This historic state park in Aptos is a photographers dream, it features a pier with a half-submerged World War I ship sitting at the end of it. This ship and pier will make you feel like you are in some sort of post-apocalyptic world where people are playing in the shadow of a broken down freighter. It is a must visit on Pacific Coast Highway, especially since it is part of a beautiful State Park and beach.
Details
- $10 to enter the park
- 8 AM to Sunset
When you pull up in the parking lot you will be greeted with an amazing view of pier and the ship sunken at the end. I love seeing unique things and this was one of the more unusual things I have seen in a while. Here is a little history on the ship as that is about a crazy as the place itself.
History
The SS Palo Alto was a concrete ship that was built for service in World War I; however, when it was completed the war was over and the ship no longer had a purpose. It sat in a shipyard in Oakland for over a decade until it was dragged down to its current location to become a small amusement park.
The ship was then sank and loaded with amenities such as a cafe, pool and a dance floor and the pier was built out to the boat. unfortunately it never became a hit with audiences and the company that made it went bankrupt a few years later. Since then the ship cracked in the middle and has slowly deteriorated to where it is today. The pier no longer allows you to go onto the boat and a big gate keeps anyone from trying. This interesting history shows how unique California can really be.
The Visitor Center
When you arrive head into the visitors center as it is one of the better State Park visitor centers I have been to. It has a video on the boat, examples of what it looked like before it was sunk and a lot of information about the marine life that has started to live in this artificial habitat. Everything from starfish and sea anemones to sea urchins live in this area now.
The people who work here are great and happily talked to me about the history and about all the sea creatures.
The Beach
After the visitors center I headed out to the beach to see the wreck from the water level.
This is a strange beach when the tide is high as it had a run off type effect where the waves go over the sand and then run downhill to the pier and back into the water.
I wish I had my zoom lens to get up close to the ship but it was still amazing to see the decay while sitting on the sand.
I headed down to the pier to see if I could see the boat but it the wood was pretty thick and it was hard to see the boat through it.
The Ship
After the beach I headed up to the pier and walked out to the ship. You can see in the below photo that there is a big fence that stops you from going out onto it.
The ship can be seen through the fence at the end of the pier but there isn’t a good way to get a clear view without sticking your hands through the fence.
There is no way to get out to the boat which is good as it stays protected from humans. There was about 100 birds sun bathing at the end as well.
I wish I would have been able to see this ship in its heyday it must have been a pretty fun place to explore. That being said it is still super unique and well worth the trip.
After checking it out you can head back to the car or spend the day just sitting in the sun and enjoying life. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
