170+ reasons to get outside for California State Parks Week

Find your perfect park event to celebrate CA State Parks Week

Indigenous dance at Summer in the Redwoods — Hermana Flor, a Oaxacan dance group, performs in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park during California State Parks Week 2023. Photo by Max Forster.

Summer will be here soon, and if you’re looking for more excuses to spend time outside, you’re in luck—the fifth annual California State Parks Week is fast approaching. From June 10-14, you’ll have the chance to celebrate California’s impressive park system across a wide variety of free events presented by Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks, Parks California, and California State Parks Foundation.

Want to bike along the coast? Hike through a redwood forest? Participate in a beach cleanup? Go birding or kayaking? This week is full of fun activities for you. California has the largest, most diverse state park system in the country, and California State Parks Week’s theme, “This is Where You Live,” features an equally vast range of opportunities for Californians to explore.

Save the Redwoods helped establish the California State Park System in 1927, and ever since, we have worked in close partnership to protect coast redwood and giant sequoia forests. Across California, nearly 50 state parks support these remarkable ancient trees, and this week’s festivities present exciting opportunities for people from all communities to experience their magic.

More than 170 events to explore

A group of people stand laughing around a table in a redwood forest. — Save the Redwoods’ staffers greet a new redwood enthusiast during 2025’s CA State Parks Week. Photo by Justin Lewis/The Coldwater Collective.

No matter where you live in California, there is an event nearby. In a nod to the fifth anniversary of California State Parks Week, there are five spotlight events featured each day highlighting California’s regional diversity, in addition to the 170+ regular events on offer.

Spotlight events

Wednesday, June 10 – Explore the Shore at Cardiff State Beach

Find inspiration in the sights, sounds, and scents of the ocean during the kickoff event at Cardiff State Beach near San Diego, featuring a day of hands-on activities to learn about the coastline. Join expert-led demonstrations or check out a self-guided kit to explore on your own.

Thursday, June 11 – Celebrate Floodplain Restoration at Great Valley Grasslands State Park

Celebrate the completion of the Grasslands Floodplain Restoration Project, which reconnected the San Joaquin River with more than 200 acres of historic floodplain in the Central Valley. Learn how this effort supports critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, including salmon, kit foxes, and migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway. The event will feature remarks from project partners, guided tours, interpretive programs, and options for on-the-water experiences.

Friday, June 12 – Resilient Redwoods Rendezvous at Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Discover the resilience of California’s iconic redwoodson a guided walk through Big Basin, where most old-growth trees survived the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. Learn how these forests are recovering and explore the ongoing efforts to reimagine the park. Visitors can also connect with Save the Redwoods and other partner organizations at an on-site fair and find ways to get involved in the park’s future.

Saturday, June 13 – Visitor Center Grand Reopening at Sue-meg State Park

Enjoy the reopening of the Sue-meg State Park Visitor Center on California’s North Coast with a day of community activities, food, cultural sharing, and hands-on learning. Enjoy guided cultural walks, Junior Ranger programs, and interactive exhibits developed in partnership with the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People, Trinidad Rancheria, and the Yurok Tribe.

Sunday, June 14 – ‘The Mercury’ Turns 100 at Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lake Tahoe’s iconic Mercury speedboat. Built in 1926 and once the fastest in the world, the 35-foot all-metal vessel earned the President’s Cup from President Calvin Coolidge. See it up close and explore hands-on activities, interpretive programs, and a new exhibit on maritime history and innovation.

What better week to take up plein-air painting? Photo by Justin Lewis/The Coldwater Collective.

And for all you dedicated coast redwood and giant sequoia lovers, we’ve compiled a list of all the events happening in redwood and sequoia state parks below. For a complete schedule of all the week’s events across California and more information on how to participate, visit CAStateParksWeek.org.

Events in coast redwood and giant sequoia parks:

Wednesday, June 10

Central Coast