This immense, little-birded park includes 10,036 acres and encompasses nearly the entire watershed of Aptos Creek. A panhandle of parkland extends south along Aptos Creek nearly to the coast, but most of the park is steep, forested canyons and ridgelines reaching 2,529 feet in elevation. There are 42 miles of hiking trails, and so getting to know the whole park takes some effort, but one can visit interesting areas by car and with short to moderate hikes. This is a good place to find birds typical of redwood, mixed evergreen, and knobcone pine forests, as well as waves of spring migrants and some species restricted to the county’s higher elevations. There are picnic areas, a trail camp, and several sites of historical interest. The epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake can be visited via the Earthquake Trail. The park is very popular with mountain bikers.
Directions. The main entrance is at the park’s south end near Aptos. From Hwy 1 at Aptos take State Park Dr and turn north (inland). Turn right on Soquel Dr, go 0.5 mile, and then turn left on Aptos Creek Rd. This road is marked at its start by the entrance to Aptos Creek County Park, described in this guide’s Mid-County Coast section. The road soon enters the state park and leads to an entrance kiosk; there is a day-use fee when the kiosk is staffed. Several easy trails including a loop to some old growth redwoods begin from a parking lot near the kiosk, or one can drive or walk in farther along Aptos Creek Rd to other trailheads. The Aptos Rancho Trail visits a variety of habitats in the lower park.
For easier access to the north end of the park and its higher elevations on Santa Rosalia Mtn, use Eureka Canyon Rd. From Corralitos, go 8.8 mile up Eureka Canyon Rd to Buzzard Lagoon Rd on the left. Drive (if the road is dry) or walk up Buzzard Lagoon for 1.0 mile to its junction with Aptos Creek Fire Rd on the right. If you drove this far, park here and hike into the park along Aptos Creek Fire Rd. (See the account above for birding along Eureka Canyon Rd, and birding along Buzzard Lagoon Rd is described in a brief account below.)
Birds. The park contains the gamut of forest species, including resident Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks, Western Screech-Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Pileated, Hairy, and Acorn woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Band-tailed Pigeon, Hutton’s Vireo, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, and Purple Finch. The main entrance road can be very birdy early in the morning, especially where it runs near some adjacent grassland. In the nesting season watch for Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Wilson’s and Orange-crowned warblers, and Hermit and Swainson’s thrushes. Common Merganser nests along Aptos Creek. Varied Thrush can be numerous in the late fall and winter. Beyond the limit of public driving access, the road begins to climb up “The Incline” (an old railroad bed) toward the park’s higher parts. Hermit Warblers have recently been found nesting at the lower portion of The Incline.
Birding the upper park is best from April to June, but can also be rewarding in winter. Late April to May sees numerous migrant warblers and other land birds, including flocks of Hermit and Townsend’s warblers, and the rarer Nashville Warbler, as well as Western Tanager and Vaux’s Swift. Pileated Woodpecker and Western Tanager nest in the redwood and mixed evergreen forest. Areas with canyon live oaks and Douglas-firs have nesting Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped (rare) and Black-throated Gray warblers, Cassin’s Vireo, and Western Tanager. Knobcone pine forest has nesting Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and resident Red-breasted Nuthatch. Watch for Purple Martin (rare) overhead from May to July.