Are you looking for a fun and easy way to engage your kids in nature? Walk or bike to the Santa Cruz Riverwalk. While visiting this 5-mile loop around the lower San Lorenzo River, be on the lookout for the items on the scavenger hunt and more! It’s a great way to get moving with your kids, especially by bicycle or scooter, as it’s a paved, car-free loop.
Activity Overview
Look for flora and fauna, Park Rangers and specific signs at the Santa Cruz Riverwalk in downtown Santa Cruz.
Background
Time in nature can be a time to reflect and tune into our senses. Spend some time on the Riverwalk tuning into the sights and sounds around you.
The San Lorenzo River mouth marks the end of a 29 mile long river as it enters the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. If you are there you can see birds diving underwater, people moving along the Riverwalk path, and beautiful orange poppies dotting the riverbank.
Materials Needed:
- Scavenger Hunt PDF. This can be viewable on a device like your mobile phone, or can be printed and brought with you. If you print it, bring a pencil or marker that you can use to circle what you see!
Directions
- Visit the Santa Cruz Riverwalk. During the COVID-19 shelter in place order, we recommend only walking or biking to access the Riverwalk.
- Review the Scavenger Hunt list. Go over the items you see, and think about where you might need to look to see them.
- Walk or bike the Riverwalk and keep an eye out for items on your list. If you find something, stop and note it. If you printed the PDF, you can circle the items that you found.
- TIP: If you’re having trouble finding something, stop and think about where you might need to look to find it. To see a fish in the water, try walking over a bridge and pausing in the middle to look down in the watrer.
- TIP: There’s a yellow dotted line down the center of the Riverwalk path. Please stay to the right. If a biker, walker or skateboarder might be passing you, shout, “Bike!” to your group to ensure that everyone is aware of traffic on the Riverwalk.
Interested in More Scavenger Hunts? Check Out These for Other Nearby Locations:
- A Clean River Starts On Your Street (water quality scavenger hunt in your yard)

Additional resources:
- Santa Cruz County Office of Education News & Food Programs: Parents are encouraged to call or email their child’s school or district prior to visiting the site in person if they have questions or need services beyond the food program available to their student or to pick up distance learning materials. Please find a master list of all Santa Cruz County food service distribution locations at http://sccoe.link/food_service. Please find an interactive map of all the food distribution locations and service times at http://sccoe.link/food_service_map.
- Speaking with your child about COVID
- Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency
- Santa Cruz County 211