Join us for a NGSS-aligned field trip where your students become real-world environmental scientists and engineers. At Crystal Cove State Park, students collect field data, explore how ecosystems are changing, and develop solutions to protect our coast—all while making meaningful connections between classroom learning and real-world science.
Our programs include flexible, ready-to-use classroom lessons and a hands-on field experience guided by Conservancy educators. We’re proud to offer these field trips at no cost, and transportation reimbursements are available to cover bus and boat fees for schools.
Curious about bringing your students to Crystal Cove? Take a look at the field trip descriptions below, then reach out to the listed education manager. We look forward to helping you plan an unforgettable learning experience!
All costs for our field trips are covered by philanthropic donation. Any costs to teachers, students, and schools to participate in our field trips will be reimbursed by Crystal Cove Conservancy.
The Trouble with Trash
Grade Levels: Kindergarten-2nd grade
Group size: Up to 50 participants
Duration: 9am – 1pm
Get ready to embark on an exciting journey with your students as environmental scientists and engineers at Crystal Cove State Park! Working alongside Crystal Cove Conservancy staff, students become environmental engineers and tackle plastic pollution and define problems, investigate impacts, and design solutions to help protect our beach ecosystems from the threat of trash through the power of collective action.
This flexible, NGSS-aligned program for kindergarten through second grade features modular lessons designed to fit seamlessly into your classroom. Use them before or after your students head into the field with Conservancy staff to collect real-world science and engineering data in Crystal Cove State Park’s Historic District.
To book your field trips contact Alyssa, Education Manager, at alyssa@crystalcove.org.
Enhanced Whale Watching
Grade Levels: 1-6th Grade
Group size: Up to 72 participants
Duration: 10am – 12pm
Embark on a thrilling educational voyage with your students as marine biologists on our Enhanced Whale Watching Expedition! Your young scientists will participate in five different monitoring projects centered around the diverse wildlife of the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area to see how the local ecosystem is changing over time.
Equipped with expedition backpacks, binoculars, and field notebooks, students will identify marine mammals, monitor coastal birds, collect and study plankton, and learn about the ecological roles of marine mammals. Through a unique partnership between Crystal Cove Conservancy, Newport Landing Sportfishing, and Crystal Cove State Park, this hands-on program allows students to actively record data, identify and count active marine life, and explore marine artifacts onboard!
To book your field trips contact Alyssa, Education Manager, at alyssa@crystalcove.org.
Project Crystal
Grade Level: 5th Grade
Group size: Up to 60 participants
Duration: 9am – 2pm
Help Crystal Cove Conservancy, Crystal Cove State Park, and UC Irvine study the best way to help native seedlings grow in Moro Canyon!
This program introduces students to plant ecology and ecosystem interactions as they support UC Irvine and State Park scientists in investigating restoration strategies. Project Crystal includes two field trips to Crystal Cove State Park.
To join the program and book your field trips, contact Brent Castanon, Crystal Cove Conservancy Education Manager, by emailing brent@crystalcove.org.
Project Crystal Code
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Group size: Up to 60 participants
Duration: 9am – 2pm
During Project Crystal Code, middle school students investigate the role that microbiomes, decomposition, and the carbon cycle play in restoration. During the program, students construct a computer model of the ecosystem and then build and code their own environmental sensors, which they use to collect data when they come out to the State Park.
This program includes flexible activities to incorporate into your classroom before or after a field trip to Moro Canyon where students use their sensors to collect real environmental data in the field.
To book a field trip, contact Brent Castanon, Crystal Cove Conservancy Education Manager, by emailing brent@crystalcove.org.
Marine Protected Area Science Expedition
Grade Level: 7-12 Grade
Group size: Up to 40 participants
Duration: 9am – 12pm
Is the Marine Protected Area offshore from Crystal Cove State Park working? Your class can help us find out! During this integrated program, students help scientists study the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area and explore how communities can use science communication to protect our oceans.
Through a unique partnership between Crystal Cove Conservancy, Newport Landing Sportfishing, and Crystal Cove State Park, classes head to sea aboard a fishing vessel to help collect monitoring data in the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area!
To book your field trips contact Alyssa, Education Manager, at alyssa@crystalcove.org.
Coastal Dynamics
Grade Level: 7-12 Grade
Group size: Up to 40 participants
Duration: 9am – 1:30pm
Middle and high school students become coastal engineers as they investigate how wind, waves, and human activity shape our shoreline. Through hands-on experiments and fieldwork at Crystal Cove State Park, students collect real data and design solutions to protect California’s coast—connecting NGSS-aligned science with real-world environmental challenges.
To book your field trips contact Alyssa, Education Manager, at alyssa@crystalcove.org.
Marine Protected Area Science Expedition II
Grade Level: 9-12 Grade
Group size: Up to 40 participants
Duration: 9am – 12:00pm
How is ocean acidification impacting marine life in the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area? Your students will explore the science at sea! During this 3-hour research expedition, high school students step aboard a vessel to investigate how carbon dioxide is transforming ocean chemistry, and what that means for the shelled organisms that support entire marine food webs.
Throughout the trip, student research teams rotate through hands-on environmental monitoring stations focused on water chemistry, plankton monitoring, and investigating the impacts of ocean acidification on shell-building organisms. Through a unique partnership between Crystal Cove Conservancy, Newport Landing Sportfishing, and Crystal Cove State Park, students collect and analyze real data to understand how even small shifts in ocean pH can have an impact that ripples through marine ecosystems.
To book your field trips contact Alyssa, Education Manager, at alyssa@crystalcove.org.