Lompico, Lompico, CA

Lompico is a hillside community above Felton, reached by Lompico Road, where redwoods and Lompico Creek supply most of the scenery. The streets are narrow, shaded and almost entirely residential, and the settlement dates to 1927. Homes are cabins and single-family houses on sloping wooded lots, many with steep, narrow driveways and decks that look into the trees. Rebuilt and remodeled houses sit beside older cabins, and lot sizes vary a great deal from one street to the next. Dense tree cover keeps most streets shaded through the afternoon, and views tend to be of the forest, not the valley. Lompico Park and Loch Lomond Park sit inside the community, and Loch Lomond Recreation Area is right beside it. The reservoir there allows fishing and rents rowboats and electric motorboats, though private boats are not permitted, and picnic areas and about twelve miles of trails circle the water. Hikers also try the loops at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, over in Ben Lomond, which include a few long views, and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and the Felton Covered Bridge are downhill in Felton. There is no restaurant or cafe inside Lompico. Zayante Creek Market & Deli, at 9210 East Zayante Road, has served the area since 1942 and is known for deli sandwiches and chili cheese dogs. For coffee, Felton has Mountain Roasting Company and White Raven, both within a short drive. The Safeway, the New Leaf Community Market and the library branch are all in Felton, a short drive down Lompico Road and onto Highway 9. Santa Cruz is the next step for larger shopping, and Scotts Valley lies to the east. No errand here is on foot. Lompico Road is narrow and winding, and every trip out depends on it, so the drive to errands takes more patience than a glance at the map suggests. The community began as a colony of summer cabins, and the narrow lanes still carry that feel.