About
California Trail Interpretive Center Youth & Family Outdoor Education Programs include hands-on activities such as Bows & Throws: Archery, Bows & Throws: Axe Throwing, and Hike the Trails. Participants can join creative and educational programs like Explore and Create: Mountain Collage, Sewing - Spring Fabric Flowers, Make Your Own Buzz Saw, California Trail Word Search, Unscramble The Wagon, and a maze activity to help the emigrants find their way. Additional offerings include Jr Ranger Day Stewardship: “Protect the Place You Love,” the Hello Spring Hike - South Fork Meadows, and Storytime and Hike: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Open year-round with varying hours; open 7 days a week during Spring/Summer from 9:00am–4:30pm, and during Fall/Winter open Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30am–5:00pm, with grounds open 8:00am–5:30pm; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in Fall/Winter, with fall hours beginning October 1st
• Price: There is currently no fee to visit our site.
The California Trail Interpretive Center includes state-of-the-art exhibits and is situated on 40 acres of land, with RV and bus parking available. For the Bows & Throws: Archery program, families are advised that the program is outdoors and participants should dress according to the weather. The California Trail Center was created through Public Law 106-577, a bill sponsored by former U.S. Senator Harry Reid in 2000, and since its grand opening on June 2, 2012, it has welcomed visitors from throughout the United States and around the world. The mission of the California Trail Interpretive Center is to interpret the California Trail experience and, through interpretation and education, contribute to the appreciation and preservation of historic and cultural sites while supporting sustainable tourism in eastern Nevada through strong community partnerships.
Nevada Outdoor School, a 501c3 nonprofit primarily serving rural Nevada, works with and at the California Trail Interpretive Center through a formal agreement with the Bureau of Land Management to provide education resources, staffing, and outreach assistance. Programmatic and financial support for these youth and family outdoor education programs is provided by the California Trail Heritage Alliance and Nevada Outdoor School.
Last updated March 5, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Open year-round with varying hours; open 7 days a week during Spring/Summer from 9:00am–4:30pm, and during Fall/Winter open Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30am–5:00pm, with grounds open 8:00am–5:30pm; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in Fall/Winter, with fall hours beginning October 1st
• Price: There is currently no fee to visit our site.
The California Trail Interpretive Center includes state-of-the-art exhibits and is situated on 40 acres of land, with RV and bus parking available. For the Bows & Throws: Archery program, families are advised that the program is outdoors and participants should dress according to the weather. The California Trail Center was created through Public Law 106-577, a bill sponsored by former U.S. Senator Harry Reid in 2000, and since its grand opening on June 2, 2012, it has welcomed visitors from throughout the United States and around the world. The mission of the California Trail Interpretive Center is to interpret the California Trail experience and, through interpretation and education, contribute to the appreciation and preservation of historic and cultural sites while supporting sustainable tourism in eastern Nevada through strong community partnerships.
Nevada Outdoor School, a 501c3 nonprofit primarily serving rural Nevada, works with and at the California Trail Interpretive Center through a formal agreement with the Bureau of Land Management to provide education resources, staffing, and outreach assistance. Programmatic and financial support for these youth and family outdoor education programs is provided by the California Trail Heritage Alliance and Nevada Outdoor School.
Last updated March 5, 2026.
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