Field Trips
We have a very active chapter membership who love to get together to explore old special spots and discover new favorites.
Generally, everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend!
Many of our field trips are loosely organized – just show up at the noted time and location, however there are a few that are by reservation only so please read each description carefully.
If you would like to share a photograph or two from a field trip you’ve attended with CNPS-SLO, please email to judi@judiyoung.com.
Upcoming Field Trips :
Saturday, February 11 | Burton Mesa Chaparral Clean-up
Saturday, February 25 | La Purisima Mission
Saturday, February 25 | El Moro Elfin Forest, Los Osos
Sunday, March 25 | Coreopsis Hill
Saturday, 31 March 31 | La Purisima Burton Mesa Wildflower Walk
Past Field Trips from This Season:
Detailed write-up of prior trips can be found in the Obispoensis newsletter archives.
Saturday, December 17 to Oats Peak-Coon Creek Loop, Montaña de Oro
Saturday, December 10 — annual Fungal Foray
Sunday, December 4 to Black Hill in Morro Bay
Saturday November 5 to Bell Mountain via the Rinconada Trail
Sunday, November 13 Cal Poly Tree Walk
Saturday October 22 to La Purisima Mission in Lompoc
Sunday October 23 to Stadium Park in Atascadero
Saturday, August 6 to Pecho Coast Trail
Saturday, June 11 to Irish Hills Nature Reserve
Sunday, June 19 to Montaña de Oro State Park/Coon Creek
Sunday, July 10 – North County near Arroyo de la Cruz
Saturday, May 21 to Guidetti Ranch
Saturday, May 14 to the San Joaquin Valley side of Tejon Ranch Conservancy (rescheduled from March)
Saturday, May 7 hike Bishop Peak including Felsman Loop
Sunday, May 2 – The collaborative Morro Coast Audubon Society and CNPS picnic at Santa Margarita Lake (community event)
Saturday, April 16 – LPNF and CNPS Wildflower, Native Plant Week, + Earth Day Weekend (community events)
Saturday, April 9 – CNPS and Sierra Club Spring La Purisima/Burton Mesa Wildflower Walk
Wednesday, April 6 – CNPS Chimineas Field Trip
Saturday, April 2 – Annual Malcolm McLeod Memorial Field Trip Meeting to Shell Creek
Saturday, March 20 – Hike to Coreopsis Hill
Saturday, March 12 to Reservoir Canyon and Bowden Ranch
Coreopsis Hill
Sunday, March 25th, 2012, Annual Hike to Coreopsis Hill led by Lauren Brown, Dirk Walters, and other local botanists. If you are in the SLO area or points north, we will meet at 8:30 AM at the SLO Vets Hall then head south (see directions below). The hike will begin about 9:30 am at Beigle Road and will be a casual walk through the dunes to the top of Coreopsis Hill. This is a moderate hike, about 3 hours round-trip. Dress in layers, bring water and snacks, and have your “Dune Mother’s Wildflower Guide” by Dr. Malcolm McLeod for the...
read moreLa Purisima Burton Mesa Wildflower Walk
Saturday, March 31, 2012, 9 am, CNPS and Sierra Club Spring La Purisima Burton Mesa Wildflower Walk This is the annual California Native Plant Society and Sierra Club spring tour of the beauties of the Burton Mesa Chaparral. This is turning out to be a fair year for wildflowers, annuals as well as shrubs. Optional afternoon tour. Meet at the La Purisima Mission Parking Lot, corner of Purisima and Mission Gate Roads (2295 Purisima Road, Lompoc) Bring sturdy shoes, lunch & liquids, camera and binoculars advised. For info,...
read moreBurton Mesa Chaparral Clean-up
Saturday, February 11, 2012, 9 am, LVBHS Burton Mesa Chaparral AHC Interpretative Area Clean-up This is the annual “Spring Cleaning” of the BMC Interpretative Area on the Lompoc Allan Hancock College Campus. This six-acre area was established in the 1970s in what was then Ken Adam Park, now part of the Lompoc AHC Campus, by what grew into the Lompoc Valley Botanic and Horticultural Society (LVBHS). Each year the LVBHS clears the trails and removes some of the dead vegetation. The Lompoc AHC Campus (1 Hancock Drive) can be reached form...
read moreLa Purisima Mission
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, 9 am, Late Winter BMC Chaparral CNPS Field Trip at the La Purisima Mission The California Native Plant Society (CNPS)/ Lompoc Valley Botanic and Horticultural Society (LVBHS) will hold their annual winter field trip to the Burton Mesa Chaparral (BMC) on the La Purisima Mission grounds. Join us for a chance to see the early bloomers and interesting scenery. Meet at the east end of Burton Mesa Boulevard (1550 E). in Mission Hills. To reach Burton Mesa Boulevard, Get to SR 1 north of Lompoc. At the signal where SR 1...
read moreElfin Forest Walk
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, 10 am, El Moro Elfin Forest, Los Osos The Elfin Forest is adjacent to the Morro Bay estuary, a 90-acre natural area belonging to San Luis Obispo County Parks and California State Parks. Its plant communities include coastal brackish marsh, riparian woodland fringe, pygmy oak woodland, maritime chaparral, coastal dune scrub, and oak and manzanita complex. The Elfin Forest supports more than 200 species of plants and more than 50 species of lichens. We will be taking a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk and...
read more
Connect with CNPS-SLO