Santa Cruz Wharf, state parks, beaches close due to incoming storm
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) -- The Santa Cruz Wharf will be closed along with a variety of Santa Cruz beaches and parks due to high surf and severe weather, according to the City of Santa Cruz.
These closures come right during the Valentine's Day holiday weekend, when restaurants with panoramic views typically see higher foot traffic than usual.
“[People are] probably pretty disappointed because they probably had plans," said Gilda's employee Jack Dunton. "I know we had reservations for a bunch of people that wanted to come in on their special day.”
This comes nearly two months after the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Wharf during a high surf event on December 23 that kept the Wharf closed for almost two weeks.
Beaches near the area will also be closed with warning signs and restricted access along the coastal infrastructure including West Cliff Drive. Beaches, parks and the Wharf are all expected to reopen Saturday.
Employees on the Wharf say while they understand the need to close for safety reasons, they are sad that they won't be able to welcome customers on Valentine's Day.
“Every now and then we'll have to evacuate people on the random because the weather's not good," said Dunton. "So, I'd say keeping it safe for the people that are coming out here just eat food and stuff.”
The following State Parks are closed:
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Butano State Park
- Burleigh Murray State Park
- Castle Rock State Park
- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Lighthouse Field State Beach (Inland portion)
- Natural Bridges State Beach
- New Brighton State Beach - Campground
- Portola Redwoods State APrk
- Sunset State Beach - Campground
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
The following State Beaches are closed:
- Cowell Beach
- Main Beach
- Mitchell's Cove/Beach
- Natural Bridges State Beach
- San Lorenzo Park Riverlands
- Santa Cruz Wharf
- Seasbright State Beach
- Twin Lakes State Beach
- Its Beach (Dog Beach)
