Calaveras Big Trees State Park

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Calaveras Big Trees State Park Calaveras Big Trees is the only CA State Park with giant sequoias, the biggest individual tree. Social Media Guidelines: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31305

Social Media Guidelines - https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31305

Come celebrate the last of summer vacation with us 🎊Guided Hikes:North Grove Guided Hike- 11:30am - about 1:00pmSaturday...
09/02/2026

Come celebrate the last of summer vacation with us 🎊

Guided Hikes:

North Grove Guided Hike- 11:30am - about 1:00pm
Saturday - Sunday - Monday. Level, 1.7 mile loop
*Meet at the trailhead by the Visitor Center

Introduction to North Grove- 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Sunday
Level, 0.5 mile walk. Short, accessible introduction to the trees and park history.
*Meet outside Visitor Center

South Grove Guided Hike- 10am- about 1pm
Friday - Saturday - Sunday
Moderate, 5- 5.5 mile trail.
*Meet at the South Grove trailhead parking lot

Bird Walk with Bruce
9:30am - about 11:30am
Thursday
*Meet outside Visitor Center

Kids Programs:

Little Rangers: ages 3-6 and Junior Rangers: ages 7-12
Saturday - Sunday - Monday
*Meet at picnic tables across from Jack Knight Hall

Evening Programs:

Night Skies with Doc Nancy (science, constellations, and stories!):
8pm Saturday
*Meet at the Scenic Overlook for both astronomy programs. Parking is limited so carpooling is recommended. Please bring your own chairs and blankets!

Campfire
8pm
Sunday
*Meet at the Campfire Center by the Visitor Center

Remember, a few of these last longer than this weekend!
Optical Astronomy Nights is back September 10th. Bird Walk with Bruce and Saturday and Sunday South Grove hikes are through September. We have North Grove guided hikes Saturdays year-round. See you there!

08/31/2026

Debating what to do during the upcoming Labor Day weekend?

Come check out the South Grove! This uncommon, late-summer blooming dogwood is along the section full of sequoias, providing a scenic arch as you walk amongst the giants.

There are South Grove guided hikes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend, all at 10am. The hike is 5-5.5 miles (the 0.5 is an optional loop) and with a few moderately steep sections. You have to hike about a mile to see any sequoias, but the largest in the park are there!

Can’t make it at 10am? The self-guided hike booklets are found by the trailhead and available when the park is open, sunrise to sunset. Happy trails! 🌲

08/29/2026

What a refreshing rain we had yesterday! Listen for the busy squirrels getting ready for winter.

Teachers! Now is the time to book your field trip to Calaveras Big Trees State Park! Whether you want guided ($60/up to ...
08/28/2026

Teachers!

Now is the time to book your field trip to Calaveras Big Trees State Park! Whether you want guided ($60/up to 60 students, free park entrance) or self-guided (everything free!) there are plenty of options available now.

Homeschoolers- September is your month! We want to accommodate everyone and often K-12 classrooms aren't ready yet to go on a field trip in September. We would love to have you! Please email us at [email protected] so we can work with you to book your trip. You are also welcome to ask for a time outside of September, but we ask that it is in the afternoon as often classrooms require the morning tour.

K-12 classroom teachers, we are ready for you Oct through mid-Nov and mid-March through early June! Shoot us an email if you have any questions or have a group size larger than 60. Please sign up here: https://bigtrees.org/education/k-12-school-tours/

08/26/2026

The name’s Calaveras Big Trees for a reason 🤩

We give you plenty of seasonal updates on here, but the giant sequoias stay pretty constant! This impressive one is found along the South Grove trail. While we don’t have the very largest of the sequoias (that’s in Sequoia National Park area) the ones down here are a smidge bigger than the ones in the North Grove! Think in the approx 30ft diameter, approx 250ft tall range 🤯

To get to the South Grove, you have to drive about 20 minutes down our Parkway Road. The first mile of the hike is a long uphill with no sequoias, so come prepared! Bring water with you as there’s no water refill in the South Grove parking lot.

We did a prescribed burn here in 2024, so please make sure you keep your eyes peeled for little sequoias and other conifer seedlings! Stay on the trail so to not squish and give them a chance.

The dogwoods agree, it’s the end of summer… 🍂 Some of the Pacific dogwoods are showing their fall foliage! And also show...
08/23/2026

The dogwoods agree, it’s the end of summer… 🍂

Some of the Pacific dogwoods are showing their fall foliage! And also showing their blossoms! Huh?

Pacific dogwoods can actually bloom twice! The huge majority are in the spring, sometimes as early as late March (which happened last year) but often in May. A smaller set blooms in the late summer. Around here that second bloom is not very common, so be sure to appreciate the blooms as you see them.

