Tree 9–Chinquapin Road, 7 sights is an 11-mile out-and-back in Wilder Ranch State Park near Rincon, CA. The route reaches Tree 9 at the turnaround, 5.5 miles in. It climbs 1,194 ft. It scores 9/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Tree 9–Chinquapin Road, 7 sights
11 mi · ▲ 1,194 ft · 4 hr 16 min
Elevation 320–1,125 ft
Out & Back · Wilder Ranch State Park
Trailhead: 36.98993, -122.06956
Weather Aug 3: Fog, high 75°F / low 51° · precip 0% · wind 2 mph · sunrise 6:16 AM · sunset 8:15 PM
No dogs on part of this route · Transit-accessible: Empire Grade & Heller Drive stop 193 m from the trailhead · Drinking water at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading S.
- 0.4 miBear left, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading SW.
- 0.4 miSharp right onto UCSC Connector/Cave Gulch, heading N.
- 0.5 miSharp right onto Wally World, heading E.
- 0.6 miBear right, heading NW.
- 0.9 miTurn right onto Long Meadow Trail, heading W.
- 0.8 miContinue straight onto Chinquapin Trail, heading N.
- 0.4 miContinue straight onto Chinquapin Road, heading NE.
- 1.1 miTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto North Fuel Break Road, heading S.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Fuel Break Road, heading SW.
- 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
- 200 ftReach Tree 9, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto North Fuel Break Road, heading SW.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading NW.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Chinquapin Road, heading W.
- 0.9 miBear left, heading NW.
- 0.3 miContinue straight onto Chinquapin Trail, heading W.
- 0.4 miContinue straight onto Long Meadow Trail, heading SW.
- 0.8 miTurn left, heading S.
- 250 ftContinue straight onto Wally World, heading S.
- 0.8 miBear left, heading SE.
- 0.6 miSharp left onto UCSC Connector/Cave Gulch, heading S.
- 0.5 miSharp left, heading SE.
- 0.4 miTurn left, heading S.
- 50 ftBear right, heading S.
- 0.3 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.5 mi in (~108 min). Leave by 6:07 PM for the 8:15 PM sunset. Back at your car by 10:03 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- No dogs on part of this route
- Transit-accessible: Empire Grade & Heller Drive stop 193 m from the trailhead
- Drinking water at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- The Triangle & Arboretum Pond 1.6 mi · ▲ 165 ft
- Prairie View Trail 3.5 mi · ▲ 329 ft
- Prairie View Trail 3.6 mi · ▲ 325 ft
- Long Meadow Trail–UCSC Connector/Cave Gulch, 3 sights 3.7 mi · ▲ 426 ft
- Prairie View Trail 3.8 mi · ▲ 355 ft
- Prairie View Trail 3.8 mi · ▲ 439 ft
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