Schools must provide their own transportation on field trips. Also, several trips require reservations that the school must make several weeks or months in advance. Mission Springs provides Naturalists and a lunch for these trips; generally, schools depart directly from the field trip site for their journey home on Friday.
Field trip requests are considered with other schools' wishes and normally occur once a week, on the last morning. The first two trips listed below are the most popular, and they are also free of any extra charges!
Santa Cruz Wharf
Rotating through learning stations, students gather and observe plankton, learn about marine mammals, observe sea lions under the wharf, and dissect squid.
Natural Bridges State Beach and Monarch Reserve
From October to February, thousands of Monarch butterflies can be observed clustering in the trees at California's only Monarch reserve. Year-round activities include exploring tide pools (if the tide is right), sampling along a transect for mole crabs, and identifying kelp.
Seabright Beach & Natural History Museum
Students visit the mouth of the San Lorenzo River, explore the beach, and are led on a one hour tour of the Santa Cruz Natural History Museum. Reservations for the museum must be made more than one month before the tour date. Normal group size limit is 30 for a one-hour tour, and the suggested donation is $25.00 per group. Call (831) 420-6115 Tuesday to Friday to make reservations.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Most redwoods in the San Lorenzo Valley were clear-cut around the turn of the century, and this spot is one of the few where old growth redwood forest survives. The park has huge redwoods along an easy loop trail. It also has a gift shop and a nature center. Call them to arrange free school parking at least one month in advance at (831) 335-4598.
Roaring Camp Railroad
A narrated train ride through old growth redwoods brings you back to the logging days of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Across the tracks are the huge trees of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Call (831) 335-4484 for current school group rate prices and reservations.
Ano Nuevo State Reserve
If your school is coming to Mission Springs between January and March, consider a field trip to see breeding elephant seals at Ano Nuevo. Students take a 3-mile round trip hike to an area where elephant seals come to give birth. Reservations must be made months in advance. Call (800) 444-4445 to reserve a docent-guided walk.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is well-known for its cutting edge exhibits. The aquarium has touch tanks, fish and sea otter feedings, interactive learning stations for children, and live underwater video shows. For more information, call (831) 644-7590 to get on the mailing list for free school group reservations and (831) 648-4860 for group reservations.
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