Bonny Doon, California
Bonny Doon is a community of 3,149 people in Santa Cruz County, California.
Why visit Bonny Doon
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 9 parks and trails, 12 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Bald Mountain, Felton Covered Bridge, Bigfoot Discovery Museum and Wilder Ranch State Park.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 90°F; December lows average 37°F.
Weather in Bonny Doon
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Bonny Doon
Bonny Doon is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. It is situated northwest of the city of Santa Cruz and is considered part of the southern San Francisco Bay Area or northern Monterey Bay Area. Bonny Doon's population was 2,868, as reported by the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Bonny Doon, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks9
Felton Covered Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Historic bridge in California, USA
.jpg){kind=link}
Bigfoot Discovery Museum
Museum · 3.6 mi
Museum in Felton, California, USA
San Lorenzo Valley Museum, Faye G. Bellardi Gallery
Museum · 3.5 mi
6299 Gushee Street, Felton
Parks, trails and playgrounds9
Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve (closed to public)
Hiking and trails · 0.9 mi
Parks, Recreation, and Open Space
Cotoni-Coast Dairies Unit, California Coastal National Monument
Hiking and trails · 2.9 mi
Restaurants and cafes12
Beauregard Vineyards Tasting Room and Winery
Brewery and winery · 0.7 mi
10 Pine Flat Road, Santa Cruz
Mo-Su 10:00-17:00
I Wok Bistro
Restaurant · Chinese · 3.5 mi
6112 Highway 9, Felton
Mo-Su 11:00-21:00
History
It was founded in the 1850s as a logging camp. The current name can be attested back to 1902: John Burns, a Scotsman living in Santa Cruz, named Bonny Doon after a line in the Robert Burns song "The Banks O' Doon". The line is: "Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon...", and refers back to the Doon River in Scotland. Evidence of 2,600 years of occupation by Native Americans has been found in the area.
Bonny Doon has no city center or commercial shops, but features several wineries including Bonny Doon Vineyard, a church, two fire stations, a lavender farm, the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve, an elementary school, and a private-use airport. A beach of the same name is nearby.
In 2020, Bonny Doon was popular with remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the History section of Bonny Doon, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship5
Felton Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
6299 Graham Hill Road, Felton
Grace Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 5.1 mi
Presbyterian Church Of Bonny Doon
Church · Presbyterian · 1.5 mi
7065 Bonny Doon Road, Santa Cruz
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries16
Healthcare3
Map of Bonny Doon
61 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65°F | 37°F | 10.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 39°F | 9.7 in | 0.1 in |
| Mar | 71°F | 40°F | 7.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 75°F | 42°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 80°F | 46°F | 1.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 86°F | 49°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 51°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 90°F | 51°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 49°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 83°F | 44°F | 2.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 40°F | 5.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 37°F | 10.4 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Ben Lomond #4 (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Santa Cruz County has had 22 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-04-13: Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-08-22: Wildfires (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 21 miles away.
- Santa Cruz 7 mi southeast, about 12 min by car
- Scotts Valley 7 mi east, about 11 min by car
- Live Oak 10 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
- Soquel 11 mi east, about 18 min by car
- Los Gatos 16 mi northeast, about 26 min by car
- Saratoga 17 mi north, about 27 min by car
- Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley 18 mi east, about 28 min by car
- Campbell 19 mi northeast, about 31 min by car
- Cupertino 20 mi north, about 32 min by car
- San Jose 25 mi northeast, about 40 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Bonny Doon Village Airport, DanDawson, CC BY 3.0
- Forme rchurch in Felton, Mrwrite, Public domain
- Grace Episcopal Chrurch, Mrwrite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Felton, California covered bridge, W Nowicki, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bigfoot discovery museum in Felton! D (27292772073), Elizabeth K. Joseph from San Francisco, United States, CC BY 2.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.