Four Mile Beach
Santa Cruz, CA
Four Mile Beach is one of Wilder Ranch State Park's named coastal access points, reached by unimproved parking and a walk across open bluff land. It's a genuinely wide, open beach that trades formal facilities for real space and quiet.
A genuinely open, uncrowded stretch of Wilder Ranch's coastline, though the unimproved parking and exposed walk mean it takes more effort than the beaches closer to town.
How we score beachesBring water and sun protection, the walk from the unimproved parking area is longer and more exposed than it looks on a map.
Free but unimproved parking is available at the trailhead.
A path and blufftop trails lead from parking to the beach.
Fog is common most mornings year round, typical of the Santa Cruz coast.
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