Friends of Quail Hollow Ranch
DEDICATED TO ENHANCING AND PRESERVING THE PARK'S NATURAL AND CULTURAL TREASURES
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY'S HIDDEN GEM
Quail Hollow Ranch County Park is tucked into a sunny, picturesque valley just east of Ben Lomond, CA. It is a Natural Reserve, formerly a working horse ranch, and one of Santa Cruz County’s best-kept secrets. Friends of Quail Hollow Ranch County Park was founded to preserve and enhance the unique natural bounty of the park, and to help maintain the cultural resources it embodies.
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Our Mission: Friends of Quail Hollow is an all-volunteer organization that is dedicated to improving and preserving Quail Hollow’s ecosystem as an exceptional habitat for native plants and animals. We implement and fund projects to help visitors of all ages to better experience, respect and be inspired by the park’s beauty and biodiversity.
Within its 300 acres reside several unique plant communities, including rare Santa Cruz sandhills habitats, a dwarf redwood forest, a pond, and the tallest Red Willow in California. Added to Quail Hollow’s considerable biological interest is the fact that the historic ranch house used to be the test kitchen and garden for Sunset Magazine, that arbiter of California domestic style.
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In addition to 5 miles of hiking trails (no dogs or bikes on trails), Quail Hollow offers loads of classes and tours, from history tours to bird watching to stargazing, and much more. Visit the Visitor Center calendar below, or the Friends of Quail Hollow Facebook page for news of events.
Volunteer for the Pace Trail!
Volunteering is a great way to make a difference in your community and meet new friends. At our Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, we have a unique volunteer opportunity coming up! The Quail Hollow Ranch County Park Trails Construction project expands the park’s existing 4.5-mile trail network into the nearby Pace property, currently inaccessible to the public from the park.
Help us expand the trail system at Quail Hollow and you will receive training, leadership, but most of all be part of a unique project that will benefit hikers in the future forever! Construction will be directed by County Parks and Santa Cruz Mountain Stewardship staff.
The Construction includes a 0.5-mile access trail, and a 2.0-mile figure-8 loop trail into the Pace Family Wilderness through the diverse sandhill ecology. For more information about volunteering with us email: volunteer@parks.santacruzcountyca.gov
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Check out the summer camps and workshops
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Bring a picnic – tables are on the sunset trail, the pond, and at the visitor center