The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

ENJOY Hike or bike through this vast redwood forest Take only pictures and leave only footprints LEARN Join us for free, docent-led, tours and history walks School tours are available by reservation Friends' award-winning topographical maps of the Forest of Nisene Marks include history, flora and fauna. Available in our park stores and local bookstores. GIVE BACK Contribute to the "Getting to the Heart of the Forest" Education and Stewardship Fund and directly benefit the park by purchasing the beautiful new fine art silk-screen print of Nisene Marks, created by renowned artist Michael Schwab

Interesting Facts * More than 10,200 acres of redwood forest * 30 miles of trails * Rises from sea level to more than 2,600 feet * Nearly 1,000 people attended educational programs last year * 440 school children were served last year

Background
Covered with second growth redwoods, The Forest of Nisene Marks is also home to madrone, tan oak, live oak, Douglas fir, alders, willows and big leaf maples. Mossy carpets, ferns and sorrel flourish here. The most commonly seen animals are the stellar jay, banana slug, acorn woodpecker and brown towhee. Mule deer, various hawks and owls, California quail and gray squirrels can be seen. Coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions are always present, but seldom seen. These animals are vital in the food web that allows for a healthy ecosystem. They are typically shy of human contact and do not pose a threat.

The Forest of Nisene Marks is a watershed in a continuous process of change and growth, sculpted by natural forces like earthquakes, landslides, fire and erosion, and the human impacts of extensive logging. The riparian zones feature creek canyons, waterfalls, fern covered cliffs, and mossy rocks. A deep clear pool shelters juvenile steelhead trout preparing for their migration down Aptos creek to the ocean.

Explorers of the park's steep and rugged terrain can still find traces of logging operations that denuded the mountainsides until the 1920s in the form of stumps and clearings, mill sites and trestles. The forest is recovering and is lushly dense today.

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