Ensuring State Parks Access For Youth

Kids2Parks is an innovative park-equity program to bring students from Title 1 schools on State Parks 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 field trips to select Title 1 schools in Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The list of schools eligible for free bus transportation to a field trip is available here.

The application window for the 2023/24 academic year is now closed. Please email with questions.

Teachers may apply for as many field trips as they are eligible for, but will only be selected for up to one trip. Teachers/schools are responsible for arranging transportation to the park. A limited amount of funding is available to cover transportation costs.

To ensure students have a rewarding and high-quality educational experience during their field trip, each class is required to participate in a pre-trip virtual program. During the virtual program, students will be introduced to the park staff, get an introduction to the park, get information about what to expect during their visit, and get the opportunity to ask questions about the field trip.

Kids2Parks Frequently Asked Questions

Field Trips

Registration for the 2023/24 academic year is complete.

Castle Rock State Park

Field trip description: Join a State Parks interpreter for a 3-hour, 1.5-mile guided hike field trip! Learn about the natural wonders of the park. The hike focuses on the park’s distinctive geology during this program, but will also touch on other subjects including Native American peoples, wildlife, and modern human impacts on the ecosystems. All participants must bring water and a bag lunch and wear close-toed shoes/hiking boots.

Review the Castle Rock Teacher Page for more information.

Grade Levels: 4-6 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: 4 ESS1-1 | 4-ESS2-1 | MS-ESS2-2 | MS-ESS2-3

Maximum number of students: 30 (1:8 adult-to-student ratio)

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 Schools from Santa Clara County. Check the school list.

Castro Adobe State Historic Park

Field trip description: Enjoy a 2-hour visit to the Rancho San Andres Castro Adobe State Historic Park. Tour the Castro Adobe and learn experientially about its adobe construction and the uses of its various rooms, and the Mexican rancho period.

A visit to the Castro Adobe in Watsonville immerses students in the community’s story from the heyday of the vaquero to the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Hands-on, sensory experiences bring more than a century of history to life, while guided investigations of students’ own inquiries make learning personally relevant.

Review the Teacher’s page for more information and education resources connected to the Castro Adobe.

Grade Levels: 3-4 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: History: HSS-3.3.1 | HSS-4.2.5 Math: 3.NF.1 | 4.NF.1   Art: 3.MA:Cn11 | 4.MA:Cn11

Maximum number of students: 30 (note, half buses only)

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Half Moon Bay State Beach

Field trip description: In this program, students will visit Half Moon Bay State Beach, Pescadero Marsh State Natural Preserve, Bean Hollow State Beach or Montara State Beach and learn about the many animals that inhabit and depend on the diverse, interconnected ecosystems of the coast with six modules to choose from:

