Day Valley, Day Valley, CA

Day Valley is hill country above Aptos where forest, meadow and vineyard share the same slopes, and the winding roads climb up from the coast to reach it. There is no downtown, and that is the point. The homes sit on large parcels, mostly multi-acre, in ranch, Mediterranean and contemporary styles, with horse properties scattered through the valleys and regenerating redwoods around many drives. A few ridgetop places catch Monterey Bay views, and some of the newest houses are custom builds. In places the forest comes right down to the pavement. The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park reaches into the area, with about thirty miles of trails through redwood forest and the old logging remnants at Hoffman Historic Site. Sand Point Overlook is nearby for a longer look back at the canyon, and the Soquel Demo Flow Trail draws mountain bikers. Wine tasting is the other local pastime, with Storrs, Nicholson Vineyards and Lester Estate Wines pouring on their patios and in the tasting barn. Nicholson also presses its own estate olive oil. Aptos Village, with its small-batch coffee and artisan ice cream, is the nearest real town center, and Polo Grounds County Park and the Aptos dog park, down the hill, handle ball fields and off-leash time. There are no restaurants inside the boundary, so meals mean heading to Corralitos. Big J's Pizza and Dee Dee's Deli-ishes Taqueria are the casual standbys, and the Corralitos Cultural Center runs a small gallery. Bigger grocery trips go down to Aptos Village or Watsonville. Every errand around Day Valley starts with a drive on winding rural roads, and nothing is within walking distance of a front door. The upside of that arrangement is how quiet the evenings get. A day here usually means a drive down for supplies and a slow drive back up to the redwoods.