Touring * Beginner * Scene *

Approaching Santa Cruz from the north on Highway 17, follow the signs to Highway 1 North. Don't follow the big green signs pointing the way down Ocean Avenue to the beach, wharf, and boardwalk. Instead, stay to the right to go under the Ocean Avenue overpass and merge onto Mission Street. After 1.25 miles, turn left at Swift Street and follow it all the way to the seaside cliffs. Turn right onto West Cliff Drive and park in the small lot just up the street on your left. You can also pay $6 to park (plus $1 for your dog) at the Natural Bridges State Beach parking lot seven blocks north of Swift. If you arrive late, look for parking on side streets. The residents are quite tolerant of this.

The cliff-side trail in Santa Cruz is rich with the ocean sights, sounds and smells that create a truly memorable visit. On a clear day, you can admire the Monterey Peninsula across the bay as you skate along on the mostly smooth, eight-foot-wide asphalt path. The route snakes along the edge of the rocky cliff, thirty feet above the crashing waves. Occasionally, a lone cypress tree is perched on an outcropping nearby, adding drama to the scene. For most of the way, iceplant with purple blossoms clings to the rocks, and a low log fence prevents you from accidentally slipping down the cliff. Two long but fairly gentle hills will challenge beginning skaters, and on warm, sunny days, the weekend crowds will be a challenge for anybody. Well-kept homes with decks that overlook the sea occupy the left side of the trail near where it begins at Natural Bridges State Beach. About a mile and three-quarters down the trail, you'll pass the Lighthouse Field State Beach on the inland side of the street (with more parking, rest rooms, and a drinking fountain). The trail then passes by the tiny Surfer Museum on a little grassy outcropping of the cliff. Appropriately enough, swarms of surfers can be seen on the water just around the corner, and even more around the next corner, where a set of steep stairs takes them down to Cowell Beach. From here, the view of the Santa Cruz Municipal Pier is at its best. That briny smell on the breeze is kelp drying on the sand below you. The asphalt path comes to an end at Bay Street, just before a steep drop down a narrow sidewalk to the intersection at the end of the pier. Skating is not permitted on the boardwalk or downtown, so don't bother with this sidewalk. Before turning back, satisfy your lust for downhills with a loop around the parking lot slope on your right. Ramp skaters will want to visit Derby Skate Park, located back near Natural Bridges State Beach. Four blocks north of Swift Street, take Sacramento Street to where it ends at Woodland Street. The park is hidden away behind the houses lining Woodland. Turn left and enter it at the corner.