River Day Hangout

You're invited to join me at my favorite watering hole! 

Location is in 1 turn downstream of the Garden Of Eden in Felton, Santa Cruz County. About 45 minutes from San Jose, but totally worth it. I plan to get there early and stay til the sun leaves the spot. 

WHAT TO EXPECT: Medium difficulty hike, possibly difficult for beginner hikers that have never hiked off a maintained trail path. Beautiful river valley with steep canyon walls, peaceful, clear cold water, warm sun, sandy beaches, and good company. No bathroom (Just bushes). 

ADULTS ONLY: This is not a designated kid friendly event.

WHAT TO BRING: I advise packing a light backpack so your hands are free. Wear shoes with good traction. Bring a swimsuit and towel. Pack food and drink, sunscreen. Sun hat recommended. Floating tubes or lounges optional are fun. No matter what you bring, I advise you to keep the weight minimal. 

DRIVING ROUTE: The fastest route is via 17 and then Mt Hermon Road thru Scotts Valley straight thru to Felton. When you reach the Graham Hill Road and Hwy 9 intersection take a left. Wild Roots will be on your left (Last bathroom!) Drive about 1/4 - 1/2 mile, pass the toll house and the next parking area on the left will be the Ox Trail parking lot. If the lot is full there is more parking a turn or two down further on the left. 

WHERE TO PARK: You can meet us at the Ox Trail parking lot at 9:45am, I'd like to leave for the spot promptly at 10am. 

CARPOOL: If you'd like to carpool, coordinate ahead of time in the event chat, or if you'd like to carpool from Felton to make parking easier at the spot I'll be stopping at Wild Roots for snacks at 9:15 - 9:30 and car passengers can be merged and left there. 

THE HIKE: This location has a 30-45 minute hike to get to the location, most of which is very mild, with the least bit being a more adventurous level of difficulty. Getting there is all downhill, coming back is uphill. Trail will be wide for 3/4 of the way, along dirt path and then along railroad tracks. The last 1/4 of the trail narrows to a steep dirt and rock section up and over and down to the river, and then upstream along the river rock bed section to get to our location. 

BRING THE RIGHT SHOES! The steep section can be slippery with smooth dirt, traction is helpful.  

GETTING WET: Getting to the final location requires wading through the river to get across to our spot. You will have to get wet, possibly as deep as chest high depending on the shape and depth of the river this year. 

THE SPOT: The location is lovely, the water is very cold, the sun will be warm, and if we get there early we may be able to snag the spot entirely for ourselves. Often people will pass the spot in floating inner tubes down stream. The popular spot to hang out is 2 turns up the river at the Garden Of Eden, but our spot difficult enough to get to that it's less known to tourists.

NO BATHROOM: There is no bathroom! I advise stopping for a bathroom break at Safeway bathroom or Wild Roots bathroom in Felton before we go. 

There is some bushy canopy cover a short ways from the beach to relieve yourself but how good the cover is depends on the winter flooding and how it changes the shape of the beach. Every time I've visited there's some bushes/trees to go relieve yourself a few minutes away from our spot. 

WHAT TO WEAR: 

Bring easy to hike in attire that is not heavy. We will be walking through areas with minimal poison oak off the path, but we won't be directly walking through it (And we may bring a poison oak trimming tool) . I advise light layers, a towel, and a swim suit, possibly a thin long sleeve for sun protection if that's on your mind, or for if there's a chilly breeze. 

SWIMSUIT OPTIONS / PARTIAL NUDITY

This is technically within a state park area, so clothing is required legally. This stretch of river is known by locals for people sunbathing naked or partially naked on the less common sections, including this one. Whether or not the ladies want to wear a swim top is up to them! I did almost get a nudity citation once, but I feel they're very willing to look the other way as long as you're wearing swim bottoms and put on clothes when asked. This means I advise everyone to plan on wearing swim bottoms. Personally I don't like swim tops so I'll likely be forgoing mine at least part of the time. Letting y'all know so you can decide if you're comfortable with some partial nudity. 

WHO'S COMING: Friends from bloom, friends of mine from Bonobo Network, everyone will be non-monogamous or friends/allies of non-monogamous folks. Please ask before inviting people. 

If you have any questions, let me know!