Welcome to Travel Tuesday! I’m back this week forrrr a super quick walk through the Neary Lagoon Loop in Santa Cruz, California!
We did this about a year ago in between our food adventuring through Santa Cruz. After a breakfast of Avocado a Cavalo (avocado laid over baguette, topped with soft poached eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese + served with potatoes) over at Cafe Brasil!
Neary Lagoon Loop Trail in Santa Cruz, California
Distance: 0.7 miles (loop)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6 feet
Trailhead Address: 36.96375,-122.02778
As a trail, it doesn’t get much easier than this! It’s a pretty popular for walkers + cyclists and is quite kid-friendly. If you like dog-spotting while you’re walking/hiking, this one is not a good one for that (no dogs allowed :( ).
You’ll come across picnic tables and a basketball court if you go from the Chestnut Street entrance, and an accessible playground + tennis courts if you pass through the California Street entrance.
The Neary Lagoon Loop is tucked away between, of all places, a wastewater treatment plant, and a residential neighborhood in Santa Cruz.
There’s an area with a floating boardwalk where you can do birdwatching. (If you’re easily prone to motion sickness, it might be best to avoid this, but otherwise it’s a pretty place to walk through!
Along the trail, there are interpretive signs where you can learn more about the local flora, the native Ohlone people, as well as the wildlife that inhabit the marsh + the lagoon. Apparently, twice a year, they bring in goats + sheep to help eat the invasive grasses to prevent them from taking over!
We stopped over at Hula’s Island Grill + Tiki Room, which is easily my favorite restaurant find in Santa Cruz (make sure you go during happy hour + I’d highly recommend the ceviche!!).
- Have you ever been to Santa Cruz?
- Do you have a favorite brunch spot?
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Aw, bummer you can’t have dogs there. But it looks really pretty and sounds nice for families!
Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Weird But True World 2023: Look Inside and Giveaway
It’s definitely a great spot for families/kids! :D
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This is a nice little walk. I wish I had known about it when my kids were little, as I used to visit Santa Cruz often from HMB.
Aww, that’s awesome! I’d love to do more exploring in the bay area — I moved back right before the pandemic and feel like I haven’t gone out anywhere as much as I’d have liked!