West Cliff Drive Tour

The Mark Abbot Memorial Lighthouse at Lighthouse Point.
The Mark Abbot Memorial Lighthouse at Lighthouse Point, along West Cliff Drive.

No visit to Santa Cruz is complete without a walk along West Cliff Drive. It’s home to several of Santa Cruz’s iconic landmarks, houses the heart of Santa Cruz surf culture at Steamer Lane and is a great place to see the local marine life. We highlight a few of the stops below, but all twenty one stories can be found in the mobile app and many can be read in blog form at the bottom of this page.

A screen shot of the stops and the interactive map feature in the self-guided mobile tour.
A screen shot of the stops and the interactive map feature in the self-guided mobile tour.

The lighthouses at Lighthouse Point have come and gone and moved around. Do you know how many there have been?

Aerial view of Lighthouse point circa 1941. You can see the beacon and the old lighthouse on the north side of West Cliff Drive. Image is used courtesy of Frank Perry. Ed Webber was the photographer.
Aerial view of Lighthouse point circa 1941. You can see the beacon and the old lighthouse on the north side of West Cliff Drive. Image is used courtesy of Frank Perry. Ed Webber was the photographer.

Locals call it the blow hole. It is the last remaining vestige of a wave motor built in the 1890’s.

Waves spouting through a vented but plugged shaft: the last remaining vestige of the Armstrong Brothers' Wave Motor.
Waves spouting through a vented but plugged shaft: the last remaining vestige of the Armstrong Brothers’ Wave Motor.

Natural Bridges State Beach is so named because it used to have three bridges. Now there is just one arch.

The lone remaining arch at Natural Bridges State Beach in April 2012. Photo © Mobile Ranger.
The lone remaining arch at Natural Bridges State Beach in April 2012.
The three natural bridges circa 1900. Photo courtesy of Frank Perry and UCSC Special Collections.
The three natural bridges circa 1900. Photo courtesy of Frank Perry and UCSC Special Collections.

Don’t miss the crazy “toilet bowl” formations lurking within the local rocks.

Half of a "toilet bowl" exposed along the coast near Swift Street. There are several whole toilet bowls. Can you find some?
Half of a “toilet bowl” exposed along the coast near Swift Street. There are several whole toilet bowls. Can you find some?

InPostGetApp

Go to Mobile Ranger Guides in the Apple App Store
Go to Mobile Ranger Guides in the Google Play Store

Can’t take the West Cliff Drive tour? No Problem.
Read the stories below: blog-style!

About The Author

I really enjoy field trips. I love being in a cool place and having someone tell me about it. The problem is, you can’t always find a professor or park ranger-type to tell you all they know about the local rocks, plants, and history. So I decided to combine my love of things natural with mobile technology.

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