On an unseasonably hot May day, I headed to the coast to escape the inland heat. On my agenda was a hike within The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. This park, located outside Santa Cruz and Aptos in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, has tons of hiking and mountain biking trails to choose from!
While this entire forest was clear cut in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and no old growth Redwoods remain, the environment has rebounded beautifully, and now this area is filled with second growth forests. Relatively small Redwoods are still massive, so while it doesn’t quite compare to the monsters of Humboldt or Redwood National Park, the forests are still pretty!
The trees combined with the numerous creeks and waterfalls that criss-cross the park make for an awesome place to enjoy the outdoors!
Miles/Elevation:
10.4 miles
817 feet vertical gain
About The Forest Of Nisene Marks State Park:
Located outside Santa Cruz on the California Coast, The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park contains dense forests, coastal mountains, and deep ravines. While essentially the entire area of the park was logged in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the forest has largely recovered. Redwoods blanket much of the park, and while you will not find the iconic old growth monsters, there is still beautiful forest to be explored!
At about 9,700 acres, the park contains 30 miles of trails that cover elevations from near sea level to about 2,600 feet. Named in honor of Nisene Marks, whose children donated the land, the park is now a local favorite among hikers, joggers, and mountain bikers.
There is an $8 parking fee to park at the park.
Getting To The Trailhead:
To access Nisene Marks, you will need to make your way to Aptos California. From the Bay Area, take highway 17 to Santa Cruz, and then head south on highway 1. From the south, follow highway 1 north until you reach Aptos.
From highway 1, take the exit onto State Park Drive. Take a left off the exit, and then quickly turn right onto Soquel Drive just past the Safeway. Continue on Soquel Drive to Aptos Creek Road, and then turn left. Follow Aptos Creek Road to enter the park. Once you reach the park, there is a parking lot right next to the entrance station, or you may continue on along the gravel park road to reach further trailheads. The further you go, the shorter your hike will be.
There is an $8 parking fee in the park.
The Earthquake Epicenter Trail:
Up The Fire Road:
From the parking area next to the entrance station, you have a bit of a hike up the Aptos Creek Fire Road. While you can avoid most of this road walk by parking at the further parking lot, I wanted the extra mileage!
The forest and scenery is nice as you walk up the road, and the incline is almost non-existent, so it does make for nice and easy hiking. You should be able to cover a mile in 20 minutes or less if hiking, so even if you don’t enjoy the road walk, it goes quickly!
Even if you park all the way out by the entrance station, you could actually spice your hike up a little by following some of the side trails that fringe the edges of the road. I personally didn’t take any of these side trails because I didn’t feel like doing the navigating it would have required, but there are ways to spice things up a little!
There are a few landmarks that break up the road walk. After about 1.3 miles, you will reach the first bridge over Aptos Creek. At just over 2 miles, you will reach the Porter Family Picnic Area which marks the final parking area. Past the gate here, there will be no more cars to contend with!
Past the gate, the trail remains largely the same, though you will pass a few historic sites with accompanying informational signs. This entire park was clear cut by the logging industry, and there are remnants of this scattered around the park. First, you will pass the site of the former Loma Prieta Mill where lumber was processed. Then, you will pass the Porter House Site. Finally, you will reach the base of the former Incline Railroad.
Once you reach the base of the Incline, you will be branching off the road and onto single track trail. The Aptos Creek Trail heads off here, but it’s actually kind of tough to see where it goes!
Near the sign, descend down to the creek. Once at the creek, look across for the trail as it ascends up the far bank. Do not follow along the banks of the creek upstream. Cross, and then follow the trail up and away from the water!
The Aptos Creek Trail:
Once you get across Aptos Creek, you will be on beautiful single track heading into the woods! It’s a great change to get off the fire road, and this trail feels like a real hike.
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
First, you will leave the banks of the creek. You will return shortly, but to start you leave the water’s edge. The terrain along this part of Aptos Creek is quite severe, so it would be pretty tough to actually follow the water.
After about a quarter of a mile away from the water, you will return to the creek banks. A notable landmark is the skeletal remains of some unknown animals laying out on a boulder near the creek! I was a little spooked and immediately began monitoring for mountain lions, but when you look closer, the bones are clearly not fresh. I also have seen multiple online articles that mention them, so I think they have been there for quite awhile!
When you return to the creek, you will have another confusing piece of navigation. The earthquake epicenter isn’t far, and on the Alltrails map, it looks like the trail follows the creek upstream to it. There are some places to walk along the banks, so I actually followed the creek here.
Very quickly, my progress slowed to a stand still, and I was lost. I wasn’t really lost because I knew I could always follow the creek downstream to find my way out, but I had definitely lost the trail! I was doing some rock hopping that I knew didn’t count as a trail, and I had no idea how to proceed!
Turning around, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the epicenter. I had no interest in hiking through the creek and getting soaked, but I didn’t know where to go. Upon returning to the bones where I lost the trail, I found it.
Rather than following the creek upstream, you actually need to take a left and head a short ways downstream. After just a few yards going downstream, I found the trail again climbing away from the water. This was the trail, and from here I was only a couple of minutes from the epicenter.
From where you climb away from the creek again, you have about a quarter of a mile of easy hiking to reach the epicenter.
As you approach the epicenter, the first thing you notice will probably be the sign marking the location as well as the fence blocking off the rest of the trail. You are not allowed to hike past this point due to landslides, so be aware that you’ll need to take a different route if you wish to continue on to the waterfalls further along.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect at the epicenter. Maybe it would be a gaping chasm or splintered rocks, or more realistically maybe it would be some old landslides or something, but honestly I didn’t see a single thing that would lead me to believe a major earthquake happened here. I’m sure a trained eye could spot the signs, but I do not have a trained eye, so to me it was just a spot on a trail in the forest.
Anyway, after a relatively anticlimactic final destination, I had a quick snack and then began the hike out.
Hiking Out:
There isn’t a ton to say about the hike out because you just need to retrace your steps back to the trailhead. Follow the now obvious singletrack trail along Aptos Creek to the fireroad, and then follow the road back to the entrance station.
The hike out does drag on if you started where I did all the way at the entrance station. You have probably 4 miles of road walking to do, and it isn’t exactly the most engaging walking I’ve ever done.
Anyway, I eventually made it back to the entrance station parking lot, and I was done after a quick 3 hours!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 7/10
If you hike this trail all the way from the park’s entrance station as I did, this is a 7/10. There’s a lot of road walking, and while the forest is pretty, even during the road walk, it’s never overly spectacular and there isn’t even a great final destination at the end.
If however you park at the forward most parking lot and make this a 4 mile hike, then I’d rate it as an 8/10. I did the longer version simply because I wanted to add extra miles, but the better version of this hike is the short one, and then it’s a very solid trail. Just don’t expect a gaping chasm at the epicenter!
Pros:
- Beautiful forests
- Serenity of Aptos Creek Trail
- Good trail quality
Cons:
- Gets very busy
- Fireroad walking
- No big views
- No old growth Redwoods
Alternative Hikes:
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
The Land of Medicine Buddha Loop
When To Hike The Earthquake Epicenter Trail:
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park really is a 4 season destination. In summer, expect to be hot on exposed sections of trails, and to be comfortable on the shaded sections. During winter, expect to be cool in the shaded areas, and still warm in exposed sections. Rain is most likely in winter and spring.
Links For Further Reading:
Loma Prieta Earthquake Epicenter Trail: Alltrails
Hike to the Loma Prieta Epicenter | Santa Cruz
This surreal hike near the Bay Area takes you to the Loma Prieta earthquake’s epicenter
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