Field Trip Archive

Chimney Rock has yielded in recent years as few as 15 and as many as 65 different species of wildflowers in bloom.

Pilot Knob, Lake Lagunitas, Lagunitas Meadows Area, Sky Oaks
Thursday, March 16, 2023 10 am to 2 pm
Leader: Sherry Adams – Vegetation Ecologist, Marin Water
Early season wildflowers are in bloom!

South Slopes of Mt. Burdell – early wildflowers of serpentine and grasslands
Saturday, February 25, 2023    10 am to 2 pm
Field trip leader – Susan Schlosser

Most years there are many early-blooming wildflowers such as little stick-seed (Blennosperma nanum var. nanum), star-lily (Toxicoscordion fremontii) and  fragrant fritillary (Fritillaria liliacea).

San Bruno Mountain: Ericaceae on Kamchatka Point and Other Things

Date: Saturday, October 15,  10am to 1pm
Leader: Doug Allshouse

The Heather family is well represented on San Bruno Mountain with twelve taxa, and five are endemics.

Carson Ridge Serpentine Flora
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 – 9 am to 1 pm
Field Trip Leader: Sherry Adams

Serpentine is less than 2% of the land area of California but accounts for about 15% of the rare plants.

Kent Pump Road

Sunday May 8, 2022      10 am to 1 pm
Field trip leader: Marin botanist David Greenberger

Kent Pump Road offers a beautiful, gentle, and biodiverse hike through the Lagunitas Creek Watershed and the upper reaches of Kent Lake.

Wednesday, March 16   10 am – 2 pm

Field trip leader: Susan Schlosser

On this 3.5-mile field trip we will meander up to Hidden Lake, a vernal pool on Mt. Burdell.

Chimney Rock, Point Reyes National Seashore
Sunday, February 20, 2022 – 10 AM to 2 PM
Leader: Carolyn Longstreth

Mid-February is the official unofficial start of wildflower season in Marin.

Saturday March 5, 10:00 – 12:30p.m.

Field trip leader: Stacey Pogorzelski

Novato Baylands Stewards is tasked with growing tens of thousands of plants and restoring them in wetlands.

Enjoy a late fall stroll around Turtle Back Trail.

Pioneer Tree Trail at Samuel P. Taylor State Park

Sunday Oct. 17 9:30 am

Leaders: Woody and Ann Elliott

Enjoy this cool, forest amble on the Pioneer Tree Trail following a redwood-lined tributary of Lagunitas Creek.

May 9, 9:30 – 1:30 pm

Leaders: Susan Schlosser and Carolyn Longstreth

Celebrate Mother’s Day looking for flowers at Point Reyes!

Thursday, May 27 – 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Leader: Carolyn Longstreth

We will explore this north-facing trail for lingering spring wildflowers.

April 20, 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Leaders:  Ann and Woody Elliott

This lovely trail follows along a bluff right above the ocean and continues into an open forest, eventually passing a couple of small lakes.

Focus on Chocolate Lily: Homestead Valley

Thursday, March 12, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.

Join Marabeth Grahame for a foray around Homestead Valley for early spring wildflowers, especially the chocolate lily!

Sunday, March 8, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Lower Steep Ravine trail and the Rocky Point Road down to the Steep Ravine cabins can be quite incredible in early March.

Leader: Terry Gosliner

Big Rock Ridge–Big Rock

Thursday, November 7, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Big Rock Ridge is the second-highest point in Marin. It is a dramatically beautiful hike with sensational views along the way.

Exploring Lichens at Pierce Point Ranch

Saturday, October 5, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Lichens are found all around us, growing in nearly every habitat.

Saturday–Sunday, July 20 – 21

Marin CNPS is going to the high country this summer!

 Saturday  July 13, 10:00  a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The moist coastal climate of Point Reyes makes this one of the few places in Marin to enjoy a diverse array of summer wildflowers.

Saturday, June 22, 10:30 a.m.

Late June brings us many summer flowers that are not present during the peak of the spring flowering season.

Sunday, April 14, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Presented by Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Marin CNPS, and NorCal High School Mountain Bike League.

This year, we’ll start our ride in Fairfax and explore the serpentine habitat along San Geronimo Ridge

Friday–Sunday,  April 19 – 21
Leader : Woody Elliott

Many of us have longed to visit Table Mountain in Butte
County but have never done so. This will be the year!

Wednesday, April 17, 2019,  10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Leader: Shannon Burke

The coastal bluffs along the outer reaches of the Pt Reyes Peninsula host a fantastic display of spring wildflowers.

Sunday, April 14, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The wildflower display at this location is among the best in the county.

Thursday, April 4,   10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Leader: Shannon Burke – Marin County Parks Naturalist

Truly one of the best wildflower displays in the Bay Area, the fantastic floral diversity of this site makes this walk a “spring classic”.