• Birding at Francis Beach: Explore the sandy beach habitat and the birds that call it home, including the threatened Western Snowy Plover. Students will learn how to use binoculars to identify birds in their natural habitat, create a model “nest”, learn about the community/citizen science program which protects the snowy plover, and learn how they can help protect our birds, too! This field trip meets at Francis Beach in Half Moon Bay State Beach. This field trip is best for grades 3-6.
• Geology of the Rocky Shore: Experience the excitement of discovery like real geologists at Pebble Beach/Bean Hollow State Beach. We’ll learn to identify key geologic features of the area including marine terraces, plate tectonics, tafoni, and evidence of underwater volcanic activity! We’ll also explore the rocky shore through hands-on activities, a guided hike, and a beach “lab.” This field trip meets at Bean Hollow State Beach, near Pescadero. This field trip is best for grades 2-5 and can accommodate up to four classes at a time.
• Marine Mammal Adaptations: Discover which marine mammals live along the local shoreline! Students learn how these species are adapted to live in ocean and beach habitats. Explore blubber, ocean food webs, and real skulls and fur. Discover the importance of the ocean for animal, plant, and even human life…and how to protect the earth’s largest habitat. This field trip meets at Francis Beach in Half Moon Bay State Beach. This field trip is good for all grade levels and can accommodate three classes at a time.
• Gray Whale Cove Trail: Witness unforgettable views of the Pacific coast on this two-mile guided walk on Montara Mountain. Observe multicolored wildflowers and native plants, migratory and resident birds, and numerous signs of wildlife. Learn about the many historic land use changes over time in this area. Come explore both history and science on the inland side of Montara State Beach. This field trip meets in the Gray Whale Cove Trail Parking Lot and is best for grades 3-6 and can accommodate one class at a time.
• Pescadero Marsh: Explore the largest coastal wetlands in the area on a guided walk through the Pescadero Marsh. Walk through many habitats, observing many kinds of local wildlife. These wetlands are a popular birding location right on the Pacific Flyway, so bring binoculars! Students will learn about marsh ecology, the historical uses of the marsh, and why wetlands must be protected. This field trip meets at Pescadero State Beach. This field trip is best for grades 2-6 and can accommodate one class at a time.
• Sandy Beach Habitat: Where does the sand come from? What kinds of organisms live on (or under) the sand? Students will explore the ecology of the sandy beach habitat through a variety of guided activities and will learn about the dynamic tidal zones and the animals and plants that call the beach home. This field trip meets at Francis Beach in Half Moon Bay State Beach, is good for all grade levels and can accommodate four classes at a time.

All field trips are two hours long. Stay to eat lunch at picnic tables overlooking the beach.

Review the Half Moon Bay’s Teachers page for more information. 

Grade Levels: K-6 (program customized by grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: K-ESS3 | 1-LS1 | 2-LS4 | 2-PS1-1 | 3-LS3 | 3-LS4-1 | 4-LS1 | 4-ESS1 | 4-ESS2 | 5-LS1 | 5-LS2 | 5-ESS2 | 5-ESS3

Maximum number of students: Varies by program, please see program description

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from San Mateo County. Check the school list.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Field trip description: During this two-hour experience, teachers and students will walk the Old-growth Redwood Loop with an interpreter and learn about coast redwood life history, physiology, adaptations, ecosystems and more!  The topic and theme of the program will depend on the grade level of the interested class.

Review the Henry Cowell Redwoods’ Teacher Page for more information. 

Grade Levels: K-4 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: K-ESS2-2 | K-ESS3-3 | K-LS1-1 | 1-LS3-1 | 2-PS1-2 | 2LS2-1 | 2-LS4-1 | 4-LS1-1 | MS-LS1-6 | MS-LS4-4 | HS-LS2-7

Maximum number of students: 100 students (1:8 adult-to-student ratio)

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Natural Bridges State Beach

Field trip description: Natural Bridges is famous for its tide pools and Monarch Butterfly sanctuary.

• The monarch field trip, offered in October and November, is a 1-hour program is designed to share Monarch Butterflies with visiting students. During the visit, explore the monarch grove, connect with a California State Park Interpreter and learn more about Monarch butterflies’ lifecycle, migration, adaptations and so much more!
• The tide pool field trip, offered March to May, is 90-minute program exploring the tidepools at Natural Bridges State Beach. During this field trip, students will discover tidepool habitats, animal adaptations, and so much more. Connect with a California State Park interpreter and learn more about Natural Bridges State beach.

Review the Natural Bridges’ Teachers page for more information.

Grade Levels: K-6

Next Generation Standards: K-LS1 | K-ESS3 | 1-LS1 A,B,C | 1-LS3-1 | 2-LS2 | 2-LS4 | 3-ESS2 | 3-ESS3 | 3-LS1 | 3-LS4 | 4-LS1 | 5-PS3 | MS-LS1-4 | HS LS2-7 | HS-ESS3-4

Maximum number of students: 35 students

Additional Digital Resources: Natural Bridges Flipgrid | Monarch Butterflies Padlet 

Eligible schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Rancho Del Oso

Field trip description: Seeds get everywhere, especially right after a fire! Some hitch a ride on your socks or animal fur, some get spread when animals eat fruit… some seeds even get swallowed, and end up in a bundle of fertilizer! Hear all the ways seeds sneak around. Register here.

