One of the best feelings in the world is heading south on Highway 17, leaving Silicon Valley in the rearview mirror with gear, your family, and the express desire to get out leading the way. If this is your route, there are numerous spots to stop and see on the way. The Chapel on the Hill in Los Gatos has a recreation garden and some detailed, incredible woodwork that makes for a beautiful background at a place to stop for lunch. There are redwoods and reservoirs on the way, but the destination in mind, the endpoint I’m talking about, is Santa Cruz.
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This is a different experience than an exposed night on a ridgeline in the Sierra Nevadas. It’s also not like touring Yosemite, most of the days spent in the car, peering at the miles of vertical cliffs. Camping trips to Santa Cruz are more, what I like to call, Hybrid Camping Trips. Want to spend the night in the woods? That’s possible. What about a couple of nights hearing the ocean after pitching a tent on the beach? They got that, too. What about a nice glass of wine from a local vineyard, where the kids can also nosh on some local fare? Oh, that is absolutely possible. A family camping trip in Santa Cruz has a little bit of everything. So, do what you want, and save some activities to come back for.
So much More than Camping
As I sit at my computer, weeks before a vacation, only knowing the days I have off but still puzzled as to where to go, I consider the options. Should we do a big city trip, stay in the West Loop in Chicago? Maybe see some street performers and live Jazzin’ New Orleans. The possibilities are endless and, frankly, overwhelming. This is why Santa Cruz is perfect. My family loves camping, but after a couple of days in the wild, sometimes they want a nice ice cream cone. Right?
What’s more, in this area, there are different types of camping available depending on your needs and wants. There are traditional campgrounds with hiking trails, campfires, and all things traditional “outdoors”. There’s resort camping with pools, playgrounds, and camping stores. And then all the way up to high-end glamping with plenty of outdoor fun, but the option to come home and sleep in a soft bed. All of these are just a short drive away from downtown Santa Cruz. If, for whatever reason, someone gets cranky, needs a shower, or just wants to go window shopping, civilization is just around the corner.
Changing Climate Means Flexible Gear
Coastal towns can be a little bit tricky when it comes to packing the right gear. Aside from the obvious note to always check weather reports, there are chilly morning winds that blow in off the Pacific Ocean, the afternoon exposed sun, and the subtle 10-degree temperature change from sun to shade when you’re in a Redwood grove. Different temperatures and weather mean, you guessed it, layers. Not only for your person, but for your shelter.
If you’re going to be doing some traditional camping with the family, I highly suggest setting up a family camping tent. For the Santa Cruz climate and changing weather patterns, I opt for canvas as the material. I have a wall tent that fits my entire crew for sleeping, an area to lounge and play cards before bed, and, when the weather turns, I can pull the gas stove inside and still cook meals. It’s spacious, weather-resistant, and sturdy. These tents can hold up to nearly anything Mother Nature can throw at them.
If your family is a bit larger, or they just don’t all like sleeping under the same roof (understandable with teenagers), I recommend a Bell Tent as sort of a central hub. The parents can set up there and keep a communal spot for everyone to come and go as they please, and then the kids have their spaces, either alone or shared, to go and have their privacy.
Many Tents, Many Tent Accessories
If the whole family is staying in one tent, there are a couple of things I’d recommend. First, and always, a rainfly. I get these for every one of my tents, for obvious reasons. Better safe than sorry. The next, and best of the tent accessories, is an awning. If the whole family is staying in one tent, the awning is a must. This provides an extra room in an instant. This area is perfect for removing dirty or wet clothes, changing or throwing on a jacket, and in colder temperatures, the extra room lets people remove or add layers without leaving the tent door open, letting in a cold draft. The fact is, as well, that they just make your tent look cool. And let’s be honest, when I’m camping in Santa Cruz, cool is a factor.
Perhaps the most important tent accessory is a ground tarp. This is the best way to insulate from the cold ground and ensure no water will leak in during or after a storm. You can also use a plastic tarp or a canvas tarp. For the ground, I prefer plastic, and if I’m sectioning off areas of the camp, I like the canvas. White Duck Outdoors has canvas tarps that are made from high-quality canvas that will last you a lifetime, and they match the canvas material of your wall or bell tent. Again, for what it’s worth, they make the campground look cool.