Saturday, March 9, 10:30 a.m.– 2:00 p.m.

CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN

Sunday, January 27, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

This is an easy walk of about two miles, visiting two serpentine exposures on the lower slopes of Mt. Burdell.

Big Rock Ridge
Sunday, January 6, 9:00 a.m.– 2:00 p.m.

Big Rock Ridge is the second highest point in Marin. It’s a spectacularly beautiful hike with amazing panoramic views.

Sunday February 10,  10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Mushroom Group will meet at a different location on Point Reyes

CNPS will meet as planned at the Jepson/Johnstone trailhead for a plant walk

Point Reyes National Seashore has botanical treasures any time of the year.

Thursday, July 12, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Leader: Shannon Burke, Marin County Parks

The moist, coastal climate of Point Reyes makes this one of the few places in Marin to enjoy a diverse array of wildflowers during the summer.

Saturday, May 12, 9:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.

Leader: Roger Raiche, past director of the UC Botanical Garden

The extraordinary property in Sonoma County known as “The Cedars”, includes 11 square miles of private and public lands around the headwaters of Austin Creek. The Cedars’ steep and rocky terrain has unique geological features, forested slopes, and seeps and springs; some portions have been compared to a moonscape.

Sonoma Post-Fire Field Trip to Pepperwood Preserve

Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Much of the Pepperwood Preserve was severely burned in the Tubbs fire; other areas were moderately burned. We’ll see areas in these habitats with characteristic regrowth of some species that will recover on their own over time.

 Saturday, October 7, 10 a.m

Field Trip Leader – Paul da Silva

What can be found growing on volcanic soils late in
the year? Come and find out on an excursion to Olompali State Park.

Late Summer Coastal Wildflowers                       along Kehoe Beach Trail                                   Point Reyes National Seashore

Sunday,  August 6th         10AM to 1PM
Leader: Doreen Smith

A cool moist coastal climate enables some of our wild flowers to bloom into fall.

Thursday, July 1 10AM to 2PM
Leaders: Shannon Burke and Dave Herlocker

The moist, coastal climate of Point Reyes makes this one of the few places in Marin to enjoy a diverse array of wildflowers during the summer

Pomo Canyon and Red Hill Trails,                                    Sonoma Coast State Park

Sunday, July 30     10AM to 3PM
Leader: Liz Parsons, Milo Baker Chapter

Marin CNPS is heading north to explore a new (for us) coastal route called Pomo Trail!

Saturday, June 3,     2017 2-5 PM

Field Trip Leader – Kristin Jakob

This annual outing showcases several of this Marin County Open Space Preserve’s
rare plants, including Tiburon mariposa lily (Calochortus tiburonensis), found only at
this location, and Marin dwarf flax (Hesperolinon congestum). 

Saturday, June 24     10 AM to 2 PM
Field Trip Leader – Linda Novy

This classic Marin County outing will start on the Cascade Fire Road, passing a stand of sergeant cypress (Hesperocyparis [formerly Cupressus] sargentii) and pipe vines, (Aristolochia californica), continue through some undisturbed broadleaf
and coniferous forest and then enter into a section of chaparral and grasslands, featuring stands of Festuca californica.

Saturday, April 15, 9:00 a.m.

The ride will make a clockwise circuit around Mt. Tam. Starting at Mountain Home Inn.

Sunday, April 23 9:00–2:00 p.m.

Wildflowers of Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve

Come celebrate Native Plant Week with Marin County Parks and the California Native Plant Society.

Thursday, April 20    10:00-2:30 p.m.

Soulajule Reservoir is a little known gem in northern Marin County.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Meet at 8:00 a.m.  Trip will take all day

At 4,265 feet, Mt. Hamilton is the highest peak in the Bay Area and part of the Diablo Range that extends south to Orchard Peak in Kern County.

Monday, April 17, 2017

10:00 a.m. – 2:00p.m.

Come celebrate California Native Plant Week with Marin County Parks and the California Native Plant Society

Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Start at Pine Mountain Fire Road and climb through an area with exposed serpentine along Carson Ridge.

Rock Spring Meander

Sunday, February 5, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

This field trip will follow a moderate 4-mile route from the Rock Spring parking lot to Barth’s Retreat

Mosses and Other Bryophytes  

Saturday, January 21  9:00a.m. – noon   

Did you know that CNPS has a new statewide Bryophyte Chapter? Bryophiles are lovers of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts,

Join Landscape Exhibits Team members Will Silver and Kendra Hauser for a tour of the iconic living roof at the California Academy of Sciences, composed of over 100 local California native species.

Thursday, June 16, 10 – 11:30a.m.  2016

Serpentine and fire ecology plant walk   2016        

Tuesday May 10, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Wildflowers of Ring Mountain

Saturday June 4, 2016  2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

This annual outing showcases several of this Marin County Open Space’s rare, in some cases endemic, plants.