For more information and updates on programs, please check the black sandwich boards by the Visitor Center and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. All programs are free with entrance fee ($10/vehicle) and do not require a reservation.
Welcome to Calaveras Big Trees State Park! We have many programs for you to learn all about this amazing place.
Coming in the winter-spring? Guided hikes through the North Grove are offered Saturdays at 11:30 a.m year-round. This 1.5 to 2 hour hike is free with your paid admission to the park. Grab some water and meet at the North Grove trailhead by the Visitor Center. Please use the restrooms at the trailhead as there are none on the trail. In the event we have enough snow in the park, this will be a snowshoe hike. Some snowshoes are available for use on a first come, first served basis at the guided hike. For snowshoeing at other times, snowshoes are available for rent in the town of Arnold located three miles west on Highway 4.
Want to be a Little or Junior Ranger? Self-guided booklets are available year-round in our museum. Finish the booklet, get your badge (or wooden sticker for Little Rangers), and start your collection of Junior Ranger stamps to get more prizes!
Can't visit but want a park experience? We're continuing our program at the Arnold and Murphys' Branch Libraries! Join interpretive staff one Wednesday a month, November-March, 2:15-3:15 for programs designed for elementary school kids..png "Interpreter giving a guided hike")
For program dates and times, please check park announcement boards or ask at the Visitor Center upon arrival. For more information about programs at the park, please call the Interpretation Office at 209-795-7980 or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. The Calaveras Big Trees Association (CBTA) supports all interpretive and educational programs in the park.
Visit CBTA's website for information about how you can help support their efforts.
Read below for our spring - fall programs!
Spring - Fall Guided Hikes and Walks
- North Grove: 11:30am - about 1:00pm
Saturdays year-round, offered daily starting June 15th
Level, 1.7 mile loop
*Meet at the trailhead by the Visitor Center
- Introduction to North Grove: 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Sundays starting June 14th
Level, 0.5 mile walk
*Meet outside Visitor Center
- South Grove: 10am - about 1:00pm
Saturdays and Sundays early May through mid-October, Fridays June 19th through August 14th
Moderate, 5 mile trail. Bring water and snacks/lunch as there is no water or food available at the trailhead.
*Meet at the South Grove trailhead parking lot
- Bird Walk: 9:30am - about 11:30am
Thursdays May 28th through September 24th. No experience or gear required.
Level, approx 1 mile walk around the North Grove area, including the campground and meadow.
*Meet outside Visitor Center
- Meadow Walk: 10:00am - about 11:00pm
Tuesdays and Saturdays starting June 16th through August 15th
Level, 0.5 mile walk around the meadow in the middle of the North Grove campground
*Meet at North Grove Campsite #16, by the black sandwich board
Spring - Late Summer Kid's Programs
- Little Rangers (formerly Junior Cubs): ages 3-6 and Junior Rangers: ages 7-12
Weekends Memorial Day - June 14th, every day but Tuesday June 15th- August 16th. 10am
*Meet at picnic tables across from Jack Knight Hall
- Creek Critters: for all ages
TBD based on water levels, Tuesdays and Saturdays 1pm
*Meet at Beaver Creek, a short walk from the Beaver Creek Picnic Area, to learn about the critters in our water and what they tell us about our watershed! Come with sandals
Spring - Late Summer Evening Programs (2026 Only)
- Optical Astronomy Nights (with telescopes!) Thursdays:
May 14th, 8:30pm
May 21st, 8:00pm (moon night)
June 11th, 8:30pm
June 25th 9:00pm (moon night)
July 9th, 8:30pm
July 23rd, 8:30pm (moon night)
August 13th, 8:00pm
August 20th, 7:30pm (moon night)
September 10th, 7:30pm
- Night Skies with Doc Nancy (science, constellations, and stories!) Fridays and Saturdays:
Saturday June 13, 9 pm
Friday July 3, 8:30 pm
Friday July 10, 8:30 pm
Saturday August 1, 8 pm,
Saturday August 8, 8 pm
Saturday September 5, 8pm
*Meet at the Scenic Overlook for both astronomy programs. Parking is limited so carpooling is recommended. Please bring your own chairs and blankets!
- Campfire Saturdays starting May 23, Friday - Monday June 15 - August 16
Songs and Games - Fridays at 7:30
Laugh then Learn - Saturday - Sunday (topics and time varies, please check the Visitor Center board)
Hug-A-Tree Mondays 8:00pm
Saturday campfires do not occur when there is a Night Skies program the same day
*Meet at the Campfire Center by the Visitor Center
Spring - Summer Special Events
Murphys Irish Day Parade and Booth
March 21st,10am-5pm.
We'll be waving at you in the Murphys parade in the morning and have a booth all day with park information and swag!
Earth Day Guided Hike
April 22nd, 11:30am. Join a bonus guided hike on the North Grove trail in celebration of Earth Day!
State Parks Week, June 10th - June 14th
- Walk through the Lens of History
June 10th 1:00-3:00
Meet at the entrance of the North Grove trail by the Visitor Center for a North Grove walk through a different perspective! Learn about the history of the area while observing the magnificent trees on this 1.7-mile level loop.
- Explore Nature Journaling
June 11th 11:00-12:00
Meet us from 11:00-12:00 at the picnic tables behind the Ranger and Natural Resources Office for an introduction to nature journaling. Participants will go home with their own nature journal!
- Fire and the Forest Community Throughout Time
June 12th 11:30-1:30
Meet at the North Grove trailhead by the Visitor Center for a look at what the park has done to protect the giant sequoias – spoilers, it’s recent prescribed burns! Learn about these, the successful germination we’ve seen from them, and the complexity of fire in a giant sequoia mixed conifer forest on this hour and a half walk on the 1.7-mile flat North Grove trail.
- Kid's Career Fair
June 13th, 11:30am -1:30pm.
Learn about the different careers within state parks and with our park partners with fun activities! There's a prize if you visit every station! This activity counts as a Little and Junior Rangers activity, so kids can get their first wooden badges or wooden stickers and collect a stamp for their Junior Ranger logbook. Find us on the paved pathway between the Visitor Center parking lot and Jack Knight Hall.
Arnold 4th of July Parade
July 4th, morning parade through highway 4 in Arnold
The park will not have all the usual summer programs this day so we can be in the parade!
July History Celebrations
While we are super into giant sequoias, this park also has a fascinating history! We'll have pop-up programs throughout July highlighting different aspects and timeperiods of the park's history.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)
August 1st, 11:30am - 1:30pm
Learn about how STEAM is found all across the park! Each station will cover one part of STEAM with a fun activity. There's a prize if you visit every station! This event counts as a Little and Junior Rangers activity, so kids can get their first wooden badges or wooden sticker and collect a stamp for their Junior Ranger logbook. Find us on the start of the North Grove trail between the Visitor Center and the Stump. We are unlikely to be visited by the Lorax this year unfortunately.
Celebrate Teachers
August 8th, 11:30am - 1:30pm
Teachers, this one is for you! Come to Jack Knight Hall to learn about field trip opportunities in the Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Amador counties from multiple agencies. Some of these trips are free and/or have a potential for grant funding.