Fort Ord Manzanita Field Trip

This fifth field trip in our manzanita series will occur in Monterey County at Fort Ord National Monument in partnership with the Monterey Bay CNPS Chapter. Called “Manzanita Heaven” by the locals, this park has many rare and endemic plants and five species or subspecies of manzanita including:

• Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. hookeri, Hooker’s manzanita
• Arctostaphylos montereyensis, Monterey manzanita
• Arctostaphylos pumila, sandmat manzanita
• Arctostaphylos tomentosa ssp. bracteosa, bristly twig manzanita
• Arctostaphylos tomentosa ssp. hebeclada and/or ssp. tomentosa, woolly leaf manzanita

The field trip will start at the corner of Gigling Road and 8th Avenue in the City of Seaside where there is a dirt parking lot at the edge of Ft. Ord National Monument (36.643677, -121.787211, map below). Later, we will travel to a second location in the Monument to see Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, Pajaro manzanita. These combined hikes are roughly 2.5 miles in length with a gentle terrain.

During the hike, we will test our skills keying manzanitas. If you don’t have a copy of the Field Guide to the Manzanitas by Kauffmann, Parker, and Vasey, copies will be available for sale on this hike.

Carpools from San Luis Obispo County will meet at 7:45 am in Templeton at the Las Tablas Park & Ride Lot, just west of Highway 101 at the intersection of Las Tablas Road and Bennett Way (35.553973, -120.713753).

Bring water, snacks, hat, sturdy shoes, and dress in layers for changing weather.  Rain or threat of rain cancels or postpones this trip. There are no bathroom facilities along the hike route.