Scouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs related to their environments.

In the early days of ″Scouting″ there were several different ″Scouting″ type organizations. Some of the organizations known to have members in California were:

The Boy Scouts of United States (a wing of the National Highway Protective Association), Young Men's Christian Association and the Salvation Army may have also had ″Scouting″ type programs in California.

In 1914, parents and Chinese-American boys organized their own Boy Scout troop in San Francisco, the first troop for Chinese Americans and possibly the first troop in San Francisco. It was recognized as Troop 3 once San Francisco became a council. The troop continues today.

Girl Scouting officially started in California by 1917 when Lou Henry Hoover help form a troop in Palo Alto. In 1922 the first service unit in the western United States, Service Unit 1, was set up in Palo Alto by Lou Henry Hoover, then president of the Girl Scouts of the US, and is now part of the Girl Scouts of Northern California council.

The 1953 National Scout Jamboree was held at Irvine Ranch, California. Jamboree Road in Newport Beach, California was named to commemorate the site of the 1953 event.

The 1973 National Order of the Arrow Conference was held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are twenty-four Boy Scouts of America local councils in California.