Photo | A walk in the park at Wilder Ranch

Photo | A walk in the park at Wilder Ranch

Hikers stride through the Wilder Ranch State Park greenspace across Empire Grade from the West Entrance to UC Santa Cruz. The park is approximately 7,000 acres in size and became a California state park in 1974. Much of this area had been included in Gray Whale Ranch, which was acquired by the California State Parks Department after being purchased by the Save the Redwoods League in 1996. Prior to becoming part of the state park, the ranch was u…