Soquel

Established: 1990
Area: 2,681 acres
Elevation: 450 - 2,400 ft.
Precipitation: 44 inches per year
Temperature: Max: 90 F - Min: 32 F

Soquel Demonstration State Forest is situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains along California's central coast. Originally part of a Mexican land grant, the property was logged by several different owners prior to the State taking ownership in 1988. Today, the Forest provides the public access to the beauty of the coastal redwoods and the wildlife found in this habitat type.

Located along the east branch of Soquel Creek and including portions of Amaya Creek and Fern Gulch Creek, the Forest contains redwood, mixed hardwoods, and riparian ecosystems. Soquel is geologically active, with the San Andreas and Zayante Faults passing through the property. Associated with the Forest's geologic activity are several natural springs and small marshes found in closed depressions, known as sag ponds.

Soquel is unique because it is the only State Forest located near large urban areas. Its proximity to the metropolitan centers of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area provide excellent opportunities for "hands-on" forestry education and outdoor recreation while demonstrating a "working forest" to the public.

Visitors enjoy hiking, bicycling, picnicking and horseback riding. There are no restrooms and no developed water sources in the forest so please bring your own drinking water. Hours for use are dawn to dusk; day use only. Horses and mountain bikes need to stay on trails or roads. Pets are welcome but must be on a leash. No smoking or fires of any kind are allowed in the forest. No firearms or motorized vehicles are allowed in the forest. Electric bicycles (including all classes) are not allowed