Quick Take
Here's what you need to know about the 9 miles of trails that opened up at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, just north of Davenport.
Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument opened Saturday on Santa Cruz County’s North Coast after decades of discussions and years of planning and building miles of public trails. So if you’re looking to take a trip to the monument or just curious what the buzz is about, here’s what you need to know about Cotoni-Coast Dairies.
What’s up there?
Anyone can access three trails that total roughly 9 miles from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. The monument’s parking lot has 62 spots, two restrooms and picnic tables at the trailhead on Cement Plant Road off Highway 1 near Davenport.
There’s one trailhead that leads to all three trails, which are organized in a “stacked loop” format, said Katy Peterson, the senior marketing and communications manager at Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, the local nonprofit that built the trails. That means in order to access the third, most difficult trail, you have to go through the first and second trails to get there.
“The cool thing [about] the way this is set up is that, no matter what your ability level, you’re going to have a good time at Cotoni,” said Philip Oviatt, the Bureau of Land Management’s public affairs officer for Central California.
All trails allow mountain bikes, including e-bikes, but dogs are allowed only on leash and only on the first and second trails. Equestrians require special permits from the BLM.
The trails
The Hawk Trail, the first loop and beginning trailhead, is 2.5 miles of easier coastal prairie terrain where a wider path and gentler slope accommodate almost all comfortability levels. This trail is also certified for adaptive mountain biking, an accessible form of the sport often using hand pedals that has a higher threshold for trail safety. Oviatt said as you hike along the Hawk Trail, there are uninterrupted ocean views.
On the 1.6-mile Tree Trail in the middle, travelers enter a redwood forest where the narrower path, roots crossing the trail and sharper turns make the section of an intermediate difficulty level. Peterson said there are some great benches in this area that provide an ocean view through the shade of the trees.
The last trail, the Wildcat Trail, lays out 4 miles of intermediate and advanced terrain, reaching the top of the plateau and the highest points in the park. Peterson said the views at the highest points on the Wildcat Trail rival those of Big Sur. Oviatt recommends that people who venture onto the farthest trail make sure they are in shape and prepared for a longer day.
Oviatt said that this first weekend, most people hiked the Hawk and Tree trails, which took them about two to two and a half hours.
Both Peterson and Oviatt raved about their experiences on the trails and noted the diversity of landscape this area opens up for people.
“This is a gemstone for Santa Cruz, for the area,” Oviatt said. “Overnight it’s becoming a destination location for people from all over who are seeking out to come.”
What to bring
Peterson said trail users should bring their own water since there is nowhere to fill it up at the trailhead, as well as wear sun protection, bring snacks and prepare to encounter poison oak, as with most trails in the Santa Cruz County region. Oviatt added that good walking shoes and appropriate clothing are necessary for the second two trails particularly.
Getting to Cotoni-Coast Dairies
From the south, Cement Plant Road is a right-hand turn off Highway 1 across from Davenport Landing Road. Turn right on Cement Plant Road and continue until you see the parking lot on your left. Local residents requested visitors coming from the south use the entrance to Cement Plant Road a mile farther up the highway to mitigate the traffic’s impact on the community.
Coming from the north, Cement Plant Road follows the Swanton Road turnoff from Highway 1. Turn left on Cement Plant Road and continue until you see the parking lot on your left.
How it came to be
Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship built the trails over the course of 3½ years and more than 106 volunteer trail-building events. Peterson said 897 volunteers signed up to do trail work with the organization, totaling over 10,000 hours, or about a year and two months, of work.
The monument is named after the Cotoni tribelet of the Ohlone people who lived on this coastal prairie for centuries. In their language, Cotoni is pronounced “Chuh-toe-knee,” with a soft C.
The land was first purchased by the Trust for Public Land in 1998 in order to save it from future private development. It wasn’t until 2014 that the 5,800 acres was transferred to the federal Bureau of Land Management.
In the last days of his second term in January 2017, President Barack Obama designated the property to be a part of the California Coastal National Monument. After that, the BLM put together a public access plan that was carried out by Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship from 2021 until its opening this weekend.
“It’s just kind of unrivaled, in my opinion, and offers something completely new to visitors of the area and residents of the area,” Peterson said. “And I just hope everyone has as much fun out on the trails as we had bringing them together.”
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