Nature reserve · California
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is a nature reserve in California, at a modelled elevation of 248 m. Loma Prieta stands 1,154 m to the north-northeast, 6.0 miles off. The nearest named place is Fairy Falls, a waterfall 0.4 miles away. Big Sur Coast Highway - Route 1 passes 30 miles off.
What the record says
- Built
- 1963
What to expect
- Operated by
- California Department of Parks and Recreation
- Access
- Yes
How to reach it
Coordinates37.02897, -121.87980
- 29.9 mi off the Big Sur Coast Highway - Route 1, National
Named places within 25 miles
Attractions
- Epicenter Loma Prieta Earthquake: 0.4 mi
- S. S. Palo Alto: 4.5 mi
- Capitola Wharf: 5.7 mi
- Capitola Wharf: 5.8 mi
- Ropes Course: 5.9 mi
Historic sites
- Bridge Creek Historic Site: 1.5 mi
- First High Altitude Aeroplane Flights: 5.7 mi
- Harvey West Historic Structure: 7.0 mi
- Night Fighter: 7.2 mi
- Bear Enclosure: 7.2 mi
Picnic sites
- Porter Family Picnic Area: 1.7 mi
- Mary Easton Picnic Area: 2.1 mi
- George's Picnic Area: 2.4 mi
- Pourroy Picnic Area: 3.3 mi
- Emmet Reed Picnic Area: 3.4 mi
Peaks
- Bean Hill: 1.8 mi
- Sand Point: 1.9 mi
- Lone Tree Prairie: 2.8 mi
- Santa Rosalia Mountain: 3.3 mi
- Sugarloaf Mountain: 3.8 mi
Parks
- Valencia Hall Park: 2.4 mi
- Polo Grounds Park: 3.3 mi
- Aptos Village Park: 3.7 mi
- Enchanted Valley Community Center: 4.0 mi
- Seacliff Village Park: 4.1 mi
Gardens: 60
- Ksitigarbha Garden: 3.2 mi
- Tiger Lily Garden: 3.3 mi
- Bamboo Giant Nursery: 3.4 mi
- Roses of Yesterday: 5.2 mi
- afe native plant garden: 8.0 mi
Artworks
- Cabrillo Gallery: 3.7 mi
- Windfalls: 4.1 mi
- Skyball: 4.9 mi
- Skyball: 4.9 mi
- Skyball: 5.0 mi
Nature reserves
- Newt Habitat: 4.1 mi
- New Brighton State Beach: 4.5 mi
- Byrne-Milliron Forest: 4.8 mi
- Seascape Uplands Preserve: 5.0 mi
- Escalona Gulch: 5.1 mi
Museums: 58
- Aptos History Museum: 3.8 mi
- Cabrillo College Gallery: 3.8 mi
- Capitola Historical Museum: 5.5 mi
- Canepa: 7.5 mi
- Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History: 8.4 mi
Beaches: 49
- Potbelly Beach: 4.5 mi
- Potbelly Beach: 4.6 mi
- Rio Del Mar Beach: 4.6 mi
- Beer Can Beach: 5.2 mi
- Esplanade Park Beach: 5.5 mi
Springs: 24
- Olive Springs: 2.9 mi
- Badger Spring: 4.0 mi
- Sulpher Springs: 4.0 mi
- Crystal Springs (private): 8.0 mi
- Old Growth Spring: 8.7 mi
Waterfalls: 23
- Fairy Falls: 0.4 mi
- Maple Falls: 1.5 mi
- Five Finger Falls: 1.7 mi
- Basin Falls: 5.5 mi
- Upper Falls: 5.6 mi
Cliffs: 12
- Capitola Bluffs: 5.3 mi
- Anthony's Bluff: 9.0 mi
- Chrystal Cliff: 9.2 mi
- Upper Quarry: 10.0 mi
- Upper Quarry: 10.0 mi
Lighthouses: 2
- Santa Cruz West Breakwater Light: 8.2 mi
- Santa Cruz Lighthouse: 9.7 mi
Covered bridges: 2
- Felton Covered Bridge: 10.6 mi
- Felton Covered Bridge: 10.6 mi
Natural arches: 1
- Natural Bridges Rock Arch: 11.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 15.4 miles of The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loma Prieta | NNE 19° | 1,154 m | 6.0 mi |
| Crystal Peak | NNE 23° | 1,097 m | 6.3 mi |
| Mount Umunhum | N 353° | 1,063 m | 9.1 mi |
| Mount Thayer | NNW 347° | 1,061 m | 9.6 mi |
| Mount Chual | NNE 22° | 1,046 m | 6.7 mi |
| El Sombroso | N 351° | 917 m | 10.5 mi |
| Ralph's Mountain | NNW 340° | 828 m | 9.1 mi |
| Santa Rosalia Mountain | NNE 24° | 806 m | 3.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:45 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:49 | 19:53 | 20:31 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:32 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 07:18 | 16:14 | 16:55 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 52 | 53 | 55 | 58 | 60 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 62 | 56 | 51 |
| Precip in | 6.4 | 6.1 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 6.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Santa Cruz, 7 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element relation/10558949
Day trips start here
- Aptos · 4 mi
- Capitola · 6 mi
- Santa Cruz · 9 mi
- Watsonville · 10 mi
- Moss Landing · 16 mi
- San Juan Bautista · 23 mi
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