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Expert Review of Wilder Ranch State Park

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Parks and Outdoors Review of Wilder Ranch State Park

Away Travel Expert: Ann Marie Brown

Parks Expert Favorite
ParksExpert Rating Recommended for:
Birding,Horseback Riding

Parks and OutdoorsExpert Tips & Helpful Hints

• Wilder Ranch State Park is 7,000 acres of coastal paradise for mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians, birders, and coast-lovers. While most bicyclists pedal the park's inland hills and valleys on the east side of Highway 1, hikers and birders usually stick to the coast side, lined with agricultural fields, wetlands, and wave-cut marine terraces that tower over the crashing surf.
• The 2.5-mile Old Landing Cove Trail travels the length of Wilder's bluff tops, passing by a seal rookery, sandy coves, and a hidden fern grotto. Harriers, hawks, and other birds of prey can be seen hunting in the fields. Pelicans soar a few feet over the ocean's surface.
• Wilder Beach is a critical habitat for the endangered snowy plover and is off-limits to hiking.