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.
I want to help!Get News and Stay Connected
Did you get some camping gear for the new year? 🎒🏕️ You don't have to wait until the spring to test it out! Campgrounds at Rancho del Oso Unit are open year-round. The campground is a hidden gem, perfect for a quick weekend getaway.
Find out more about the campground, what's nearby and how to make your reservation. Check out the link in our bio.
@santacruzmountainsstateparks
#thatsmypark #Camping #reservation #Forest #BigBasin #Redwoods #RanchoDelOso #SantaCruzMountains #StatePark #Nature
Would you or someone you know like to learn about the tidepools? This might be a volunteer opportunity for you and your friends! 🐚
Join us at Natural Bridges State Beach visitor center on Saturday, January 25th. Training is every Saturday from 2 pm to 6 pm. The last day of training is Saturday, February 22nd. During this training, you will learn about all the life that inhabits the tidepools and how to share the tidepools with the public.
If you have any questions you can email us at naturalbridges@ports-ca.us or call us at (831)-423-0871
Image Description: Waves crashing on brown algae.
📍 Uypi Land
#NaturalBridges #NaturalBridgesStateBeach #ThatsMyPark #CAStateParks #SantaCruz #SantaCruzStateBeaches #VisitSantaCruz #ThingsToDoInSantaCruz #CaliforniaBeaches #ExploreSantaCruz #RecreateResponsibly #NatureLovers #GetOutside #TidePools #OceanOptimism #MarineScience #MarineConservation #SeaCreatures #SeaAnimals #OceanCreatures #MarineAnimals #OceanLife #OceanConservation #RockyShore #SeaAnemone #Starfish #SaveOurSeas
First Ever Santa Cruz Mountain State Parks Volunteer Recruitment Fair
Who - You! And anyone interested in becoming a CA State Parks volunteer. Staff and current State Parks volunteers will be present to answer questions.
What - A “job fair” style open house highlighting the long-term volunteer programs and possibilities in Henry Cowell Redwoods, Big Basin, Portola, and Castle Rock State Parks.
When - February 1st, 2025 from 10:00am - 3:00pm
Where - Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Visitor Center.
We hope you can make it!
This is a collaborative event between the Mountain Parks. If you know someone who would be a good fit, please direct them to us and share the recruitment fair details. Parking passes will be available for people attending the event, no need to register just come on over.
📷Image Description: The first frame shows a background of redwood forest with redwood sorrel covering the ground. The second frame show various images of state parks volunteers, joyfully representing the various volunteer opportunities such as staffing the visitors' centers, helping with public programs and connecting with visitors.
📍 Big Basin Redwoods State Park is on the ancestral lands of the Achistaca and Quiroste tribes
Hashtags and Partner Tags:
#BigBasin #ThatsMyPark #MountainParksFoundation #SantaCruzMountains #Resilience #ReimaginingBigBasin #HenryCowellRedwoods #SantaCruzRedwoods
Read about owl boxes recently added to Wilder Ranch, trails reopened in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and more in the latest edition of our newsletter!
Check it out at the link in our bio!
#Newsletter #thatsmypark #News #OwlBoxes #WilderRanch #Wildlife #BigBasin #Hiking #NewYear #Trails
Make weekend plans at Seacliff State Beach this year.
🧺 Picnic areas for lunches with large families or groups
🏝️ A beach area perfect for strolling with loved ones
🌅 Epic sunset views
Parking is $10 and helps Friends support our parks. Try out our new Pay Stations when the kiosk isn’t staffed! Find out more about this state beach and others by visiting: Thatsmypark.org
@santacruzstatebeaches @seacliffstatebeach
#thatsmybeach #thatsmypark #boat #Shipwreck #SSPaloAlto #Seacliff #SantaCruz #Aptos
🌎Surprising Global Trade During the Rancho Period🌍
😯Did you know many of the humble dishes used in the Castro Adobe during the Rancho period tell a global story of trade and empire?
In the 1800s, California was part of a complex global trade network. Ceramics and tableware found in the ranchos often came from Asia, specifically China, via the Manila Galleons. These ships carried Chinese goods, including porcelain, across the Pacific to Mexico. From there, they were distributed throughout Spanish territories, including Alta California.
💡But here’s the twist: much of this trade was financed by Spanish silver mined in the Americas. This silver was sent to Asia in exchange for luxury goods, including porcelain. Meanwhile, in India, British-controlled opium exports to China, in exchange for Spanish silver, helped fund British trade, competing with the Spanish system. In the end, the global demand for opium destabilized China, sparking conflicts like the Opium Wars.
So, that dish on the Castro Adobe table? It’s part of a story involving Spanish silver, Chinese porcelain, and even the opium trade in India—a reminder of how deeply interconnected our world was, even centuries ago. 🌐✨
📌 Aptos and Calendaruc Tribes of the Ohlone People
📷Photo: Images of silver coin, ceramics in cabinet and image of an opium plant
#CastroAdobe #CastroAdobeStateHistoricPark #ThatsMyPark #CAStateParks #Vaqueros #CaliforniaHistory #WesternCulture #Legacy #Heritage #CaliforniaHistory #RanchoEra #CulturalHeritage #HistoricalTreasures #JuanJoseCastro #CastroAdobe #CaliforniaHistory #CelebrateCulture #History #GlobalTrade #California #RanchoPeriod #OpiumWars Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks