Turning off Highway 1 into the Rancho Del Oso entrance of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. There is a horse camp at this site.
Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail
Skyline to the Sea Trail
Waddell Creek runs along much of the trail
Waddell Creek
About 3 or 4 miles in, a tree had fallen across the trail. The bushy top of the tree blocked our way. I dismounted and tried to lead Bella through the tangle, but decided against asking her to walk through pointy, broken sticks. The hillsides on both sides of the trail were too steep to traverse, so this was our turn-around spot.
Tree blocking the trail - where is the ranger with the chain saw?
Tree blocking the trail
And turning around, this is where we were in the forest.
Bridge over Waddell Creek; Bella had trouble with this going up the trail, but was much better coming back.
This is a pretty popular trail; we ran into several groups of hikers and some cyclists as well, but no other riders.
Redwood forest lets in little light
Lush, healthy forest with a lot of plant diversity
The creek is low this time of year; we are also in a 3-year drought
Creek crossing
Looking down "river" at the creek crossing
Creek crossing on the Clark Connection Trail. This trail went steeply up switchbacks through the dense forest, two miles to the Westridge Trail.
You can kind of tell how steep the hillside is at this spot on the Clark Connection trail because you're looking right over the top of redwoods all the way across the canyon (looking south)
This is the view at the same spot on the Clark Connection trail. We are on a precarious ledge (sort of) and I am reluctant to continue. If Bella were to spook and step off the trail, it's just a sheer drop down.
This is the same spot. This is the narrow trail on the edge of the hillside. It is slanted slightly away from the hill and all loose pebbles. Since we are riding alone and it is already early evening, this was our turn-around spot on this trail.
Clark Connection Trail going downhill
You can see the trail switchbacks below us
Finally back to the canyon floor - phew! - interesting tree branches
More interesting tree branches reach out to the trail
Back to the creek crossing.
Back to the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail
Gnarled trees along the trail
Exposed tree roots on eroded hillside
The trail skirts the edge of the meadow as we get closer to the coast.
California Quail (state bird) sits on top of a road sign.
Coastal wild flowers
Back at the Rancho del Oso horse camp - Bella waits to be unsaddled
After opening the gate to exit, I look back at the park in the evening sunshine.
My rig
Right across the road (Highway 1 aka Pacific Coast Highway) is the Pacific Ocean. This spot is called Waddell Creek Beach.
Another 1.5 miles down the road is a beach and picnic area called Greyhound Rock. Since I don't usually come over to the coast (even though we live just right over the other side of the Big Basin ridges) we stopped and I took some photos.
Waddell Creek Beach - the fog bank is offshore.
It's around 7:00 and most of the people who jammed this beach earlier have gone.
It's around 7:00 and most of the people who jammed this beach earlier have gone.
Looking north up the coast from Greyhound Rock overlook
Offshore rocks
Greyhound Rock
It's hard to see but there's a couple of black dots in the water that are seals in the surf (about 3/4-inch from the left edge, just above the wave that's about to break).
Coast looking south from Greyhound Rock overlook
Greyhound Rock
There's a trail that leads from the overlook parking lot down to the beach. At low tide, you can walk across the sand and climb on the Rock.
Wave action
There isn't a road that leads west from the coast back to Boulder Creek, so we drive south about 20 miles on Highway 1 to Santa Cruz and then take a county road back up to Highway 9. This is coastal fog moving in over Highway 1.
Highway 1 just north of Santa Cruz - you can kinda see coastal fog moving east - probably filling Monterey Bay