Mt. Loay Nature Park — Attraction in Santa Cruz

April 30, 2022

Before you dare to climb this mountain, you need to be PHYSICALLY prepared. I wasn't and I suffered!!!! I've been working from home since 2020, and to be honest i wasn't in shape during the pandemic. When somebody invited me to do this, of course I wanted to conquer this because I was challenged. Little do I know that this was a non beginner trail.

Even before you reach the 1st camp site, everything is uphill. My 1st mistake is having a heavy backpack. I became red, i wasn't even sure what I was feeling but my head was dizzy, my feet is hurting lmaooo. I was the last one to finish the mountain! My toenails got broken too because of not wearing socks.

So let me remind you to make sure you're physically prepared so you won't have to suffer as I did! After this hike I focused on my health and lifted weights+treadmill. And the next hikes were more manageable - Mt. Dinor/Matigol falls.

Thanks for the...

Well worth the commitment to hike Mt. Loay. After a brief misstep in finding the entrance to the Trail (best to search “Mt. Loay landmark in Google Maps), we took our mandatory Guide and set off with our 7.5 month old making it to the peak in ~4.5 hours, admiring the amazing flora and fauna along the way and tapping Dennis for local insights. Cocoa, coffee, rubber, pineapple, mango, guava, plantain, etc. are all examples of the natural gifts the forest produces along the Trail. This is a great one day hike for all skill levels, moderate fitness level and a good pair of footwear recommended at...

If you're a novice trekker aiming to climb Mt. Apo soon, I highly recommend you try this trail. The terrain and elevation gain is similar to Apo's halfway point. Plus, the views and surroundings along the way are guaranteed to excite nature lovers. Our climb to Mt. Loay started at 5:30am in the morning, reached the peak at lunch time, and then the bottom through a backtrail by 3pm. If you're able to comfortably hike this trail and have no problem hiking again tomorrow, then you're probably ready to...