This book is a treasure trove for locals and visitors alike! Written by a long-time Santa Cruz resident who is passionate about walking and hiking, it includes 44 detailed maps and clear step-by-step route descriptions that are easy to follow, as well as more than 130 photographs of secret spots, plants and animals likely to be seen by the walker. All walks are rated by distance and elevation gain and range from one to more than six miles in length.

Though generally a peaceful coastal city, the dark stains from Santa Cruz’s past still linger. A former Spanish Mission, Holy Cross Catholic Church harbors a dark history of a brutal revolt of native Ohlone Indians that killed the cruel Father Andres Quintana. Frequented by mobsters and celebrities in its heyday, the famous Brookdale Lodge’s most talked-about guest is the ghost of a little girl who died nearby in 1892 after nearly drowning. Terrorized by three different serial killers during the 1970s, the city earned the nickname of “the Murder Capital of the World.” Local resident Alfred Hitchcock derived inspiration for his iconic film Psycho from the haunted mid-nineteenth-century Hotel McRay. Tracing the city’s eeriest incidents back to their roots, historical researcher and paranormal investigator Maryanne Porter details these and many more stories of local legend and lore.