There are some uber amazing spots and myths from UC Santa Cruz that need light to be shed on them. To any adventurer who tries to find these spots, I urge you be cautious in the woods and to travel in a group. It is important to be aware of your surrounding and limits. Many of the following spots are rather special to UCSC students, so please respect the locations. I collected information from various websites and compiled them into this article for simplicity, so some information is from past alumni and various sources.
1. The Koi Pond
Many Porter fanatics have their own Koi Pond with beautiful fish, but did you know that there is a smaller one near Pogonip? This is a rather Zen and tranquil spot where many UCSC go to be at peace with nature. When you visit, please protect the Koi fish by not contaminating the water or hurting the fish in any way. I have been to the Koi Pond several times, and it's always a blast looking at the fish and exploring the surroundings. The Koi Pond can be found at Pogonip. Now you may be asking where is Pogonip?
2. Pogonip
Pogonip is a natural reserve with various trails and meadows. It's home to numerous species of animals, and it's an amazing place to explore. This is a mountain lion region and wildlife region, so please be aware of that. Bring comfortable shoes and water bottles. The routes can be muddy, but if you are lucky, you may find some secret spots such as the rock garden. I can't tell you how to get there, but once you find it, you will feel invigorated. It's such wonderful experience for every UCSC student. I recommend every student to travel there at least once during their stay here at Santa Cruz. To find this reserve that is adjacent to Stevenson College, continue down the road slope until you find a gate. Be careful with the upcoming traffic.
http://santacruz.hilltromper.com/article/pogonip
3. Porter Caves
If you are going to Porter Meadows, prepare to get muddy. It's a gnarly place that can be found while traveling near a narrow pathway through the Porter Meadows. The best time to go is when it's pitch black and late at night. If you are going travel with a group of friends, be sure to bring flashlights. Seriously! The trail is near a road bridge with graffiti underneath.
4. Upper Campus
This is the main reason why College Nine and Ten are awesome! I still haven't found the painted water tanks, but I know you can find it up here. To get to the cat burial site and all these cool places, you may need someone who can guide you. You could possibly get lost if you travel there alone. It's a wicked place at night, and you can also find the Serial Murderer Totem Pole, C9 Tree, streams, meadows, and other amazing spots. Also, try to find the swingset while you're there. The cat burial site is where the remains of the cat who belonged to former Stevenson Proctor, Nick Vecchione, were interred.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-cal...
5. Garden Of Eden
"Follow the railroad tracks." I still haven't been here yet, so I can't tell you my personal experience. All I know is that it's a freaking sick place to swim and chill with friends. It's a hike to get there, and I think it may be found in the Stevenson Fire Road.
6. Hell Hole
This is way more hardcore for any spelunkers. If you think Porter Caves is intense, wait till you go here. It's one of the spots I want to explore this year. Apparently, this place used to be called Mantrap because someone got stuck 20 meters below. The beginning hole is a tight squeeze that takes major guts. Try at your own risk, kiddies. To get there, cross Empire Grade near Porter Cave and follow the stream down about half a mile. There is a big boulder on the left side of the stream opposite Hell Hole (which is about 40-50 up the hill to the right of the stream).
7. Friday Night Cave
It's located across the canyon from Hell Hole and on the side of a cliff. An urban legend has it that this cave was used as a secret munitions dump during World War II as a hedge against a possible Japanese invasion. There are two rather small secret rooms off the main chamber accessed by climbing down through a barrel. I don't know much about it this one, but few visitors venture there.
8. Cowell Ghost
Over the years, reports of ghostly apparitions on a fire road below Cowell College have prompted the area to be named Haunted Meadow. It was in that area on May 14, 1903, that young Sarah Agnes Cowell was killed when she was thrown from a buggy after the horse bolted.
9. Maze and C9 Hauntings
In the 1970s, there was a huge wooden labyrinth in the area where College Nine is now, north of the Campus Health Center, an abandoned "Senior Thesis" project. A popular tradition was to take new students to this maze in the dead of night when the moon was new and have them find the center of the maze in the dark. On the way, the initiated would tell a ghost story about a student who hanged himself in the center of the maze: "and now...his ghost sometimes appears on moonless nights." While not hazing exactly, some people actually freaked out trying to accomplish this task. The maze was torn down quietly by the administration because it was becoming a hazard, or possibly because of the emotional breakdowns. Perhaps this is why C9 may have haunting reports.
10. Porter Hauntings
"Most of the stories concerning this place involve two buildings—Residence Hall A (AKA, Building A) and Residence Hall B (AKA, Building B). In late 1998, a student killed himself in Building A. The suicide took place at a time and place that resulted in a large number of his fellow students witnessing his death—whether that was intentional or not I have not been able to determine. Since then, people have reported seeing this student wandering Building A, dressed as he was on the day that he killed himself.
"Building B hosts two different stories. The first concerns a trio of rooms on the first floor known collectively as "the Bermuda Triangle." Reports from these rooms include objects moving on their own (sometimes as if they are being thrown violently), strange noises, and voices from unseen sources. All of this is accompanied by a general feeling of dread that permeates the rooms and their surroundings.
"The other story for Building B concerns the third floor, where people report waking up and feeling as if they are being strangled and/or held down on the bed."
http://sluggosghoststories.blogspot.com/2009/05/po...
My Commentary: I feel that these stories are mainly to scare people, but the one that always scares me a bit is the one about a student committing suicide at Porter. I think that was a real situation that occurred. So, please respect these type of stories.
11. Elf Land
Elf Land consisted of a series of trails and “dens” that were started by a handful of self-identified Pagans who wanted to create a gateway into nature on campus. Along these trails were bridges, statues, and other additions of creativity to the already incredible landscape. The “dens” were social hubs scattered throughout the area, and were basically collections of sticks stacked into a tipi-like shape in the center of a “fairy ring” (a circle of trees that often results from redwood shoots growing after the mother plant has been logged). And, each den had its own theme. Among the many dens was a smokers den, where you could always get a smoke and chat. There were also dens with journals where people wrote poetry and notes about their experiences.
Student life at the time was very connected with this autonomous zone, and a large portion of the student populace, along with travelers and other assorted folks, spent a great deal of time there. It was here that the estrangement and alienation of modern society could be left behind to appreciate the face-to-face interactions of kind and interesting people.
However, in the early 1990s, as the administration worked out plans for the expansion of the university, they set their sights on Elf Land surely in part because of the “immoral” behaviors that it harbored. It was a space that was not as controlled as the bureaucrats and authorities would have liked. As well, it was a domain not limited by the stifling and isolating architecture of the campus. (Note: This is in many ways similar to UCSC’s current plans to demolish the student trailer park on campus. It seems that besides complaints about the aesthetics of the trailer park and it not being as profitable as college dorms, the authorities want to get rid of drug-use that they suspect is occurring at the trailer park).
http://web.resist.ca/~undo_ucsc/resist.html
