Mountain Biking in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is a town with many faces. Old and new, hip and grunge, surf and mountains. Your family will not run out of adventures including mountain biking some fun stuff in Santa Cruz.

I want to love Santa Cruz. What other town has surfing, mountain biking, road biking and a college vibe? My outsiders take is this – it’s like the town has both too much character and none at all. Everything seems stuck in the 80s. Buildings are rundown, roads are poorly planned to get from point a to point b, people are in a hurry, and it’s big and spread out. The “normal” people and active types are sometimes overshadowed by homeless people and drug addicts.  Things can seem a bit “dirty” here unless you are actually biking or surfing. In addition, we couldn’t go to any trailhead without a local warning us that our car would probably be broken into if we left it. You don’t see cars parked at trailheads here, they park on the street or ride/run/walk to them. That said I would return here again for the things listed below…

Like other MTB Town posts these recommendations are geared for adventure families.

Camping in Santa Cruz

New Brighton State Beach: Great location, beautiful area, some sites have hook-ups (we didn’t have one of those sites), our site (94) was large, grass was uncut and we worried about ticks etc., it sits way above the beach and not on it. It’s actually in Capitola and not Santa Cruz which is why it seems much more peaceful  and clean there.

Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park: Great location in the harbor, not toddler-friendly as it’s literally a parking space on a road, full hook-ups. I don’t think we’ll be staying here again but if you are going to be gone all day it’s a great location.

KOA North/Costanoa: Great spot 30 miles north to experience the coast between San Fran and Santa Cruz. Full on the weekends, no cell service, a bit overpriced, sites close together but standard for an RV park, beach a 15-20 min walk but beautiful. $varies

Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Park – This park is the closest to the Campus Trails, will put you in good distance of Soquel, and is close to the beach and downtown Santa Cruz. We really enjoyed staying at this location. The sites are tight but we were able to get our 38ft RV in with no issues.

Santa Cruz Lodging

Camping not your style? Here are your best bets for lodging in the Santa Cruz area.

Dream Inn:  The Santa Cruz Dream Inn is a retro-chic Joie de Vivre hotel located just adjacent to the Municipal Wharf and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Cowell’s Beach. Go for this one if you want luxury.

Ocean Echo Inn:  Perfect for adventure families, the Ocean Echo Inn & Beach Cottages are located between Capitola and Santa Cruz. Each of the cottages has a charming, beach vibe, kitchenettes and outdoor barbeques. Ocean Echo Inn also offers complimentary breakfast.

Pacific Blue Inn: The Pacific Blue Inn is a bed and breakfast inn that promotes green living and eco-awareness. It was built with non-toxic long-lasting blue wood and uses reclaimed and recycled construction materials. The inn also has installed lower water use fixtures, and they use non-toxic cleaning supplies to eliminate harsh chemicals. Located halfway between downtown Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Pacific Blue Inn offers a quiet, secluded environment with nine rooms.

Where to Eat in Santa Cruz

Aptos St. BBQ: Some of the best BBQ we’ve ever had. They also have a sister restaurant called Mission St. BBQ. Both are great.
»Kid Friendly: Yes, there is outside seating, kids menu, and informal vibe inside.

Humble Sea Brewery: Great beer and cool vibes. You sit outside and there are food trucks. We ate at the Lobster one and it was delicious.
»Kid Friendly: Yes, there is outside seating and food trucks.

Duartes Tavern: We discovered this place pre-kids back in 2004 when we ate there 3 times in 3 days. It’s not as great as I remember but definitely worth a visit for the artichoke soup, free sourdough bread, and pie.
»Kid Friendly: Maybe, they do have a kid’s menu but it seems popular with couples and not really spacious (you’ll be close to your neighbors).

HWY 1 Brewery: Great location, good burgers but REALLY expensive (like $20 burger expensive).
»Kid Friendly: Mostly. The waitress was really nice to our screaming (at times) toddler and they do have a kids menu.

Pizza My Heart:  Great for take-out. NY style, fresh ingredients, good salads, surf inspired.
»Kid Friendly: Yes although we’ve only done take-out.

Tacos Moreno:   A hole in the wall taco heaven. Yummy carnitas and homemade chips and salsa.

The Penny Ice Cream: One of our favorite things to do in new towns besides mountain biking is to find the best ice cream. Penny is our top picks in Santa Cruz. All fresh and absolutely delicious. The flavors are unique and change weekly.

Mountain Biking Trails in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is really stepping up its game with mountain bike trails. Legalizing more, making more, opening more land to recreation, and putting up (some) trail signs. I will say that currently Trailforks or MTB Project site is not the best resource for Santa Cruz. A lot of the advice on there seems wrong, and some trails are not up to date or even listed. It’s still one of those places where it’s best to get out with a local or be resourceful with Strava. Here is a sampling of our Strava Rides:

Upper Campus: If you park by the Rincon Fire road you’ll have lots of company to show you some options after climbing up Pogonip. The options are endless but most of the trails are STEEP so make sure you know what you’re dropping into.

Flow Trail: One of the BEST 3.2 mile flow trails I’ve ever been on. If you ride one area make it Soquel Demo Forest. Check out our in-depth guide to riding the Santa Cruz Flow Trail here.
»Kid Friendly: Yes if they have excellent bike handling skills and you shuttle up to Aptos Creek Road a bit.

Pogonip/Upper Campus: The EMT trail is fun and will lead you up to the trails around the campus.
»Kid Friendly: Depends, EMT is pretty mellow and could be done by a kid with good bike handling and a desire to climb.

Wilder Ranch: MTB Project led us a bit astray here. Again best to ask a local which route they prefer. I would say counterclockwise would be best. As of this writing stay away from the Baldwin Trail as it’s filled with Poison Oak. Do not miss the Enchanted Forest Loop and Old Cabin.
»Kid Friendly: The Coast Trail is great for all kids but the terrain to the east all involves lots of climbing.

Road Biking in Santa Cruz

Most of the riding we did here was up north towards Pescadero. I would love to go back and keep exploring those roads as they have little traffic and amazing scenery. Most roads in Santa Cruz have bike lanes but on a previous trip I found riding east on the canyon roads the most dangerous road riding I’ve ever done (and I don’t say that lightly).

Capitola to North on HWY 1: This is a great route through Capitola, Santa Cruz, Cliff Drive and then North on the 1. HWY 1 is super busy but it does have a huge shoulder and oceanside riding.

Pescadero Area: Love, love, love the road riding from the KOA. Don’t miss Stage road. Ignore the signs that say Bicycles Not Advised… they are chip seal roads but fine to ride on with skinny tires.

Surfing in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is home to many world-class surfers and surf breaks. One of the most famous surfing spots is Steamer Lane, but there are surfing areas for all levels.

Cowell’s just next to the wharf is an excellent place for beginners. Just grab your board and head down the cliffside stairs to the water.

Visit the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum to learn about the history of surfing and to watch the pros ride the waves at Steamer’s.

Kids and Dogs in Santa Cruz

Tide Pooling at Bean Hollow: Up north of Pescadero is a great beach to tide pool and also search for colorful pebbles and shells.

Swanton Berry Farm: U Pick strawberries, and then be sure to check out their chocolate covered ones in the store!

Depot Bike Park: Kalden loved this park and got a kick out of the sign that said “no skateboards allowed.”

Chanticleer Dog Park:  Campy enjoyed romping around this park with some furry friends.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk: We didn’t go here but I’d be remiss not to mention. Lars is just too young and K is not into the amusement park stuff.

Have questions? Have you ridden in Santa Cruz? Leave a comment below.