Calaveras Big Trees State Park offers winter fun for families of all ages just a two-hour’s drive from the San Francisco Bay Area. Home to the majestic giant sequoia trees, Calaveras Big Trees State Park offers hiking, sledding, snowshoeing, and other kid-friendly snowy adventures. The bright bark color of the sequoia trees are a true sight to see under a blanket of snow in the winter.
My family drove to Arnold, California to take our kids skiing at Bear Valley and to hike among these giant trees in the snow. Here’s why you should take your family to Calaveras Big Trees State Park this winter:
Arnold and the surrounding area of Calaveras County are located on the stolen and occupied lands of the Northern Miwok
Getting there
What to pack
- Warm clothes for snow (mittens, beanies, waterproof pants and jackets, snow boots, layers)
- Sleds
- Snacks
- Cash for the warming hut
Top 5 Winter Activities to do Calaveras Big Trees with your Kids
Go sledding
Bring your sleds to ride down the snowy hills near the visitor center’s parking lot. We saw many families of color laughing and enjoying the snow.
Pro-tip: if you plan to hike at all, save sledding for the end as a reward for your kiddos. If you start your day with sledding, like I did, you may end up with kids who would rather not leave their sleds to trek through the forest, therefore you may have to bribe them with lollipops…so pack lollipops.
Hike the North Grove Trail
Find a sequoia tree or two as you hike along the short, 1.5 mile North Grove trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We played I spy to see who could spot the bright orange bark of the next sequoia tree.
We brought sleds on the trail and dragged the smaller kiddos as the adults and older children walked through the snow.
Click here for a map of the winter hiking trails at Calaveras Big Trees State Park.
Climb the Discovery Tree
Find the Discovery Tree’s giant stump on the North Grove trail and climb up the icy steps to walk along its rings and honor its legacy.
At the time of this writing, the stairs to the top of the Discovery Tree were very icy and hard to climb. Our school-aged kids found climbing the slippery stairs to be a fun challenge, while our toddlers needed a bit more support.
Check out the visitor center
Inside you’ll find a bookstore, a small museum with large and small animals on display, and helpful state park rangers ready to answer any questions you or your curious kiddos might have like, can I eat the icicles?
Grab a hot coco from the warming hut
The warming hut is a small, wooden cabin located across from the bathrooms near the visitor center parking lot. It is staffed by volunteers in the winter and only open on weekends and holidays during certain hours.
If you happen to visit the park during the warming hut’s hours, stop by to purchase a hot coco or hot apple cider. Bring cash!
We were lucky to arrive at Calaveras Big Trees State Park while it was snowing.
We pulled into the parking lot, put on many layers and gear, and played in the snow just in front of the visitor center.
Flurries fell around us as my kids made snow angels, danced, packed snow balls, and tasted the fluffy and freshly fallen flakes. We had so much fun in just a few minutes!
The snow was so magical, our toddler couldn’t help but stop at every fresh patch to make a snow angel. I had to pause to allow her to just enjoy her surroundings in her own way, and not feel rushed to go sledding or hiking.
Sometimes I feel like the toddler stage is there as a reminder for us parents to take a break and stop rushing.
Embrace the toddler pace with me, and go enjoy the sequoia trees this winter. You won’t regret it.
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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