Classic Camping, Big Trees
Coastal Redwoods might be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I don’t know. Check me on that. The fact remains that to look upon these giants is nothing short of mesmerizing. Taller than buildings, more peaceful than a garden, their immense size is only matched by the reverence they instill. Big Basin State Park is one of the best places to get to know these behemoths. There are hiking trails here under the canopy of leaves where sunlight drives through in golden beams, the leaves constantly renewed among trunks over 1,000 years old. Camping here feels like a gift. Walking here feels like a dream.
This park is about 45 minutes from Santa Cruz, so it’s close enough to get back to town for amenities, but far enough away to get some privacy and see the wild. The nice thing about this park is that it’s very safe for youngsters. The trails are clearly marked and kept up well by Forest Service staff (love our State and National Park employees!). It’s clean and quiet, and you’ll be sure to bump into other people staring up with starry eyes at these wooded titans.
At night, there’s an opportunity for campfires in designated pits, or, when the weather is nice, take a walk just outside of camp and find a spot to do a little stargazing. The proximity is still far enough away to get a good look at the Milky Way, but not so far that you’ll run into dangerous fauna. There’s also plenty of bathrooms around, so there’ll be no squatting in the woods. For car campers who love both the outdoors and the city, this is the perfect spot.
Need an Easy Stay, Choose the KOA
It’s okay if your idea of family camping includes a swimming pool. It doesn’t always have to be “roughing it”. So, for those times, the Santa Cruz KOA is a perfect place to camp in style and convenience. There are spots for RVs here, and you can definitely set up your family camping tent. It’s a great place for the kids to make friends and meet other families, so the task of constant entertainment doesn’t always fall on mom and dad.
While this isn’t the kind of camping that is nestled right in the forest or out on the beach, it does provide a sense of community and offer other amenities to lighten the load. There’s a playground where kids can burn off energy, I already mentioned the pool, and the Santa Cruz KOA offers organized activities like movie nights and craft sessions for the kids. I know as well as anyone that vacations can be a lot of work to make sure the whole family is having fun. A KOA is the right mix of getting away and making sure everyone is included.
The Costanoa Lodge: Glamping with a Coastal View
The edge between camping and a luxury resort is getting pretty blurry here. And that’s okay. Sometimes I don’t prefer to sacrifice comfort on my vacation. I want a pillowtop bed, but I also want to hear the lapping waves of the ocean as the tide rolls in. There are different levels of comfort to choose from here. Costanoa offers cabins, their own canvas glamping tents, or the option to park your own RV or set up a family camping tent. If you don’t want to have to plan adventures for everyone, or if you’re going with a large group, this is a perfect option to let the folks at Costanoa Lodge do the heavy lifting for you.
Remember that fancy restaurant with the nice glass of wine I spoke about earlier? Well, the Cascade Restaurant and Bar, right on the Lodge’s property, offers exactly that and more. This chef-run restaurant uses local and handcrafted ingredients, and the ambiance is comforting and fun. There’s biking, hiking, and, no joke, goats. Who doesn’t love petting a goat every once in a while. Folks can take a walk out to the Pigeon Lighthouse and watch as the waves crash against the rocks in rhythm. Every square foot of the land is curated and maintained by a professional staff. It’s just another way to take in the beauty of Santa Cruz.
So Many Options, So Little Time
Next time you’re sitting at your computer, those days off already scheduled but no destination set, consider Santa Cruz. Or, simply, just consider more. I often find myself downgrading my possible experiences with the expectation that I need to do one thing or another. Should I choose the city or the wild? Should I choose mountains or the desert? Coast or forest? The list goes on. The fact is, life isn’t so binary, and everything doesn’t need to be so black and white. The fulfillment of an experience is engendered in authenticity. The beauty of the human experience is that authenticity is entirely personal. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.
I don’t know what drives you to feel connected, but I can only suggest scenes where I find beauty, and hope you, too, find them meaningful. With that in mind, I would posit one thought: to try to simplify the beauty of any experience is to, in fact, omit portions of that experience. Rather, whatever you do to recharge, move slowly even if you’re running, look closely even if it’s dark, and take in as much as possible while the turbulent world keeps rushing by. You can catch me in Santa Cruz very soon, looking up in awe. I’ll see you out there.
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