The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
About
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is a 9,980-acre state park in California, about 2.3 miles from the community of Day Valley. It is managed by the state park agency, and five trails run within its boundaries, making it a base for a day of hiking on several routes. Late summer into early fall is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Santa Cruz weather station show September highs around 77°F with lows near 53°F and only about one wet day in the month. Winter brings highs in the low 60s and roughly 10 to 11 wet days a month. Trout Gulch Trail starts just 0.2 miles away, and Aptos Creek Trail and Ridge Connection Trail are both within a mile. Paddlers can head to Soquel Creek, about 1.8 miles off.
Park size
9,980 acres
Inside this park
Location
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
California
Data source: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (Protected Areas Database, public domain)
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Year-round. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 61–77°F and lows of 41–55°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Santa Cruz, CA weather station, 6.2 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.
- Jan63° high41° low
- Feb64° high43° low
- Mar67° high44° low
- Apr69° high46° low
- May71° high49° low
- Jun74° high52° low
- Jul74° high54° low
- Aug76° high55° low
- Sep77° high53° low
- Oct74° high50° low
- Nov67° high44° low
- Dec61° high41° low
Where it is
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park · State park
- Nearest town
- Day Valley, California · 2.3 mi
- Managed by
- State Park and Recreation
Nearby
Trout Gulch TrailHikingPhoto: fogcat5, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.2 mi- Aptos Creek TrailHiking0.6 mi
Ridge Connection TrailHikingPhoto: fogcat5, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.9 mi- Soquel CreekCanoeing1.8 mi
- Order of the Moose WallRock climbing6.9 mi
- Garden of Eden BoulderingRock climbing8.9 mi
- Garden of EdenRock climbing8.9 mi
- Zayante CreekCanoeing9.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Best time to visit The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
Best months: Year-round. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
63° / 41°
11 wet
Feb
64° / 43°
10 wet
Mar
67° / 44°
10 wet
Apr
69° / 46°
6 wet
May
71° / 49°
3 wet
Jun
74° / 52°
1 wet
Jul
74° / 54°
1 wet
Aug
76° / 55°
1 wet
Sep
77° / 53°
1 wet
Oct
74° / 50°
4 wet
Nov
67° / 44°
7 wet
Dec
61° / 41°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santa Cruz, CA, 6.2 mi away at 70 ft. We don't have this place's elevation, so higher spots nearby can run cooler. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
