The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park covers 10,000 acres just outside the quaint seaside town of Aptos, featuring a dense second- and third-growth redwood forest.  The park is popular for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking, with 30 miles of trails and fire roads rising from sea level to steep coastal mountains of more than 2,600 feet. Dog walkers love the lower section of the park with mellow meandering dog-friendly trails and access to Aptos Creek where the dogs, and owners, can splash in the shallow waters to cool off on hot summer days. For a more strenuous, but rewarding, adventure hike or mountain bike up to San Point Overlook for sweeping panoramic vistas of the Monterey Bay. Geology enthusiasts, or even those who would like to witness the destruction cause by active tectonic faults, can hike to the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the Bay Area. The park also has a few waterfalls, a backcountry trail camp, and has connecting trails with adjacent Soquel Demonstration State Forest. The Forest of Nisene Marks owes its existence to the nature-loving mother of a prominent Salinas farming family - Nisene Marks - who purchased the land in the 1950's after it had been clear-cut in a 40-year logging frenzy that ended in 1923. Nisene Marks' children donated the land in 1963 with the provision the land never be developed so the forest could heal itself. The Forest of Nisene Marks thrives as a monument to forest regeneration and the future - a place where visitors today can witness the re-growth of a future ancient redwood forest.