Aptos Creek and West Ridge Trail Loop to Top of the Incline and Sand Point Overlook is a 14.9 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Aptos, California that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
Hiking
Nature trips
Walking
Bird watching
Running
Forest
River
Views
Wild flowers
Wildlife
No dogs
A beautiful and longer hike that goes to the Sand Point overlook.
Park at the Entrance Station
Sun May 24 2020Almost no one on West Ridge and beautiful! Went up the fire road down the trail— no steeps, lots of flats. Lots of bikes and groups on the road the first few miles. Bikes whipping down the road kept me on my toes. Lots of shade. This was an 18 mile loop from town.
Tue Nov 05 2019
Sat Oct 26 2019Very shady and nice blend of up and down
Tue Jun 18 2019The trail has no traffic.. one foot wide with poison oak on both sides in many places... make sure to bring soap and a wash clothe to wipe down after ...ascended single track and did the fireroad descent.... steep heavily rooted sections ... would be great on mountain bike .
Sat Jun 08 2019Really Beautiful State Park. Hiking beneath the redwoods with a creek at your side, it’s hard not to love it! I recommend checking it out!
Mon Feb 18 2019Sat Feb 16 2019Plenty of technical and soft single track, heavy cover with the sun coming through the trees. Will be back
Sun Sep 16 2018Hiked this yesterday with Sierra Club group. There was fog in the morning, which burned off, in the afternoon. There were a few nice vistas, the overlook at the top the most impressive, with 2 benches. Lots of poison oak but I had gaitors. One guy got stung by a wasp, which we were informed are active, this time of year. It was a strenuous hike, with gradual inclines. Bring at least 2 quarts of water, as there is none there. Many steep dropoffs along path make it somewhat dangerous. Moist, cool sea breezes made it comfortable. No good stopping points, other than at the top.
Fri Sep 14 2018Very shady green !
Mon Jul 09 2018Absolutely beautiful! Lots of rich lush foliage. Stays cool in the summer and plenty of shade for pleasant hiking. The array of birds and babbling creak provides a very peaceful atmosphere. Make sure to keep an eye out for poison oak.
Tue Jun 19 2018Lots of poison oak on the return route. AllTrails suggests parking at the trail entrance but to shave off a mile or two you can continue to drive the paved road until it dead ends and start the hike from there.
Tue Jun 12 2018Good for hiking, family gathering and must visit.
Sun May 20 2018Did this in 3hr 25min, but started at the second parking lot on the way in, I believe it was 12mi round trip. I run and hike quite often, but the last 2mi to the Overlook got me huffing and puffing. Beautiful hike on the way up, but like others have said the second half is just a fire road.
Sat May 19 2018sore. so very very sore.
Sun Mar 25 2018Beautiful woods, friendly trails and lovely waterfalls made for a enjoyable hike on 10+ miles in 5 hours. If you are new to this park - Poison oaks are abound so cover yourself well. The road in has lots of pot holes so drive accordingly.
Fri Feb 23 2018West Ridge Trail never disappoints. This single track trail is in near perfect condition since the CCC’s recent efforts. The setting is beautiful second and third growth redwood forest interspersed with coastal mixed oak woodland. This park manages to feel moist and full of life even in the driest seasons. Really shady, and moderate incline for the most part. Only one exposed part of the loop toward the last stretch of WRT. I hiked this as a 14 mile loop in 4 and a half hours at a steady pace with few breaks and it felt pretty easy. Such gorgeous views of Monterey Bay and Capitola/Santa Cruz from Sand Point Overook. Watch for ticks and bikers. As with most state parks, I love this one most on the weekday mornings, as that is when it is most quiet. Aptos Fire Road on the return is just as beautiful and well-maintained, but it is just that, a fire road. The sound of running water is a joy to walk to, and there are some cool historical points with info about the logging industry in the area and life in that time.
Wed May 10 2017Lots of different trails to explore here for a fairly easy hike. Not a lot of traffic, lush greenery and allows dogs. If you cross the bridge and follow the trail back you can find a rope to swing on which is super fun!
Sat Apr 29 2017Beautiful hike! Lots of trees and shade. I gave it a four starts because some trails were blocked by knocked off trees and parking area is really small. Other than that, I strongly recommend.
Fri Apr 28 2017Hiked from the parking area before the iron bridge. Started with an unmarked trail to the right (south) of the parking area for a warm-up loop hike before continuing up the Aptos Creek Fire Rd to Sand Point Overlook, before returning along the West Ridge Trail with minor reroute for added distance. total hike was 16 miles with 2,665 Ft of elevation gain. The Forest of Nisene Marks is a beautiful redwoods forest, with only a few bike riders and even less hikers, so you can here yourself think, the birds' singing, and the ocean breeze running through the forest canopy. Very pleasurable hike but I still have more trails to explore in this forest.
Fri Mar 31 2017A dog walk from the end of the Aptos Road parking area. Sadly the app does not do a good job of identifying the connecting trails that are NOT dog friendly. The Aptos Road is very nice but busy. Once again we came to signs at all other trials that dogs were not permitted. We went rogue again and uses the West Ridge Trail which was awesome. No complaints from the few hikers we saw and the few bikers were nothing but gracious. I'm sure we were risking a significant fine but it was worth it! West Ridge is highly recommended!
Fri Jan 13 2017Quiet and beautiful
Sun Jan 01 2017Great trail if the weather agrees
Fri Jul 01 2016Great but prepare for poison oak!
Fri Jun 10 2016Beautiful trail running! My dog liked it too :)
Wed Mar 30 2016we went to Five Finger Falls Sunday March 28 2016. It was beautiful. The trail was block with trees and land slides but we loop through it and made the 17 miles loop. Lots of water at the falls.
