmstead buildings — still standing on the coastal terrace — are among the best-preserved examples of late 19th-century agricultural architecture in California. The barn has its original machinery; the farmhouse its original kitchen. The surrounding bluffs, where the cows once grazed above the ocean, are now a mountain bike trail system that ranks among the best in the Santa Cruz area.