Long Weekends and Road Trips from Santa Cruz
A trip of two or three nights in Santa Cruz works in one of three ways: stay put and explore locally, use the city as a base for the Monterey side of the bay, or drive the coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Each is laid out below with the practical details that decide it. Amounts are in US dollars and are subject to change.
Option One: Three Days in Santa Cruz
Day one. Arrive and walk the Wharf, which stretches about half a mile into the bay and has seafood restaurants. Then watch the sun go down from West Cliff Drive.
Day two. Spend the morning in Felton. Henry Cowell Redwoods is $10 a vehicle, and Roaring Camp’s steam train runs 75 minutes from 5401 Graham Hill Road. After lunch, the Mystery Spot at 465 Mystery Spot Road is open until 4pm on weekdays and 5pm on weekends.
Day three. Give the Boardwalk its own morning. Entry is free and wristbands cost about $34.95 to $69.95 depending on the date.
Option Two: Santa Cruz and Monterey
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is about 45 miles south, roughly an hour without traffic, with adult tickets at $65. If you want to continue toward Big Sur, ask Caltrans about Highway 1 conditions before you book anything, since closures change the plan. Santa Cruz is a better base than Monterey for the redwoods, while Monterey is a better base for the aquarium and Cannery Row.
Option Three: San Francisco to Santa Cruz by the Coast
Heading south from San Francisco, the coast road passes Half Moon Bay, Pescadero and Pigeon Point before reaching Año Nuevo and then Santa Cruz. From December to March the elephant seals at Año Nuevo can be seen only on guided walks, and places must be booked well ahead. Summer weekend traffic on Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Aptos is the main delay, so leave early. The San Francisco guide covers where the drive begins.
What Is Open for Overnight Stays
Camping and lodging inside Big Basin Redwoods State Park are closed. Day visits are limited and need a reservation for parking, at $8, unless you arrive on foot, by bicycle or by bus. Castle Rock State Park, inland on Skyline Boulevard, is the park to choose for hiking and climbing. Wilder Ranch has intermittent trail closures, so look at its park page before you plan a walk there.
Getting Around Without a Car
Santa Cruz METRO local buses cost $2 in cash, and a day pass is $6 cash or $5 with Tap2Cruz. A 31-day pass is $65, and the 3-day, 7-day and 15-ride passes are no longer sold. Route 35 goes along Highway 9 to Scotts Valley and stops at Henry Cowell. The Highway 17 Express to San Jose Diridon is $7 one way and takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes.
Parking
From 27 September 2026 to 10 April 2027, Wharf parking is $1 an hour for the first four hours, then $2 an hour, capped at $12 a day. Tuesdays give two free hours with a validation stamp from a wharf business, and Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day are free. The City sets a higher rate in summer. Boardwalk lot parking is about $25 on many days and about $35 on summer weekends and holidays.
Park details are on the Big Basin State Parks page , and bus fares on the METRO fares and passes page . Beds can be compared through Booking.com results for Santa Cruz .
Read more: the day trips page covers single-day options, and the activities page sorts things to do by time of day.