The usual way into Santa Cruz, a cobble beach at the mouth of a canyon, the old Scorpion Ranch buildings behind it, and a…The usual way into Santa Cruz, a cobble beach at the mouth of a canyon, the old Scorpion Ranch buildings behind it, and a coastline of sea caves running west that is some of the best kayaking water in California. Island foxes, found nowhere else, come down around the campground. A working sheep and cattle ranch from the 1860s until the 1980s, whose adobe and outbuildings still stand above the beach. The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service now hold the island between them, and the island fox has come back from a few dozen animals to thousands. Anchorage: Anchor in 8-15m off the beach on sand, avoiding the kelp. Move to Smugglers Cove or round to Prisoners if the wind goes east. Hazards: Kelp fouls an anchor here, and a Santa Ana or any easterly makes it untenable fast. Watch the swell wrap around the point. More