Review the Rancho del Oso’s Teachers page for more information. 

Grade Levels: 3-5 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: K-ESS3-3,1-LS1-2, 2-LS2-2, 3-LS2-1, 4-LS1-1, LS2-1, MS-LS1-6, MS-ESS3-2, HS-LS2-7

Maximum number of students: 50 (1:7 adult-to-student ratio)

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park

Field trip description: Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park offers two field trip options:

• Mission Rotations Program: Participate in several stations illustrating daily life in the Santa Cruz Mission including an adobe tour during this 4-hour program. This program is for one to four classes (40-90 students).
• Day Program: The Mission Day program takes students from the life of the Ohlone people in their village to their life in the Santa Cruz Mission with the Spanish students will understand how the California Mission System changed traditional Indigenous life forever. They will consider ways in which Native People responded to this change resulting in cultural continuity and cultural change. This program is for one or two classes (up to 39 students).

Grade Levels: 2-4 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: 2.4.1 | 3.2.2 | 3.2.4 | 3.3.1 | 3.3.2 | 3.3.3 | 3.5.1 | 4.2.1 | 4.2.5 | 4.2.6 | 4.2.6 | 4.2.7 | 4.2.8 | 4.3.2 | 4.4.2 | 4.4.3

Maximum number of students: varies by program, please see trip descriptions for details

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Seacliff State Beach

Field trip description: Students learn about the natural wonders of Seacliff State Beach. Two field trips are offered:

• Fossils, Floating and Fauna: Discover a secret that is 2.5 to 5 million years old during this 2-hour visit. Students will have the opportunity to brush for fossils, an activity that is only possible while on field trips!! Also discover how a ship made out of concrete can float and which animals call it home.
• Marine Sanctuary Exploration: Seacliff State Beach is located in the heart of Monterey Bay, a very special place as it is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. During this 1-hour program, students will design a marine sanctuary and then travel down to the beach to look for evidence of plants, animals and people.

Review the Seacliff’s Teachers page for more information. 

Grade Levels: K-4 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: 2-LS2, 2-EES1-1, K-2-ETS1, 3-5-ETS1, 4-LS1-1, 4-ESS1-1, 4-ESS2-1, and 4-ESS3-1.

Maximum number of students: 30-50 depending on the program

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

Field trip description: Situated in Aptos, The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park boasts over 10,000 acres of second-generation redwood trees, as well as a rich history that is deeply engrossing. Enjoy an hour in-person visit to Nisene Marks. Listen to the language of the forest while walking among giant coast redwood trees.

Review The Forest of Nisene Marks’ Teachers page for more information. 

Grade Levels: 3-6 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: 1-LS3-1 | 2-LS4-1 | 3-LS1-1, 3-LS4-3

Maxiumum number of students: 30 students (1:10 adult-to-student ratio) (note, half buses only)

Eligible Schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Wilder Ranch State Park

Field trip description: Students will engage in tasks required to operate a dairy ranch in the year 1900 during this hands-on learning experience which includes interacting with the farm animals that call Wilder Ranch their home today.

Review the Wilder Ranch’s Teachers page for more information. 

Grade Levels: 2-4 (can be customized for other grade levels)

Next Generation Standards: 2.4.1 | 3.2.2 | 3.2.4 | 3.3.1 | 3.3.2 | 3.3.3 | 3.5.1 | 4.2.1 | 4.2.5 | 4.2.6 | 4.2.6 | 4.2.7 | 4.2.8 | 4.3.2 | 4.4.2 | 4.4.3

Maximum number of students: 35

Eligible schools: Select Title 1 schools from Santa Cruz County. Check the school list.

Additional Digital Resources: Wilder Ranch Flipgrid | Wilder Ranch YouTube Channel