For Schools


School Group Reservations

For your convenience, most California State Parks allow school groups to make advance reservations. Unless directed to do otherwise by the information below, contact the individual park unit in which you're interested to learn about making reservations.
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park and Sonoma State Historic Park
Reservation are required for the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park and two locations at Sonoma State Historic Park; General Vallejo’s Home and Sonoma Mission. Sonoma Barracks is a self-guided tour during regular business hours and does not require a reservation. Reservations can be made by calling the toll free number (866) 240-4655.
Capital District
For parks in the Sacramento area, which are visited by hundreds of school groups each year, reservation information is available on our Capital District webpages.
Año Nuevo and Hearst Castle-San Simeon
For reservations at either Año Nuevo State Reserve or Hearst Castle-San Simeon Historic Monument, call (800) 444-4445.
Distance Learning
California State Parks is using videoconference technology to bring parks and schools closer together. Please visit our Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) website for more information. The PORTS 2015/2016 Annual Report is now available.
Guide to Environmental Education Programs in California State Parks

This convenient and useful guide provides basic information about educational programs in our parks. The parks are sorted by county and each has a contact phone number listed. The guide details which parks provide the following types of programs: Natural History field trips, Cultural Heritage field trips, Environmental Studies (day events), Environmental Living (overnight events), Junior Rangers, Litter-Getters, and Junior Lifeguards.
We do our best to keep this guide as up-to-date as possible, but please be sure to contact the park in which you're interested to verify program availability and any other logistical arrangements that may need to be made prior to your visit.
Other Environmental Education Programs
You might be surprised at the numerous and varied environmental education programs available--and at how many have information available on-line. Please visit our Links for Schools page for more information on programs outside of State Parks.
Service-Learning Opportunities in California State Parks

Teacher's Guides

We also realize that teachers may find it useful to review transcripts for videos shown in our parks in advance of a visit in order to determine if watching a video will be of use to their students. To view transcripts for many of the videos shown in state parks, visit our Video Transcripts page.
Environmental Living and Environmental Studies Programs
