Wilder Ranch State Park
About
Wilder Ranch State Park is a California state park about 2.8 miles from Paradise Park, managed by State Park and Recreation. It serves as a base for several trails and sits close to Santa Cruz. The drier months are the easiest time to plan a visit. Typical averages from the Santa Cruz weather station about 5 miles away show highs in the mid-70s from June through October, with only a day or so of rain per month in summer and early fall. Winters are mild but wetter, with highs in the low 60s and around 10 or 11 wet days a month from December through March. Trails start right nearby. Wilder Ridge Loop and Old Cabin Trail are each about 0.7 miles away, and Long Meadow Trail is just under a mile off. Climbers can head to the Santa Cruz climbing area about 1.6 miles away.
Park size
7,735 acres
Inside this park
Location
Wilder Ranch 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, 5.1 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
- Wilder Ranch State Park · State park
- Nearest town
- Paradise Park, California · 2.8 mi
- Managed by
- State Park and Recreation
Nearby
Wilder Ridge LoopHikingPhoto: fogcat5, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.7 mi
Old Cabin TrailHikingPhoto: fogcat5, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.7 mi- Long Meadow TrailHiking0.9 mi
- Santa CruzRock climbing1.6 mi
- UC Santa CruzRock climbing1.8 mi
- The Forbidden ForestRock climbing1.9 mi
San Lorenzo RiverCanoeingPhoto: Chevy111, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)7 mi- Zayante CreekCanoeing7.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Best time to visit Wilder Ranch 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, 5.1 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.
