What: Guided hike at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve led by California State Park Staff/Volunteers.   Become a Junior Ranger of this beautiful state park!  We’ll get to see a very different environment than what we are used to in Coastal Southern California.  We’ll talk about a desert and what it is, why it looks different, and types of plant and animal adaptations. We’ll talk about what is beautiful and we’ll look for fragrant desert flowers .

Who: ACHEV Members, all ages at parental discretion.  This field trip is best suited for 2nd grade and up.  This field trip and hike can be tailored to our group.  Depending on who would like to come, if you have a lot of younger kids, or if we have anyone with accessibility needs, we can use the ADA trail.

Cost: Free.  There is usually a fee to park, but their website states: “Vehicle entrance for K-12 school groups is free. Fee waiver only applies to schools and homeschool groups; other school-age groups and organizations do not qualify. School fee waivers are only offered on the weekdays during school hours.”

When: Thursday April 3.  The tour begins at 11:30, but you will need to plan to be there 20-30 minutes earlier than that in case it takes a while to get into the parking lot and to allow time to use the restroom and maybe eat a snack before we start our hike (see details below).

Notes:

• Their guidelines state no backpacks, but this is directed more toward brick and mortar school students who usually have heavy books in their bags.   Kids who are capable of carrying their own backpacks may do so in order to carry their water and necessities.  They don’t want kids getting tired and distracted from lugging something around that they can’t handle very well.  Parents may carry a backpack with water and necessities.  Food is not permitted on the trail!
• Wifi & cell reception is limited
• We’ll meet in the parking lot at the visitor center
• Let’s carpool if possible.  Let me know if you would like to carpool.  I can carry a few extra people in my car.
• When you sign up for the field trip, I will email you the Junior Ranger booklet so your kids can start some of the pages and the rest can be done on the field trip.  I also have a poppy coloring page to send you.

Sign Up here by March 19th

There are a lot of details and rules to review before our trip.  Thank you so much for reading through the whole thing:

Congrats! You have scheduled a Guided Field Trip to Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Please read the email in its entirety so that you will have a successful field trip.

Guided tours are led by California State Park Interpretive Staff and Volunteers. Allow a minimum of 1.5 hours for your visit. More time is preferable. During your field trip, you are welcome and encouraged to explore the park whilst following established park rules.

How to Prepare

• Check the weather. Students will need to be prepared to be exposed to whatever the weather conditions are. Please click this link for a weather report.
• Organize Students. Before arriving at the park, please organize students into groups of 10-15 with a minimum chaperone ratio of 1:15 (adult: student).
• Prepare Students. Ensure students are prepared to hike a 2-mile trail with half a moderate uphill. If there are students with mobility needs, a shorter ADA compliant 1-mile trail will be utilized.
  • Comfortable Shoes. Students need comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Remind students they will be hiking – they should wear shoes they are okay with getting dirty.
  • Water bottles. Preferably one liter per student.
  • Leave backpacks and lunches in the school bus.
  • Layered Clothes. Antelope Valley CA Poppy Reserve can have extreme temperature changes and cold winds – the morning might be 40 degrees and the afternoon 90 degrees! Instruct students to wear comfortable clothes with layers to adjust for cold or heat.
  • There are no trashcans or restrooms on the hike. Garbage may be disposed of after the hike or if large amounts, taken back to the school bus.
• Prepare Chaperones. Chaperones are expected to be active participants during the field trip and are responsible for their group. Chaperones should help with behavior management and to keep track of their group.

Parking and Directions

For directions to the park, you can open the Google Map directions here. There is no fee associated with parking for registered school groups. During peak times, it can take 30-40 minutes to enter the park. Please arrive at least 15-20 minutes in advance of your scheduled tour time.

Buses can park in the Overflow lot. Make a right into the dirt lot after the kiosk. Single cars or otherwise not identifiable school buses may park in the main parking lot or in the overflow lot. Parking spaces are not reserved and are on a first come-first served basis

When you arrive at the parking lot, our State Park Interpreter/Volunteer will greet your bus. At this point, students will exit the bus, use the restrooms in the main parking lot, and get into their smaller groups with their chaperone to participate in the nature hike. Lunches and backpacks are to remain stored on the bus.

What to expect during the field trip

• Trained, interpretive staff/volunteer docents will lead groups of 15-30 students on a nature hike, stopping every 5 minutes or so to discuss a topic or do an activity.
• After the tour, your class is welcome to stay and explore the park and visitor center. If you would like to enjoy lunch in the Reserve, lunch can be eaten at picnic tables at our first come, first serve picnic area.
• About 15 minutes before your expected departure time, teachers and chaperones will walk students back to the bus as a group.

Trail map- Click here for a trail map.

Free self-guided brochures are also available along with a scavenger hunt focusing on the park’s natural resources is available to download/print before your visit.

The Merlin app by Cornell is an excellent resource for bird identification.

iNaturalist or iSeek will help you identify any animal or plant within the Reserve.

Behavior Expectations to Discuss with Your Students:

When you are visiting the park, please be sure to clearly outline behavioral expectations for your students that will protect park resources and wildlife and provide for the safety of your group.

Leave No Trace & Keep It Crumb Clean: Please instruct students to pack out any trash that they bring into the park with them, this includes all wrappers and food scraps. Although natural food items will naturally break down over time, leaving behind scraps attracts pests and negatively impacts wildlife and other visitors.

Stay on the official trails!

Stepping on plants kills them, causing ugly patches of bare dirt that ruin the park’s beauty. Walking on already-damaged areas will crush roots and worsen the damage. We have Mojave green rattlesnakes at the park. Mojave green rattlesnakes prefer to hide in the flowers and grass. Stay on the trail.

Do not pick any flowers.

ALL plants, animals, rocks, and historic objects are protected by law in the park. Wild areas are becoming increasingly rare. This park was created to protect ALL natural and historic features.

Dogs/Pets are prohibited.

No Drone Zone

Drones are prohibited in the airspace above the park due to fire danger, negative impacts on wildlife, and visitors’ reasonable expectations of privacy and tranquility.

Consumption of food is only allowed in parking lots and the designated picnic areas.

Post-Visit trip Activity Suggestions:

• Have students investigate the animals and environments around the school neighborhood. If you are in a more urban area, investigate the relationship between the city ecosystem and the kinds of animals that have adapted to live close by with us (see this link for more information). Use this resource from Wonder of Science as a graphic organizer to support this field trip.

Post-Visit Survey:

• Let us know how we did! Complete this survey

If you have any other pre field trip inquiries, questions, or concerns, contact Callista.Turner@parks.ca.gov . On the day of your visit please feel free to call (661) 483-0565 if you have any problem locating the park or you are running late.

Thank you, we look forward to seeing you!