Visit
Visit the UCSC Campus Natural Reserve
Located 75 miles (120 km) south of San Francisco at the edge of Santa Cruz, the campus lies on 2,001 acres (810 ha) of rolling, forested hills at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay. The UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve is a Long Range Development Plan land-use designation that spans a variety of habitats within the main, residential campus. These habitats represent habitat types that include grasslands, coastal prairie, redwood forest, dwarf redwood forest, mixed evergreen, northern maritime chaparral, and riparian woodland. Several long-term research projects take place on reserve lands, including the UCSC Forest Ecology Research Plot (FERP). These projects, as well as numerous internships led by UCSC Campus Natural Reserve staff, enable world class field research experience just footsteps away from classrooms. Reserve staff also work with classes, taking field-trips and offering other informal educational opportunities, while coordinating access to research sites for graduate students and faculty. Students from a variety of disciplines work on these research projects as well as participate in land stewardship projects throughout the year.
Fast Facts
Established: 1988
Location: UC Santa Cruz Campus
Size: 319 Hectares (789 acres)
Elevation: UCSC Campus spans 87 to 364 m (285 to 1,195 ft.)
Average Precipitation: 79 cm (31 in.) per year
Average Temperature: 15 ºC (59 ºF)
The UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve, like the rest of the UC Santa Cruz campus, is open to the public. Please note the following:
- UC Santa Cruz does not have any authorized mountain bike trails
- Visitor parking permit information
- Campus parking map
- UCSC Upper Campus Map
- Domestic animals that are not service animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are prohibited on all UC Santa Cruz property unless specifically exempted by the UC Santa Cruz Non-Research Animal Policy. Please see the policy for guidelines and regulations for exempted animals. Service Animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are permitted on UC Santa Cruz property. For more information, see the UC Santa Cruz Service/Support Animal Policy.
- Feeding of Wild Animals is Prohibited
- Pursuant to 14 CCR § 251.1 (California Code of Regulations) feeding wild animals on campus is prohibited and violators may be subject to time in jail and/or fines. This includes hand feeding or leaving food out for the purpose of feeding any wild animal, including feral cats, on the UC Santa Cruz campus or any property owned or controlled by the UC Regents. With approval, only food left out as bait for purposes of capturing for animal control or as approved for an educational purpose is permitted.
- Staying Safe and Aware Around Wildlife
- Please review our Collecting Policy
Land Acknowledgement
The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.