Home › California › Santa Cruz › Enchanted Trail Trailhead
Enchanted Trail Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 107 Google reviews · Running trail in Santa Cruz, California · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Enchanted Trail Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Hiking area with a number of trails, some of which are suitable for families.
What runners say about Enchanted Trail Trailhead
“The beginning of the trail had a beautiful view (from the back) of the ocean and the climb starts rather mild.”
“My friend and her dog and I hiked to the Top of the World here at the park, put our feet in the creek, enjoyed the shade and trees.”
This was the perfect trail for my kids (ages 3,5,7) . I’m not from Cali and was a bit nervous when I saw that mountain lion sign at the start of the trail. But I met several people along the hike who reassured me. We hiked to the playground/park and it was a nice reward for the kids.
Lovely little surprise close to mystery spot. The hike was not difficult. Moderate and mostly easy. Ends at a golf course on the top. The trees and the hike itself was very gorgeous, peaceful and amazing.
Cool place with lots of trails. However, there are too many special people who can't understand the sign about keeping your dogs on a leash.
Beautiful hiking trail deep above the coastline of Santa Cruz, California. It is worth the climb to get there. Once you are I. The forest canopy you truly feel as if you have transported to another place. A visit here never gets old as they landscape always has something to offer.
Trail conditions & character
“The beginning of the trail had a beautiful view (from the back) of the ocean and the climb starts rather mild.”
“My friend and her dog and I hiked to the Top of the World here at the park, put our feet in the creek, enjoyed the shade and trees.”
“My friend and her dog and I hiked to the Top of the World here at the park, put our feet in the creek, enjoyed the shade and trees.”
“The beginning of the trail had a beautiful view (from the back) of the ocean and the climb starts rather mild.”
“Parked off the hwy and entered the trailhead right outside a somewhat private residence.”
“The summer dries out a bit but the nature is still wonderful with a crazy nice frisbee golf course and a moderate difficulty mountain bike loop at 4.”
Plan your run at Enchanted Trail Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Websitesantacruzca.gov
Hours
| Monday | 7 AM–6 PM |
| Tuesday | 7 AM–6 PM |
| Wednesday | 7 AM–6 PM |
| Thursday | 7 AM–6 PM |
| Friday | 7 AM–6 PM |
| Saturday | 7 AM–6 PM |
| Sunday | 7 AM–6 PM |
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