Registration for the 2026-2027 academic year will open on August 14th.
If you are unable to see/select a date for a field trip, sign-ups for that day have either not yet been released or are already full.
In-Person Programs
Program Options:
Redwood Grove: During this experience, you and your students will walk the Old-Growth Redwood Loop Trail with an interpreter and learn about coast redwood life history, physiology, adaptations, ecosystems, and more! Program specifics differ depending on age group (grades K-2, 3-6, 7-12).
The Sandhills: Explore the sandy hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains! The Sandhills are the most sensitive and delicate ecosystem in the park and this program overviews the landscape and organisms that call it home, many of which are rare and/or endangered. This program does not follow an ADA trail and invlovles hiking on very sandy soil for 1 mile. Furthermore, this program can only accommodate 1-2 classes per reservation, and the parking area can only support passenger vehicles. Program specifics differ depending on age group (grades K-2, 3-6, 7-12).
Virtual Programs
Program Options:
Redwood Grove: In this program, students will have the opportunity to observe coast redwoods and an old growth redwood forest. We'll introduce redwoods, their life history, unique adaptations and distribution, different plant and animal communities that rely on redwood forests, etc. Program specifics differ depending on age group (grades K-2, 3-6, 7-12).
The Sandhills: During this program, students will explore a unique and sensitive ecosystem of the park, one that most people don’t even know exists: the Santa Cruz Sandhills. Students will get the opportunity to see plants and animals that only live in this area and nowhere else in the world.
Self-Guided Redwood Grove Program
This program presents an opportunity for teachers to walk through the Redwood Grove with their students and facilitate their own program or follow along with the Redwood Grove guide. This program does not include a tour guide with the reservation.
Summer Seasonal Field Trips
Redwood Grove: During this experience, you and your students will walk the Old-Growth Redwood Loop Trail with an interpreter and learn about coast redwood life history, physiology, adaptations, ecosystems, and more! Program specifics differ depending on age group (grades K-2, 3-6, 7-12).
This is a Kids2Parks Participating Park!
Kids2Parks is an innovative park-equity program to bring students from Title 1 schools to State Park field trips. The program, a partnership between California State Parks and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, increases the number of students who have visited a state park or beach by reducing barriers to access. The program offers transportation funding for field trips to select Title 1 schools in Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. For more information, and to apply, please visit www.thatsmypark.org/visit/k2p.