From the California Coastal Trail, which is envisioned to run the entire length of California, to the in-progress 300-mile Great Redwood Trail, which will stretch from the San Francisco Bay to Humboldt, there are plenty of trail projects in progress all over the state.
One such project is the Coastal Rail Trail in Santa Cruz. This 32-mile car-free route follows the partially active Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, whose origins date back to the 1870s.
Route and vision
The planned walking and biking path follows the railroad from Davenport to Watsonville, tracing the entire coastline of Santa Cruz County. It’s the central “spine” of the larger Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network, a 50-mile system that would eventually extend to the San Mateo County line in the north.
Most of the envisioned route runs directly alongside the existing Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line tracks, creating a flat, accessible path for walking and cycling. It passes through some of the county’s most beautiful and popular destinations, including Wilder Ranch, Natural Bridges, West Cliff, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Pleasure Point, Capitola, New Brighton, and Seacliff.
What’s open and what’s next
According to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC), about 19 miles of Coastal Rail Trail projects are either open or under active construction today.
The most visible open section is a 2.1-mile section on the city’s Westside, from Natural Bridges Drive to Pacific Avenue, which was completed in two phases in 2020 and 2025. Down in Watsonville, a 1-mile trail section from Ohlone Parkway/Lee Road to Walker Street opened in 2021.
A 7.5-mile path between Wilder Ranch and Davenport, called the North Coast Rail Trail, broke ground in 2024. It’s currently targeted for completion in fall 2026.
Additional trail segments throughout the country are either under construction or planning to break ground this decade, meaning new links will continue to materialize in phases well into the 2030s.
