The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail is a 29.5-mile (47.2-kilometre) hiking trail that descends from the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

, passing through Castle Rock State Park and

Big Basin Redwoods State Park Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift ...

. Big Basin is California's oldest state park. It contains beautiful waterfalls and some of the largest, tallest, and oldest Redwood forests left in existence. After the August 2020

CZU Lightning Complex fires The CZU Lightning Complex fires were wildfires that burned in Northern California starting in August 2020. The fire complex consisted of fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, including fires that had previously been separately tracked as ...

, the trail closed, along with much of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. As of December 2021, the trail remains closed and its future is unclear. The trail usually takes two to three days to complete, with nearly all thru-hikers traveling from East to West (towards the ocean). It is possible to walk the entire trail in one day, though this is unusual and very difficult. However, there is a 50-km (31-mi) ultra running race held on this trail one or two times per year. Many hikers like to take a detour up Berry Creek Trail to see the waterfalls or to camp at Sunset Trail Camp, adding to the hike. Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail 2

The trail begins at Saratoga Gap on the ridge at the intersection of SR 9 and Skyline Boulevard ( SR 35), although many hikers actually begin at Castle Rock due to its overnight parking facility. The trail parallels SR 9 through Castle Rock, crosses the highway, and then follows SR 236 to Big Basin park headquarters. It then descends through Big Basin, following Waddell Creek to its outlet at Waddell Beach.

Santa Cruz Metro Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD), or simply Santa Cruz METRO, provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . Santa Cruz METRO also operates the Hig ...

routes 35 and 40 formerly went from Big Basin State Park Headquarters to Waddell Creek and back. Since September 2011, Route 40 no longer goes all the way to Waddell Beach from mid-December to mid-March. but instead turns around at Cement Plant Rd. Route 35 formerly stopped at Big Basin Headquarters on the weekends during the Spring/Summer season. As of October 2020, there is 3.6 mile (5.8 km) extension that creates a "Saratoga-to-the-Sea" Trail. The trail originates at Saratoga Quarry Park, and terminates at Sanborn-Skyline County Park. This trail connects to the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail via a completed section of the

Bay Area Ridge Trail The Bay Area Ridge Trail (Ridge Trail) is a planned multi-use trail along the hill and mountain ridgelines ringing the San Francisco Bay Area, in Northern California. Currently, have been established. When complete, the trail will connect ov ...

. The park is owned by the city of Saratoga's Parks Department. File:Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail 3.jpg, The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail passing through a fallen California Redwood tree. File:West Waddell Creek.jpg, The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail passing over Waddell Creek.

References

External links

Hiking Trails in Santa Cruz County - Santa Cruz Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skyline-To-The-Sea Trail Trails in the San Francisco Bay Area Protected areas of Santa Cruz County, California Santa Cruz Mountains