Pogonip Open Space — Attraction in Santa Cruz

Beautiful surroundings and the locals are soo friendly and nice. It's literally the only place that I've found in California, that you can actually be alone and not have to deal with and look at a million other people. I swear the government should start making certain states, unavailable to move too. There are far to many people here and it can't truly hold much more. We have every immigrate possibly known to man in this state and everyone from another country wants to move here, because it's the only state that is so excepting of immigrants and because it's known for it's liberal people. Also CA is known as the welfare state and it's true, this state helps anyone that is struggling financially. There are a million food pantries, at 15 dozen different agencies that help with housing,clothing, utility bills, rent assistance, job placement and anything else you could possibly every need as a person, it's here. What is so sad, is that CA has sort of a reputation,I believe that is unfairly given. If anything, I think that this state deserves a lot of recognition and applause from everyone, because of the fact, that it helps anyone and because it's given so many the justice and change that they were seeking. On top of that it's beautiful here and there are many different types of landscapes as well. You can surf in the ocean one day, ski in the mountains another day and walk through the dessert the next day...where else can u do that? I absolutely love it here...except the amount of people you have to deal with daily...that sucks, but everything else is...

This place is a wonderful treasure near the heart of Santa Cruz, with awesome bike/hiking trails, wildlife and several types of ecosystems and microclimates. But unfortunately the homeless problem in our city has quite literally polluted this local wilderness preserve. If you know the trail system well it can provide a great place for an afternoon bike ride or morning jog, however exploration of the vast network of auxiliary trails is not recommended due to the large number of deserted and, also, inhabited homeless encampments. It is unlikely accidentally coming into proximity with these unsanctioned dwellings would place one in immediate danger but, aside from a possibly uncomfortable encounter, children and pets may be at risk of coming into contact with broken glass, toxic refuse, or discarded syringes. I understand this situation is a symptom of a bigger-picture systemic problem. I am not directing criticism or blame at homeless individuals with no other housing options; moreover my commentary is about the conditions of the Pogonip, not the circumstances concerning those conditions. It just seems a shame that the relatively pristine natural ambiance is besmirched by encampments which were never intended and should...

An AMAZING place to explore. Definitely worth it. I found the creek and lookout trails to be especially beautiful, but I've yet to explore even the majority of the park. Some parts are dry, desertish meadow with sparse trees and beard moss like the stuff you see here. Other parts have gargantuan redwood trees growing on the remains of older, even bigger burnt-out stumps. And there's this beautiful creek that's been digging the soil out from underneath the trees growing nearby, so that the sabotaged root structures cause them to fall and make natural bridges over the running water. . . it's an exceptional place to be. About the name: according to the park pamphlet, the word 'pogonip' means 'icy fog' in a native American language. It didn't mention which language. When I looked it up, though, I found that that's actually not true! It's a word invented by English settlers that's based off of the Shoshone word 'payinappih,' which means 'cloud'.

Anyways, the park is AMAZING! I've heard that there's a beautiful place called the Garden of Eden hidden deep within the park's 640 acres. I'm gonna take my mountain bike out and try to find...