Santa Cruz
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Description: Pogonip has three wonderful trails winding through a redwood forest. The only downside is that the trails are short, at collectively 3 miles total. Most riders use the trails as part of a longer ride that includes University of California Santa Cruz, Wilder Ranch State Park, or Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The Emma McCrary trail, a 2.3 mile single track flow trail, is the main trail running most of the length of the park and is a beautiful gentle winding incline. The Rincon/Rincon Connector trail is a short 0.4 mile dirt service road and single track that connects Pogonip to parking lot on State Route 9 in Henry Cowell State Park. The University Connector Trail, or UCON, is a winding single track that connects Pogonip to UC Santa Cruz. It is the only trail in the park with any steepness to it. All three trails meet at a single point inside the park, so riding any combination of two trails will take you through Pogonip connecting two of the three entrances. Our recommended ride encompasses The Emma McCrary Trail and the UCON Trail, then turns around to return, staying completely inside the park. For a longer ride, continue on into UC Santa Cruz at the end of the UCON trail, or cross UC Santa Cruz into Wilder Ranch. See separate entry for Redwoods to the Ocean that describes routes that connect all these parks. There are no restrooms.
In the Wet Season: Trails are open
Directions: There are three entrances to Pogonip. Our recommended ride starts at the southern entrance at the end of Golf Club Drive. A link to the parking location in Google Maps is here. The park is also assessable via the Rincon Fire Road Trail from Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, and from UC Santa Cruz via the Fuel Break Road Trail.