Robert Stone - Day Hikes Around Monterey and Carmel: 127 Great Hikes

Since 1991, Robert Stone has been writer, photographer, and publisher of Day Hike Books. He is a Los Angeles Times Best Selling Author and an award-winning journalist of Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers, the Outdoor Writers Association of California, the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association, the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and the Bay Area Travel Writers.

Robert has hiked every trail in the Day Hike Book series. With 24 hiking guides in the series, many in their fourth and fifth editions, he has hiked thousands of miles of trails throughout the western United States and Hawaii. When Robert is not hiking, he researches, writes, and maps the hikes before returning to the trails. He spends summers in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and winters on the California Central Coast.

Hiking distance: 2.5 miles round trip

Hiking time: 1.5 hours

Configuration: out-and-back with 2 loops

Elevation gain: 200 feet

Difficulty: easy

Exposure: mix of oak woodland and open, grassy slope

Dogs: not allowed

Maps: U.S.G.S. Santa Cruz Moore Creek Preserve map

Moore Creek Preserve is a 246-acre greenbelt in Santa Cruz that opened to the public in 2003. The undeveloped watershed has a variety of habitats, including wetlands, riparian forests, live oak groves, coastal terrace prairie, and spectacular views of the ocean. Seasonal Moore Creek meanders through the east side of the preserve en route to a seaside lagoon at Natural Bridges State Beach (Hike 2). The creeks headwaters begin just north in the lower foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

To the trailhead

From the west end of Santa Cruz, take Mission Street (Highway 1) to Western Drive. Drive one mile north on Western Drive to Meder Street. Turn left and park along the curb. Parking is not allowed past this point.

ALTERNATIVE PARKING. At the lower (south) end of the preserve is a trailhead along Highway 1. The posted trailhead is located 0.3 miles west of Western Drive, directly across Highway 1 from Shaffer Road. Parking is available along the highway.

The hike

Walk 0.4 miles west to the posted trailhead at the west end of Meder Street, a narrow, forested lane. Curve right on the East Meadow Trail to a signed junction at 0.1 mile. Bear left on the Moore Creek Trail, and drop into the oak-filled canyon. Traverse the east canyon slope along a rock wall with caves. Zigzag down two switchbacks to the canyon floor, and cross the bridge over seasonal Moore Creek. Ascend the west slope and pass through a trail gate. Leave the oak woodland to rolling grassy slopes and a T-junction. From here the views extend across Monterey Bay to Pacific Grove in Monterey County. The left fork descends 0.7 miles to the alternative trailhead on Highway 1.

Bear right (north) on the Prairie View Trail, and cross the rolling terrain 100 yards to a fork. Begin the loop to the left, staying on the Prairie View Trail to the fenceline bordering a private ranch. Go to the right, skirting the edge of the preserve and walking parallel to the fence. Climb the sloping meadow to the ridge and a trail split. The Terrace Loop Trail, the return route, is on the right. For now, go straight ahead on the Vernal Ridge Trail along the preserve boundary. Curve right along the edge of a thick oak woodland draped with lace lichen. Meander on the B-shaped loop through the wooded draw, returning to the ridge overlooking the bay. Now, go to the left on the Terrace Loop Trail, following the 400-foot ridge east. Curve right, completing the second loop. Veer left 100 yards, returning to the Moore Creek Trail junction. Bear left, back to the trailhead on the same route.

Hiking distance: 1-mile loop

Hiking time: 45 minutes

Configuration: loop

Elevation gain: 50 feet

Difficulty: very easy

Exposure: shaded forest and exposed bluff and beach

Dogs: not allowed

Maps: U.S.G.S. Santa Cruz Natural Bridges State Beach map

Natural Bridges State Beach overlooks the ocean on the west edge of Santa Cruz. The 54-acre park was named for three picturesque offshore rock formations with water-carved arches. The last of the three natural stone bridges collapsed after the devastating 1989 earthquake, but the gorgeous rock sculptures still remain. Along the shore is a sandy, half-moon beach backed by a large lagoon fed by Moore Creek. At the west end of the beach are rock terraces filled with tidepools in shallow depressions. Near the center of the park is a eucalyptus grove which attracts an annual monarch butterfly migration. The renowned site is home to one of the largest populations of wintering monarch butterflies in the United States (September through February). This hike loops around the state park on an interpretive trail through the diverse habitats.

To the trailhead

From the junction of Beach Street and West Cliff Drive by the wharf (Municipal Pier) in downtown Santa Cruz, head south on West Cliff Drive. Drive 2.7 miles along the oceanfront cliffs, passing the Point Santa Cruz Lighthouse, to the state beach entrance at Swanton Boulevard. Drive straight ahead into the parkland. To the left is the coastal overlook parking lot. Stay to the right and continue 0.4 miles to the parking lot at the visitor center. An entrance fee is required.

The park can also be accessed from the north via Natural Bridges Drive.

The hike

You may wish to pick up an interpretive brochure at the visitor center. The walk starts on the right (east) side of the visitor center at the posted Monarch Trail. Follow the boardwalk path through eucalyptus groves, descending to the floor of the ravine and a junction. The left fork leads 50 yards to the Monarch Resting Area viewing platform. Return to the junction and continue down canyon on the dirt path. Curve left and climb natural rock steps out of the ravine. Follow the ridge north through Monterey pines and eucalyptus groves. Cross the upper end of the park road near Delaware Avenue, and continue on the Moore Creek Trail. Curve south to a junction by seasonal Moore Creek. The right fork leads to Delaware Avenue. Veer left and cross through the riparian corridor on a boardwalk, curving toward the beach. After the boardwalk ends, the trail crosses a series of short bridges through groves of blackberries to the west banks of the Moore Creek estuary. Scramble up the short rocky terrace on the right to a coastal overlook. Descend the hill to the beach between the lagoon and the ocean. Walk 200 yards along the sandy beach to the base of the cliffs, viewing the offshore natural bridge outcroppings. Loop around the lagoon to the wide trail at the back of the beach. Return 30 yards to the parking lot.