Bay Area Bucket List: 5 must-do Santa Cruz activities – The Mercury News

Much of the Bay Area is an outdoor mecca, but Santa Cruz is kinda The Outdoor Mecca.

Yes, those lucky enough to reside in the 831 can get pretty smug about it.

But it’s amazing not to have to leave the area — or travel more than five miles in any one direction — to immerse yourself in nature and indulge in whatever type of mellow or challenging activity appeals that day. Here are five possibilities.

Single-track mind

Mountain bike Wilder Ranch: Since Covid-19 shut down our indoor hobbies, the mountain bike industry has been booming. “One hundred percent busier” than this time a year ago, said one Westside bike shop employee. “Our industry has never seen a boom like this,” said another.

What that means for those looking to rent a bike: Book it early. At shops that haven’t sold off their rental fleets due to backlogs on new bikes, $40/day will get you a traditional hardtail; $80 gets you full suspension or an e-bike. Those eMTBs are the new rage. No longer are human legs limited by human limitations — and the handling has greatly improved.

Wilder Ranch’s 7,000 acres are dotted with trails that dip below meadows and end up on coastal bluffs overlooking hidden caves and deserted beaches. Check for info and a trail map by searching Wilder Ranch at parks.ca.gov, and off you go.

Other top beginner-friendly trails: The Emma McCrary Trail (EMT) in the Pogonip, DeLaveaga Park and parts of Henry Cowell and Nisene Marks.

Get in the water!

Learn to surf at Cowell Beach: Unsurprisingly, surf lessons have also become a COVID hot commodity. “It’s crazy — we’re nonstop, up 125 percent for sure,” said one instructor with Club Ed Surf School and Camps. Which is why we tell you this first: If you have a friend who is patient and zen enough to teach you to surf, you have a friend for life.

There are many details, from wetsuit fit and water fitness to — most importantly — wave reading and surf etiquette. There is so much to learn about the surf environment and about safely paddling and navigating your big foamie craft around other wave-hungry humans before you ever get to the surfing part.

Club Ed and Richard Schmidt Surf School are the most veteran operations.

Cowell Beach is one of many popular Santa Cruz surf spots. (Randy Vazquez / Bay Area News Group) 

Trails for days

Hike the Forest of Nisene Marks: One of the crown jewels of Santa Cruz flora lies just off State Park Drive in Aptos. Nisene, a second-growth redwood forest that was clearcut in the early 1900s, has plenty to offer, from the 1.4-mile Old-Growth Loop to the 15-mile there-and-back to Five Fingers Falls.

Not-so-fun fact: The devastating Loma Prieta earthquake’s epicenter in 1989 was located here along the Aptos Creek Trail. Tread lightly!

  • Adam Saucedo of Salinas takes measure of the 1,000-year-old Advocate Tree that was uprooted in The Forest of Nisene Marks last week. At 263 feet with a circumference of 45 feet, the tree was one of the largest in the park. (Dan Coyro — Santa Cruz Sentinel)

  • The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park offers a serene escape to the wilderness near Aptos. (Courtesy Tom Bentley)

  • The Forest of Nisene Marks offers 30 miles of hiking trails, some with blood-pulsing ascents and others not-a-problem strolls. (Courtesy Tom Bentley)

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Climb a redwood

Do a canopy tour in Felton: COVID is keeping the full zipline eco-adventures from happening for now. But there is still a fun mid-air walk to be had among the redwoods via Mount Hermon Adventures and its Sequoia Aerial Adventure. Rope and timber obstacles are suspended between towering trees, and a few optional zipline elements add to the thrills.

The two-hour tours ($80) send you 80 feet above the forest floor. Embrace your inner Ewok and do it.

  • FELTON – JULY 23: Ya Mei Wolff-Smith goes down a zip line from one tree to another at Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, Calif., on Thursday, July 23, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

  • FELTON – JULY 23: Visitors walk from tree to tree on the obstacle course at Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, Calif., on Thursday, July 23, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

  • FELTON – JULY 23: Visitors walk on some planks to cross from one tree to another at Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, Calif., on Thursday, July 23, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

  • FELTON – JULY 23: Liam Brunet, 12, walks through the obstacle course at Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, Calif., on Thursday, July 23, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

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Set sail

Anchors aweigh on the Chardonnay: You don’t need your own grand yacht (or dinghy) to take to the waves. The Chardonnay II, a 70-foot sailing yacht, hosts sunset sails from Santa Cruz harbor each week. Enjoy wine, beer, sodas and light bites as you socially distance on deck and take in the fresh ocean breezes and rosy hues just outside the breakwater.

Chardonnay Charters does themed outings, too, including sails with winemakers or brewmasters aboard. The sunset sails run $38.50 for kids and $68 for adults, and you’ll need reservations; www.chardonnay.com.

The runners-up

  • Fishing via Stagnaro Charters out of Santa Cruz Harbor
  • Low-tide walk/run on the beach from Capitola to Pleasure Point
  • Take a run/walk along West Cliff Drive
  • Rent a kayak or SUP and explore Santa Cruz Harbor and areas nearby