MARIN CNPS NATIVE PLANT WALKS
Make some seedy pals with the Marin chapter of the California Native Plant Society.
All hikes are free and open to the public and beginning plant enthusiasts welcome on all hikes, so please invite your friends.
Come prepared for any type of weather or conditions, dress in layers, have non-slip footwear, and bring rain/wind protection just in case. Although it may be sunny and warm when you leave home, the weather could be cold and foggy when we reach our destination. Bring lunch and plenty of water, binoculars and/or hand lenses, and your favorite field guides. Please contact hike Leaders with any questions about the hikes.
Plant lists compiled by Marin CNPS for many Marin localities
Saturday, September 4, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Abbotts' Lagoon trail on Pt. Reyes National Seashore
Leader: Doreen Smith
Abbotts' Lagoon trail on Pt. Reyes National Seashore is a Marin CNPS all-year favorite for a botanical hike.
In early Fall we should see blooming some of the late-flowering shrubs of the coastal chaparral,
including Baccharis pilularis, coyote brush and Ericameria ericoides, coast goldenbush.
As we've had a cool summer some of the local wildflowers are likely to be discovered in the marshes and dunes,
such as the rare Campanula californica, coast harebell and annual coyote-mint,
Monardella undulata.
Directions from east Marin and Highway 101: take either Lucas Valley Road or Sir Francis Drake highway out to
Pt. Reyes N.S. The Abbotts' Lagoon trailhead is on the northern part of the peninsula off Pierce Point road some
2 miles past the junction with the road to the Lighthouse.
Saturday, September 25th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Autumn on the Rift Trail
Leader: Dabney Smith, (415)-320-9229
This is a shuttle hike to Five Brooks so please be on time. Only two days after the Autumn Equinox
we'll celebrate the start of Fall with a five mile walk through an earthquake rift valley. The jumble of
landscapes created as the San Andreas Fault moved along over the millennia makes for a patchwork of plant
habitats that will include many of the fruits, nuts, acorns and berries seen at this time of year.
The famous botanist, Alice Eastwood, visited this valley just after the 1906 earthquake and is shown
contemplating the rip in the earth in this very well known photo
by G.K. Gilbert, from USGS Bulletin 324.
Meet at the Bear Valley/Rift Trail trailhead at the far end of the Point Reyes National Seashore visitors center
parking lot.
This hike is especially suited for beginning plant enthusiasts.
Other Outings
David Herlocker's MCOSD Naturalist Outings
Broaden your horizons with David Herlocker of the Marin County Open Space District, as his 2-3 walks each week have a
much more general focus on nature, and he can teach you all about birds, insects, trees, snakes, birds, you-name-it
and David knows something about it. MCOSD Newsletter