Natural Bridges Visitor Center — Attraction in Santa Cruz

It was freezing and really windy the day my cousin and I went to visit. Because of the cold weather, we looked down onto the beach and took in the salty air and the coolness of the wind, instead of walking down to the sand.

The view from up top was clear, a bit grayish, and really crisp, but it was still refreshing, just to be at a beach. It wasn't very crowded, some cars were using the upper lot as a turn out space.

If I had a better camera or if the day wasn't so hazy, a better clearer picture of the two rock formation bridges would be visible.

It really is a nice pleasant calm beach, the waves are low and smooth and parking was really easy, the day my cousin and I visited. We found parking really quick. There's a paid lot, a free lot with a small handful of spaces that overlook the beach, so you can stay in your warm car and still enjoy the view, and there's plenty of free street / residential parking.

It's also a nice drive along the shoreline. If I still live in the Bay Area, I'd like to be able to return to the beach on a warmer...

I heard of this place from a friend after telling her that we had visited the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in my home state of Michoacan, Mexico at the end of December 2018. She mentioned that there was one here and of course I was excited to go see if this place was also covered in beautiful butterflies. We arrived and got to see whales splashing around in the ocean and we then went inside to go wait for the tour. Loved that we were given information from a very nice tour guide in a 30 minute talk before heading out. He then took us to the butterflies and I was very disappointed. You could see a few here and there but nothing compared to the thousands (or millions) of butterflies in Mexico. We probably saw a few hundred. We then walked to the beach...beautiful! I think I liked this and the whales best! I do have to say that the tour guide told us that we had come 2 weeks to early altho there should have been about 60,000...

What an beautiful spot! We went to see the monarchs. They overwinter here. The visitors center has a slew of great information about the monarchs and other wildlife in the area, and the ranger was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. She talked with us at length about monarchs and answered all of our questions. She even taught a short class on monarchs and wildlife to a group of young children. We did a short walk along the butterfly trail. We saw thousands of monarchs hanging out in the trees, and even saw two screech owls! There are also tide pools open to the public. This is a great spot for kids and adults. Very educational and exceptionally beautiful costal and...