Sometimes even a great town looks better in the rearview mirror. Fortunately, several worthwhile destinations lie within an easy day’s drive from Santa Cruz.
Pinnacles National Monument (80 miles; 1 hour, 40 minutes)
Millions of years ago Pinnacles National Monument was a crackling hellfire of bubbling molten lava and smoldering ash near Los Angeles. Today, thanks to plate tectonics and time, the extinct volcano now found on the eastern crest of the Salinas Valley is the wildflower-speckled home to bats, falcons, condors, several varieties of large cat and some of the best rock climbing around. The Bear Gulch side of the park is popular for beginners, and top-rope systems can be set up on the East Side. For a spelunking good time, explore the naturally formed caves or any of several lovely hikes.
Up the One (48 miles; 1 hour)
North of Davenport the U-pickins ain’t slim—fearless foragers can stop for a jar of jam or select strawberries, blackberries or olallieberries at Swanton Berry Farm to make their own. Arata’s Pumpkin Farm has nice gourds and the “Minotaur’s Labyrinth” hay maze. Pie Ranch, where they grow and raise everything it takes to make a pie (wheat, fruit, cows) or even a quiche (chickens and goats) isn’t typically open to the public, but on the third Saturday of the month they invite everyone for a work party and barn dance.
Big Sur (73 miles; 1 hour, 28 minutes)
After the breathtaking (but slightly butt-numbing) drive, it is right and good to settle into one of the big bent birch branch chairs at the Big Sur River Inn and feel the lazy Big Sur River float beneath one’s toes, or soak up the sun on the rocks around the Gorge at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Tucked in a fold of mountain a little farther down the road is the Henry Miller Memorial Library, the intimate outdoor venue that has recently hosted Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the annual Big Sur International Film Festival.
Santa Cruz Mountains (23 miles; 45 minutes) It’s possible to pull off just about anywhere along the side of Highway 9 going toward Felton and hoof it down from the highway to any number of idyllic swimming holes along the San Lorenzo River (the best known is called “the Garden of Eden,” and with good reason). A nice day hike starts farther up Highway 9 (and left at Highway 236), at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The Berry Creek Falls trail, about 10 miles round trip from the visitor’s center, winds down through a chain of three waterfalls—Golden Cascade, Silver Falls and Berry Creek. On the way back, stop for a brew and a brat in the beer garden at the Tyrolean Inn in Ben Lomond, or if your taste skews more Harley than Hofbräu, the biker bar Henfling’s Tavern.
Marin (101 miles; 2 hours, 10 minutes) Natural wonders abound north of San Francisco—like hiking and views in the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais. For sunbathing and surf, stop by Stinson Beach or nearby Bolinas. Stay alert while driving to the latter, though—it’s such a treat that the locals have been known to turn or take down street signs to keep visitors away. If you make it, pick up some beach reading at the donation-based bookstore. Farther inland, cool off in the Inkwells, a series of small, deep pools outside of Lagunitas, or at Bass Lake—bonus points if you find and make use of the rope swing.
