What Do You Want to Do?
Our diverse parks and beaches have something for everyone. Find your next adventure!
Visit Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Many trails are open! Come enjoy Big Basin. Make a reservation to visit.
Shop Wilder Ranch Merch
Support the flood recovery efforts at Wilder Ranch State Park when you shop online
Castro Adobe Open House Tours
Visit Castro Adobe State Historic Park during a monthly open house event.
What's New
Backcountry Trail Camps provide an incredible wilderness experience in the backyard of the Bay Area. Plan a backpacking trip and explore for yourself.
BACKPACK
Pay tribute to a loved one, celebrate a milestone or demonstrate community support with a Tribute Table.
GIFT
Improving the resilience of our coastline starts with studying coastal processes, planning for change, and adapting to new conditions.
LEARN
Turn your used vehicle into support for local state parks and beaches — arrange a donation today.
DONATEPlan Your Visit
Our Mission, Our Passion
Our local parks and beaches: thriving and available to all!
Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) is a vital partner with California State Parks, creatively working to ensure our cherished local parks and beaches are thriving and available to all. Friends’ innovative and collaborative community partnership provides support and investment for education, equity and inclusion, conservation, facilities improvements, historic preservation and cultural events.
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🌿 Explore the Ancient Sandhills! 🥾
Join State Parks on Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m. for a guided 1.5-mile hike through the unique Santa Cruz Sandhills at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Traverse sandy soils atop ancient seafloor terrain, approximately 800 feet above present-day sea level, and discover the rare flora and fauna that inhabit this delicate ecosystem.
📍Campground parking lot off Graham Hill Road.
🎟️ Free (parking is $10 and helps Friends support the park)
👨👩👧👦 Recommended for ages 8 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
🔗 More Info & RSVP at the link in our bio.
@santacruzmountainsstateparks
#Thatsmypark #Sandhills #StatePark #Hike #Explore #Biome #Ecosystem #RedwoodTrees #Campground
😂RIDING SIDEWAYS ON A HORSE? 😂
In early California, women rode sideways on a saddle because it was considered to be more modest. The side saddle pictured here was handed down through the Castro family and is reported to have belonged to Martina Castro’s who owned Rancho Soquel in the mid-1800’s.
💪Martina Castro, was the powerhouse behind Rancho Soquel and the Soquel Augmentation as well as being the sister of Juan Jose Castro who owned Rancho San Andres on which the Castro Adobe is located. She was one of the few women who owned a rancho and knew how to get what she wanted!
🌿Married three times, mother of 11 and a formidable landowner, she navigated California’s transition to U.S. rule, ensuring her children’s inheritance. What we now know as Capitola, Soquel, and a good portion of The Forest of Nisene Marks are located on Martina’s rancho.
🚗Visit our next Castro Adobe OPEN HOUSE on Saturday May 17 and see Martina’s side saddle on loan from the Aptos History Museum as well as touring this 175 year old two story adobe hacienda. The Castro Adobe is located at 184 Old Adobe Road, Watsonville. For more information call (831) 226-9669. Event made possible by Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks and California State Parks.
📌Aptos and Calendaruc Tribes of the Ohlone People
📷Photo: Photo of Martina’s side saddle and a picture on how to sit on one.
#CastroAdobe #CastroAdobeStateHistoricPark #ThatsMyPark #CAStateParks #CaliforniaHistory #RanchoEra #CulturalHeritage #HistoricalTreasures #JuanJoseCastro #CastroAdobe #CelebrateCulture #MartinaCastro #Capitola #RanchoSoquel #TheForestOfNiseneMarks Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks
Shedding our winter layers like…
Spring sunshine means female and juvenile elephant seals are molting! Once a year, elephant seals molt their fur and outer skin layer during a process called the “catastrophic molt.” This process takes about a month for each seal, leaving them with a sleek new coat.
During the molt, you’ll spot elephant seal’s fur coming off in large patches. Female and juvenile elephant seals will molt throughout the month of May, while subadult males and adult males will take their turn in the summer. Just in time for a beach day!
📍 Quiroste Tribal Land
Image Description: A close-up shot of an elephant seal laying on the beach with visible molt on its stomach.
#AñoNuevoStatePark #ElephantSeal #NorthernElephantSeal #Molting #Molt #CatastrophicMolt #CoastalCalifornia #CAStateParks #CaliforniaStateParks #ThatsMyPark
Looking for an activity for Mother’s Day? Plan a visit to a local state park or beach with a picnic, nature walk, or bike ride.
Find out more by visiting Friends website - linked in our bio.
@santacruzstatebeaches
#thatsmypark #Thatsmybeach #MothersDay #hike #Walk #Stateparks #Picnic #nature #family
Spend an afternoon at Half Moon Bay State Beach by packing a picnic and enjoying it with family on the coast.
Parking is $10 and helps Friends support the park.
@sanmateocoaststateparks
#Thatsmybeach #Thatsmypark #HalfMoonBay #Ocean #Statebeach #nature #family #Coast #California
Come along on a youth-focused, family friendly hike along the San Lorenzo River in beautiful Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
Enter the forest with curiosity and an explorer’s mind as we stroll through the park with intentions of discovering new things.
We will use our senses and observations to engage and connect with the more-than-human world of the great outdoors. Learn about river critters’ habitats within this magnificent redwood forest and experience the joy of Nature along the San Lorenzo’s riverbanks.
We will walk up to 2.5 miles starting on the River Trail over uneven terrain, so please wear sturdy walking or hiking shoes. Bring water, a walking stick if desired, and a towel to enjoy a little water play. Water shoes and a change of clothes might be a good idea if you’re feeling splashy!
This class is intended for anyone identifying as Black Indigenous, or a Person of Color. NOTE: Each participant, regardless of age, needs to be registered. Those under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Meet at the Native Plant Garden adjacent to the Nature Store in the day use area of Henry Cowell. Those who register will receive more detailed directions and information via email.
BIPOC Family Romp Through the Redwoods
Sunday, June 29, 2025
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Free Registration
Led by Aniko Kannas-Millan
& Olivia Chapman Goss
https://www.mountainparks.org/rx-classes/2025-06-29
#MountainParksFoundation #RedwoodRX
#HenryCowellRedwoods#RedwoodsStatePark #ThatsMyPark #CaliforniaStateParks
#CAStateParks #SantaCruzMountains #OhloneTerritory #Awaswas #LandStewardship #Community #Belonging #BIPOC #BIPOCHiking #Nature #Outdoors #Wellness #Nature #Forest #Mindfulness #Family #YouthFocused #Restful #ForestBathing #SanLorenzoRiver