Wilder Ranch State Park cliffs.jpg
Grey3k · CC BY 3.0

Wilder Ranch–Aloe Vera Forts, 8 beaches is a 9.6-mile out-and-back in Wilder Ranch State Park near Gordola, CA. The route passes Wilder Ranch State Park Beach, Strawberry Beach, Fern Grotto Beach and 7 more before reaching Aloe Vera Forts at the turnaround, 4.8 miles in. It is mostly level, with 27 ft of elevation gain, and mostly dirt. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi33 – 108 ft9.8 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 36.96061, -122.09567
Nearest town Gordola, CA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Wilder Ranch–Aloe Vera Forts, 8 beaches

9.6 mi · ▲ 27 ft · 3 hr 13 min

Elevation 33–109 ft

Out & Back · Wilder Ranch State Park

Trailhead: 36.96061, -122.09567

Weather Aug 3: Fog, high 67°F / low 55° · precip 0% · wind 3 mph · sunrise 6:16 AM · sunset 8:15 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading NE.
  2. 150 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  3. 0.2 miTurn left, heading SW.
  4. 0.4 miTurn left, heading S.
  5. 50 ftPass Wilder Ranch State Park Beach.
  6. 0.3 miPass Strawberry Beach.
  7. 50 ftTurn left onto Ohlone Bluff Trail, heading SE.
  8. 2 miPass Fern Grotto Beach.
  9. 50 ftPass Sand Plant Beach.
  10. 50 ftPass Wilder Ranch State Park Beach.
  11. 0.3 miPass Sand Plant Beach.
  12. 50 ftPass Wilder Ranch State Park Beach.
  13. 0.2 miPass Fern Grotto Beach.
  14. 50 ftTurn right, heading NE.
  15. 200 ftSharp right onto Old Cove Landing Trail, heading E.
  16. 1.3 miPass The Octopus Tree.
  17. 50 ftPass Aloe Vera Forts.
  18. 100 ftReach Wilder Ranch, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  19. 1.3 miSharp left, heading N.
  20. 2.6 miTurn right, heading W.
  21. 0.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
  22. 0.4 miTurn right, heading E.
  23. 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
  24. 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

84% dirt2% paved14% unspecified

Weather

FogTemperature 67°F55°
Precip0%Wind3 mphUV7Humidity100%
Hourly temperature
70°55°
Sunrise 6:16 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:15 PM
Tue 63°55°
Wed 68°54°
Thu 76°59°
Fri 84°62°
Sat 82°63°
Sun 74°61°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.4 mi in (~10 min). Leave by 7:44 PM for the 8:15 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:41 PM — 2 min before dark. Trailhead visible from the viewpoint

More sunset hikes nearby

Other ways to reach this destination

More from this trailhead