Next up, the bright red berries, called drupes, will be mixed in the fall foliage in the next couple months. Ahhh, the changing of the seasons…

School is back in session, but our program party isn't quite done yet!All of our remaining programs are sometime Thursda...
08/20/2026

School is back in session, but our program party isn't quite done yet!

All of our remaining programs are sometime Thursday through Sunday. We will be fully winding down once we get into September! Remember, we always have North Grove Guided Hikes Saturdays at 11:30 year-round. There are-

Guided Hikes:
North Grove Guided Hike- 11:30am - about 1:00pm
Saturday - Sunday August 22nd - September 6th plus Labor Day Monday. Saturdays rest of the year. Level, 1.7 mile loop
*Meet at the trailhead by the Visitor Center

Introduction to North Grove- 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Sundays through Sept 6th
Level, 0.5 mile walk. Short, accessible introduction to the trees and park history.
*Meet outside Visitor Center

South Grove Guided Hike- 10am- about 1pm
Fridays through early September. Saturdays and Sundays through end of September
Moderate, 5- 5.5 mile trail.
*Meet at the South Grove trailhead parking lot

Bird Walk with Bruce
9:30am - about 11:30am
Through September 24th. No experience or gear required.
*Meet outside Visitor Center

Kids Programs:
Little Rangers: ages 3-6 and Junior Rangers: ages 7-12
Saturday-Sunday August 22nd-September 6th plus Labor Day Monday
*Meet at picnic tables across from Jack Knight Hall

Evening Programs:
Optical Astronomy Nights (with telescopes!)
7:30pm Thursdays:
August 20th
September 10th

Night Skies with Doc Nancy (science, constellations, and stories!):
8pm Saturday September 5th
*Meet at the Scenic Overlook for both astronomy programs. Parking is limited so carpooling is recommended. Please bring your own chairs and blankets!

Campfire
8pm
Saturdays August 22nd and 29th, plus Labor Day Sunday Sept 6th
(Saturday campfires do not occur when there is a Night Skies program the same day)
*Meet at the Campfire Center by the Visitor Center

We're hiring two positions! 🎊Join us (we're the ones writing social media posts, hiiiii) in interpreting the park as a V...
08/18/2026

We're hiring two positions! 🎊

Join us (we're the ones writing social media posts, hiiiii) in interpreting the park as a Visitor Center Park Aide! This is an entry level position that performs front line park operation work. Duties include answering questions and providing information to the public, assisting interpretive staff with educational and interpretive programs (school tours, guided hikes, campfire programs, etc), working in the Visitor Center, helping keep interpretive facilities clean and organized, and completing assigned projects.

We are looking to hire two Park Aides, one for the fall-early spring, one year-round. Interviews are planned to take place for both sometime in mid-late October. Both are part-time and not-to-exceed 1500 hours. Pay is $17.38 - $20.69 per hour depending on former State Parks experience.

All California State jobs are found and can be applied via CalCareers.ca.gov. You can find more information and the link to this position here: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22673

Feel free to message us here with any questions, or you can email State Park Interpreter II Lillie Oravetz at [email protected].

I spy with my little eye... any visitors? Trick question! If you're the kind of visitor who prefers solitude but also lo...
08/17/2026

I spy with my little eye... any visitors?

Trick question! If you're the kind of visitor who prefers solitude but also loves to visit in the summer, the park really slows down on the weekdays between now and Labor Day weekend. Shoot, you can have the North Grove trail (first picture) and the Stanislaus River (second picture) all to yourself! This is also the perfect time to nab your favorite camp spot. Both North Grove and Oak Hollow are pretty empty during the week.

Reminder we no longer have daily summer programs for this exact reason. We still have some programs on the weekends, and a few more astronomy nights and Bird Walks with Bruce on Thursdays! Check out website for all the info https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25994
and there will be another social media post all about it 😉

Not much smoke around here!Many of you have asked how the park is doing with the Gann Fire. We are about 30 miles away f...
08/05/2026

Not much smoke around here!

Many of you have asked how the park is doing with the Gann Fire. We are about 30 miles away from it and not concerned. The park’s Air Quality Index has so far been in the “Moderate” range- not great but not bad.

The smoke has mostly stayed lower down the mountain, so if you’re staying in San Andreas, Angels Camp, Columbia, or Sonora, definitely check the Air Quality Index before going outside. If it’s bad, which it has been at night, stay indoors with the windows closed.

If you haven’t already downloaded the WatchDuty app, we highly recommend it for updates.

Stay safe out there everyone! There’s been small to large fires around the communities down the mountain for the past couple weeks. Thank you CalFire for your hard work during this stressful, busy time.

Address

1170 East Highway 4
Arnold, CA
95223

Telephone

+12097952334

Website

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