![]() The beach at Natural Bridges – attractive to gulls and shorebirds – is best early in the morning before too many people arrive. Trails extend along the east and west shores, and a railroad trestle at the north end of the pond lets a birder walk the entire perimeter.īirds. Park trails are also accessible across Delaware Ave from Antonelli Pond.Īntonelli Pond, owned by the Santa Cruz County Land Trust, lies just north of Natural Bridges, across Delaware Ave. One may walk in for free at the north side of the park from Delaware Ave at the foot of Natural Bridges Dr. Parking on Swanton Blvd is free, and there is a short-term, free parking lot inside the park just before the entrance station. The main entrance to Natural Bridges is at the west end of West Cliff Dr, adjacent to its intersection with Swanton Blvd. Cars are charged an entrance fee, but you may park outside and walk in for free.ĭirections. This park has a picnic area and nature center but no camping. Parking there is limited to 20 minutes.Ĭaution: Check with rangers or lifeguards that conditions are safe for your planned activities.A good sampling of the birds of several coastal habitats occurs in Santa Cruz’s southwest corner, and the area also boasts some of the county’s better “vagrant traps.” Natural Bridges is one of the county’s most popular birding sites, with a history of rare birds. ![]() An overlook just outside the entrance station has a large parking area. The observation deck is at the end of a short, accessible trail just inside the entrance station. Natural bridges, the beach, the ocean, and the rugged coast. Two viewpoints on the east side of the park near the entrance station are excellent places to view the Call ahead to see when they will be open. The facility is usually open on weekends and some weekdays. There is also a park store in the visitor center. Animals found in the tide pools are on display in an aquarium. Natural Bridges' Visitor Center features interactive and interpretive displays and videos. Visitors must stay on the trail or the boardwalk inside the preserve.Īt Natural Bridges the park maintains a demonstration milkweed patch where visitors can see the monarchs' eggs, caterpillars, chrysalides, and - if you're very lucky - watch a newborn monarch emerge from its chrysalis.įor information about guided tours of the monarch preserve, see our Natural Bridges Beach Activities page. The Monarch Grove at Natural Bridges has been declared a Natural Preserve, protecting the butterflies' home from harm. There they find milkweed, the only plant a monarch butterfly caterpillar eats. Once spring arrives they head east for the valleys west of the Rocky Mountains. They usually begin to arrive in October and stay over until mid-February, clinging in thick clusters to the limbs. A wheelchair accessible boardwalkĪnd a hiking trail lead through the trees.Īs many as 100,000 monarch butterflies seek out the sheltered groves of eucalyptus trees in Natural Bridges State Park. Flocks of butterflies gather in thick clusters on the branches of the eucalyptus trees in the state beach. The monarch butterflies draw just as many visitors as the other attractions at the beach. ![]() Natural Bridges State Beachįacilities: Parking, restrooms, visitor center, picnic areas, monarch butterfly preserve, trails Every year bands of school children come to learn about life between Pacific tides. Visitors to Natural Bridges State Beach enjoy the reasonably accessible tide pools that extend up the coast from the sandy beach. Time has taken its toll, and today only a single smaller bridge remains. Once several natural bridges carved out of a point of sandstone by waves stood proudly just beyond the beach. ![]() The varied attractions of Natural Bridges State Beach make it a great place to spend the day. ![]()
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