Santa Cruz, CA - Local’s Guide

Sorry Huntington Beach—despite your claims, no place is more deserving of the “Surf City USA” title than Santa Cruz. It is THE PLACE where Nor Cal meets So Cal, hardcore mountain bikers mingle with flip-flop wearing beach cruisers, and edgy, partying skate punks mingle with earthy, fair trade-organic-wild-vegan yogis. And while these groups may not always see eye to eye, they somehow seem to coexist in Santa Cruz.

The eccentricity of the area runs as deep as the ocean. From the boardwalk amusement park and infamous “Mystery Spot”, to the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), people tend to think the Cruz is a quaint little beach community somewhere on the sunny coast of California. But as rad as it is, it’s tough to be quaint when more than 60,000 people live in your community—just like it’s tough to hold up the sunny California stereotype when fog frequently cloaks the area. That being said, Santa Cruz is a unique, blissful place to find yourself. And as long as you’re into good food, good people and the great outdoors, it’s not too hard to understand why this is one of the most desirable places to live and play in the country.

While many local surfers shred at a professional level, they do so away from the attention of the camera. Local pro surfer Nat Young, seen here shredding Steamer's Lane, is not one of them. Photo Credit: Thomas Steiner

When most people hear Santa Cruz they immediately think surfing—and for a good reason. While Henry Huntington is given credit by some for bringing surfing to the continental U.S. from its origins in Polynesia, many argue that the three Kawananakoa brothers (Ed, Jonah and David) were the actual first surfers in the lower 48, having surfed waves as early as 1885 in Santa Cruz. Yes, the water is cold and most surfers wear some form of a wetsuit year round. In the summer, you might get lucky with water temps around 60, but come winter the temperature is usually in the 40s. It’s not as cold as Nor Cal areas to the north, and it does get warm enough to “trunk-it” in the summer, but the water temperature can’t really be counted as a detractor since the quality and diversity of the waves in the area are paramount.

Broken up between the West Side of town with “Steamer’s Lane” as the cornerstone and the East Side of Town with “Pleasure Point” as the surfing center, the real question in Santa Cruz is what do you feel like surfing? In the county alone, there are more than 70 regularly surfed breaks with world-class points, reefs and beach breaks suitable for longboarders, shortboarders and everyone in between. Santa Cruz breaks pick up swell from almost every possible direction.  Even in the dog days of summer, when swell activity is typically at its lowest, there’s always somewhere with rideable waves. The dominant “big fish” of the sea does live in and around the Cruz, but unless you’re surfing Año Nuevoeveryday you’d much rather surf the kelp choked breaks of Santa Cruz than the open waters to the north.

Pleasure Point—the name says it all. The set up, seen here, boasts five breaks—Drainpipes, 38th, Second Peak, First Peak and Sewers. 

Even though Santa Cruz is a world-class surf destination, there’s a lot more to do in the area. That said, an ocean-minded beach culture informs the majority of the activities. On any given sunny day there’ll be hordes of people laying out on whatever stretch of beach they can find, fishing for ling cod, salmon and halibut. Swimmers, spongers, paddleboarders, and all sorts of boaters will also be out in full force. There’s money in Santa Cruz, and lots of it, but the real culture is made up of strong-minded working class people who are more than stoked on their backyard.

Skating local pools is a right of passage for Santa Cruz skaters. If a pool gets drained and lies dormant, the word will get out and a crew will be on it ASAP. The cops don't take to trespassing skaters too well, but it's not like any of them care. The skating's way too good. Skater: Russel Simmons 

As vibrant as the Santa Cruz surf community is, the skate community is just as prominent. With a ripping local skatepark, major manufacturers like NHS making globally recognized brands like Santa Cruz Skateboards in town, and shops like the Boardroom holding down, it’s no wonder some people flock to Santa Cruz just to skate. The area was regarded as a skater’s utopia in the 1960s and 70s. While times have changed, the skate vibe has only grown. Whether you longboard on East and West Cliff or poach empty pools, if you hang in Santa Cruz for any period of time you’re going to see more skaters per square mile surfing concrete than anywhere else in the states.

The biking found in and near Santa Cruz County is diverse enough to keep any biker busy for a lifetime. Big drops in the Soquel Demonstration Forest, crusher cross-country rides in nearby Henry Coe State Park,  fast and tight singletrack accessible via UCSC, and cruises to the beach for a surf check—Santa Cruz has it all.

You’ve heard of the mountain bike company Santa Cruz, right?  Well, let’s just say the company has risen to prominence thanks, in part, to the wealth of terrain in its backyard. With Santa Cruz’s annual mountain bike festival in spring and local trails behind the UCSC campus, bikers are also eager to call the Cruz home. You can get into just about any kind of bike riding you want in Santa Cruz. The singletrack can be as as good as anywhere in the country. When you add in solid destinations like Henry Coe State Park and zones like the freeride hot-spot known as the Soquel Demonstration Forest, it’s pretty easy to understand why some identify mountain biking as their central reason for living in the area.

In addition to offering some of the best surfable breaks anywhere, miles of epic mountain biking, and a heaven on earth for skaters,  there’s also quality rock climbing in nearby Castle Rock State Park and Pinnacles National Park. Still looking for more? Head deep into the redwoods for hiking and backpacking in Big Basin State Park, take a yoga class, try acupuncture for the first time, or cruise a little south out of town to one of the most iconic sections of the California coastline: Big Sur.

California's Central Valley is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world, and it's spitting distance from Santa Cruz. With year-round farmers markets, restaurants catering to locally produced, health minded consumers and food activists regularly advocating for high quality food across social and environmental levels you'll be eating and drinking well when you're in the area. 

Need nourishment? Drop into the year-round farmer’s market downtown for some of the freshest produce and artisan foods you’ll ever taste, and then sample some organic beer from the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery. Now you’re feeling good and need to chill. No worries. The vibe in Santa Cruz is as loose as you’ll find anywhere, not to mention that there’s even a skier and rider community that regularly commutes the fourish hours to the snowy mountains of the Sierra Nevada throughout the winter. There’s undoubtedly a rough and tough underbelly yang to the psychedelic, ocean-minded yin energy that dominates the area. Just stay away from dark alleys and parks around downtown late at night, don’t drop in on anyone, and you’ll be fine. When in doubt grab a PBR tallboy, heckle, and you’ll blend right in. 

A good sign to have at a popular place. Add “Respect the Locals” to #5 and you'll do just fine when you come for a visit.

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stash member Brennan Lagasse

Brennan Lagasse is a writer, educator, photographer, athlete and ski guide living on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, CA. He is a faculty member at Sierra Nevada College and co-guides a one of a kind helicopter assisted ski touring program in Alaska’s famed Chugach Mountains each winter. His writing and photos have appeared in academic, print and online media outlets, while as an athlete Brennan has skied across the world, from the Arctic to Antarctic, including ski descents on all seven of the world’s continents. Missions away from home are a major part of Brennan’s experience, but he’s just as content to be backcountry skiing and adventuring in his home range of the Sierra Nevada, whenever possible. You can check out some of Brennan’s work at: stateofthebackcountry.com and at facebook.com/stateofthebackcountry