California State Parks

Wilder Ranch has a history going back thousands of years including the indigenous Uypi people, the Santa Cruz Mission Period, the Mexican-owned Rancho Refugio, Moses Meder's dairy ranch, the Wilder-Baldwin owned (and later Wilder alone) operation, and finally to it's designation as a state park. If you're interested in local Santa Cruz history, this may be the volunteer job for you! Opportunities include:

Leading tours of the historic dairy ranch

Living history events

Operating and educating visitors about the Blacksmith Shop (certification needed) 

Operating and educating visitors about the water powered machine shop and Pelton wheel

Helping with school field trips and teaching small groups of children about the ranch's history

and more! For questions or more information, contact wilderranch@ports.ca-us

Wilder Ranch has opportunities both coast-side and mountain-side of Highway 1, which divides the park. Lead tours with ocean views on the Old Cove Landing trail! There are birds, harbor seals, whales, plants and more that park visitors are just waiting for you to tell them about. Lead monthly backcountry hikes to show intermediate hikers some of our most popular trails, and help them connect with the history and nature of Wilder Ranch

Opportunities include:

Leading birding walks along the Old Cove Landing trail to help visitors spot and identify local birds

Leading coastal walks to show park guests the trail and inform them about the local flora and fauna

Roving at the Wilder Beach Overlook to answer visitor's questions

Leading or co-leading backcountry hikes. These hikes are around 5 hours, 8 miles with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. 

and more! For questions or more information, contact wilderranch@ports.ca-us