Day trip to Santa Cruz

A few weeks back the kids and I took a day trip down to Santa Cruz with my dad. They had two weeks off of school so we took advantage of the time we had. It was so much fun and made me fall in love with Santa Cruz even more. We found a rad hike, one of my favorites to date! We also explored more, went to the famous Shark Fin Cove Beach in Davenport, and got a delicious clam chowder bread bowl. It was a fantastic day!

We started off our adventurous day with a hike! I had seen a post on Visit Santa Cruz about Spring Box Trail and knew it was perfect for us to try with the kids. About 3 miles total, mostly all flat, and beautiful scenery, it ended up being a great hike. Be warned, the signs are not very accurate nor are all the trails marked well. We ended up getting a bit lost missing the turn. That is okay! We fell upon a rock statue village with hundreds of notes, wishes, encouragements, and affirmations from the many visitors that hike through. We had fun exploring it. We also found historic Lime Kilns and afterwards, finally found our way to the Spring Box Trail.

Locals have brought gold fish and koi fish in which now reside in the spring boxes. They are friendly and the kids loved looking around. Although this hike may not have been the most strenuous hike I’ve done(Half Dome wins that for now), this hike has character. It makes you feel like you are in a whole other world when in truth, you are only a quick drive to the sand and Pacific Ocean. I wanted to check it out for the old Spring Boxes but little did I know just how cool it would be. I highly recommend visiting and hiking through the beautiful forest while in Santa Cruz. More information on this hike can be found here.

After we finished hiking, we made our way a little north to Davenport, Ca to visit Shark Fin Cove Beach. This beach is not marked but is free to the public. Honestly, unless you parked on the side of the highway and got out, you would have no idea it was down there. Although it is a bit of a hike downhill, it is well worth it. You quickly realize where the name Shark Fin Cove came from. The kids played in the same while we enjoyed the beach views before we packed up and headed back up to the car. Macyn was scared of the waves or we would’ve stayed awhile longer. After, we headed back to the Santa Cruz pier to our favorite spot. The Dolphin, located towards the very end of the pier, has some tasty, hot clam chowder in a bread bowl that leaves your mouth watering.The kids wanted French fries and we learned that French fries dipped in clam chowder are pretty tasty! It was such a beautiful, sunny day down in Santa Cruz. Looking out from the pier you could see boats, flying seagulls, and overheard the seals “talking”. The waves weren’t as wild as our last trip and the pier was a little more busy with after Christmas travelers. Once we were done at the pier, we decided to take the kids to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Macyn had seen a ride the last time and seriously been asking me to ride it for a week straight. Talk about a toddler one track mind! Be warned when visiting the boardwalk, it is not cheap. Definitely fun riding rides with the beach in view, but also very expensive. By the end, it was late afternoon and we decided to head back home. It was such a fun trip and I am so glad we got to go. Santa Cruz will always be one of my favorite beaches and I am so thankful to be able to make more memories there with family.