The Heart of Soquel Park

Every time we visit, Santa Cruz County gets more and more dog-friendly. And this year there are several new opportunities to bark about. Tops among them: As of last year, dogs have a place to hike with their people at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where they previously were confined to campsites and picnic areas. The North Escape Road isn’t a trail, exactly, but it’ll do: The former fire evacuation road, surrounded by redwoods, provides for a 7-mile round-trip trek on a paved surface that parallels Opal Creek for much of the way. more »