Great Expeditions

Location: Hikes

Henry Cowell Adventure Hike
Henry Cowell State Park is a wild pocket in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With over 20 miles of forested trails, it retains a wilderness feel. On this walk we will see a remarkable diversity of plant communities. Starting in the pine forests and brushy slopes of Graham Hill, we hike down into the redwoods along the San Lorenzo River gorge. We'll search for native plants, migrating birds and mammal tracks. We will then wade across the river and hike up to Highway 9 where we shuttle drivers back to their cars. The hike is about 5 miles with narrow trails and some steep downhill bits.

Ano Nuevo Ramble
Ano Nuevo State Reserve is a great destination to watch birds, discover seashore plants and view marine mammals. We will walk about four miles round-trip over generally flat but sandy terrain. Along the way we will stop to view the interesting plants of the sand dunes, search for mammal tracks and look for shell mounds left by native Americans. Our destination will be Point Ano Nuevo, were we will watch for a variety of migrating sea and shore birds while we eat lunch. Ashore, huge male elephant seals will be lying in the dunes during their annual molt. You will hear tales of theses amazing animals, their deep diving and remarkable recovery from near extinction. Offshore we will look for young seals playing in the surf and otters foraging. By spotting scope we will view the Steller sea lion rookery on Ano Nuevo Island. Join us for a fascinating day hiking the coast!

Cone Peak Climb
Come climb a mountain! At 5,155 feet, Cone Peak is one of the highest points of the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains and offers awe-inspiring views of the Big Sur Coast. The trailhead is located about a two and a half hour drive south of San Jose. The 5.5 mile round-trip hike is on a narrow trail and is a moderately strenuous climb to the top. Along the way, we will take time to view the many rare and endemic plants and talk about the complex geology of the Santa Lucia Mountains. We will look out over the sparkling blue Pacific and if we are really lucky, see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains to the East. This is a great winter adventure to a hidden corner of wild California!

Fall Creek Traverse
Located outside the town of Felton, Fall Creek State Park is a wonderful place to explore the human and natural history of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is a moderate hike, generally downhill the entire route (We shuttle back to our cars uphill at the end of the walk). On this 5.5 mile hike we will traverse nearly the entire watershed of Fall Creek. We will look for the fifteen species of ferns which grow there, find the Big Ben Tree ( a massive old-growth redwood ), explore the abandoned lime kilns and enjoy spring beside the creek!