The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
Aptos, Santa Cruz Mtns · near Aptos · Central Coast
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Trail miles
- ~24 mi bike-legal (of 41 total) across 10,000 acres
- Elevation
- Rolling lower park; a famous ~13-mile fire-road climb tops out near Demo Forest
- Best season
- Year-round in dry stretches; muddy and best avoided after rain
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Ride types
- xc · all-mountain
- Signature trails
- Aptos Creek / Hihn's Mill Road · Aptos Rancho Trail · Buzzard Lagoon Road
- Ebike
- Yes
- Ebike note
- Some designated routes allow Class 1 e-bikes; confirm current California State Parks signage before relying on it.
- Intl tip
- Link it with Demo for the definitive Santa Cruz day - climb Aptos Creek and Buzzard Lagoon up, then descend Flow and Braille. Carry plenty of water; there are no services up the canyon.
The guide
Nisene is the endurance counterpart to Demo - 10,000 acres of second-growth redwood canyon with a quiet, cathedral feel. Most r…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.984, -121.901