2015 Field Trip Schedule

Download the Complete 2015 Field Trip Schedule Here

March 28 – Highway 49 Bagby Serpentine:

Leader: Ann Mendershausen. Hiking level: easy. We’ll visit the
belt of serpentine that snakes along Highway 49 from Coulterville south to Bagby. The early spring
wildflower displays can be spectacular. We’ll meet in Coulterville on Highway 49 in front of the park just
north of the Jefferson Hotel at 9:30a.m. For more information about the trip, contact Ann at (209) 742-
7734 or ralphr@sti.net.

March 29 – Corsa Garden Tour:

Leader: Owner Deana Corsa. Hiking level: easy. Deana Corsa has once
again graciously invited us for a guided tour of her garden to view the many native plantings growing
among beautiful oaks, pines and cedars at her Phoenix Lake Estates home. We should be just in time to see
many of the natives blooming. This is a great opportunity to get ideas for planting natives in your own
garden. Meet at noon at 15575 Buena Vista Avenida, Sonora. Directions: from Sonora, drive east on
Highway 108, turn LEFT on Hess, RIGHT onto Phoenix Lake Road, LEFT onto De Los Portales at the main
Phoenix Lake entrance, RIGHT onto Paseo De Los Robles, and RIGHT onto Buena Vista Avenida. Park in the
turnabout beyond the driveway. The tour will last until about 2:00pm. For more information, contact
Stephanie Garcia, sjgarcia@mlode.com.

April 4 – Moss Creek Trail:

Leader: Michael Ross. Hiking level: moderate. Trail follows an old mining road,
starting in oaks and leading through steep poppy covered grass slope to skirt above Moss Creek Canyon,
ending at viewpoint of Moss Creek Falls. Good variety of species including a rare endemic plant. Meet at
8:30a.m. at the El Portal Market on highway 140. For more information, contact Michael at (209) 379-
2448, meross@att.net.

April 19 – West Side Railroad Grade Trail:

Leader: Jennie Haas. Hiking level: easy (mostly flat, unpaved
surface). This will be an easy stroll along this historic railroad grade overlooking the North Fork Tuolumne
River. This is a popular and reliable wildflower viewing area where we are sure to find nice things to look
at. Meet at 9:00a.m. at the trailhead at the Miramonte subdivision on Cottonwood Road, one mile east of
downtown Tuolumne City.

April 25 – Abernathy Lava Caps:

Leader: Alison Colwell. Hiking level: moderate (short hikes on slight to
moderate steepness, but with very rough ground on the lava caps). Access via graded Forest Service Roads.
We last visited these interesting “lava caps,” actually remnants of Miocene andesitic lahars, in 2010. This
will be our first visit since the Rim Fire. Goldfields, monkeyflowers and volcanic specialist species will grace
these peculiar rocky fields. Meet at 10:00a.m. at the Camp Mather General Store, Mather. Take Highway
120, then Evergreen Road to Camp Mather. At stop sign, turn right onto Mather Road, then left into the
parking lot. The General Store is just north of the parking lot. For more information, contact Alison at (240)
997-5153, aelcolwell@msn.com.

May 9 – Calaveras Big Trees:

Leaders: Alan Leavitt and John Sutake. Hiking Level: Easy. We’ll visit one or
more locations, and may find phantom orchids, western azaleas, monkey flowers, lilies, and other
wildflowers, depending on what is blooming. Meet at 10:00 AM inside the park at the picnic area adjacent
to the meadow behind Jack Knight Hall. The admission fee to enter the park is $10 per vehicle. Bring
lunch/snacks and water. For more info, contact Alan at 209-795-2469 or alanleeleavitt@gmail.com.

May 16 – Rim Fire Wildflowers, Hetch Hetchy:

Leader: David Campbell. Hiking Level: Moderate to
arduous. We will see many wildflowers on display in the post-Rim Fire burned rocky terraces above Hetch
Hetchy Road. This trip will be combined with a rare plant treasure hunt to document specific off-trail
locations of the rare endemics, Mimulus filicaulis and M. pulchellus. Meet at the parking spots just past the
Hetch Hetchy entrance station on Hetch Hetchy Road in Yosemite National Park at 9:30a.m. For more
information, contact David at (612) 867-8700, DCampbell.CNPS@gmail.com.

May 30 – Hammill Canyon/Herring Creek Road:

Leader: Jennie Haas. Hiking level: moderate (some rough
ground and a small amount of cross-country hiking). This area contains diverse habitats and a 2,400 feet
elevation gain along the road from Highway 108 to the top of the loop in Hammill Canyon. There is a great
diversity of plants. We’re hoping to see the Peony in bloom at this early date. Meet at 9:00a.m. in the
parking lot between the Sonora KFC restaurant and Kohl’s, on Mono Way. For more information, contact
Jennie at (209) 962-4759, jhaas953@gmail.com.

June 20 – Pilot Peak:

Leader: Barry and Judy Breckling. Hiking level: moderate (about 3 miles with 700-
foot elevation gain). Much of the Pilot Peak area burned in the Rim fire, so we should see some interesting
plants. We’ll see how the tiny, rare Yosemite Woolly Sunflower, Eriophyllum nubigenum, has fared after
the fire. Meet at 9:00a.m. in the Groveland Library parking lot (next to Mary Lavaroni Park on Main Street,
Highway 120). For more information, contact Barry and Judy at (209) 878-3041, breckling@garlic.com.

July 11 – Saddlebag Lake/Twenty Lakes Basin:

Leader: Tom Reyes. Hiking Level: arduous due to the very
high elevation. View a huge diversity of wildflowers in a beautiful setting of alpine lakes and meadows.
Located at the convergence of granite and metamorphic rock types and nestled between Mt Conness,
Shepherds Crest and Tioga Crest, this basin is a gem of the High Sierra. We will take the water taxi across
Saddlebag Lake to surpass a 1.5 mile hike along talus (or not if you’re up for it!). Meet at 10:00a.m. at
Saddlebag Lake Resort located up a well-marked dirt road 2 miles east of Tioga Pass. For more information,
contact Tom at (818) 554-6616, tpreyes87@gmail.com

July 25 – Warren Canyon:

Leader: John Little. Hiking level: arduous due to the very high elevation. It helps
to spend a day or more at altitude before the event. We’ll follow a trail through a series of meadows, some
possibly wet, with a wide variety of alpine flowers. The first part of the trail is nearly flat; further up there
is some climbing, rewarded with several mutant specimens. Warren Creek is about 1 mile east of Ellery
Lake, a bit east of Tioga Pass. We will meet at 10:00a.m. at or near the event site. Since parking at the site
is tricky, detailed directions will be provided later. For more information, contact John at (520) 327-8973, or
(209) 742-5196 closer to the event time, jlittle@email.arizona.edu.

October 17 – Fall Colors:

Leader: Jennie Haas. Hiking level: very easy (car tour with limited, flat ground
walking). Details of our destination will be in the October Shooting Star. For information, contact Jennie at
(209) 962-4759, jhaas953@gmail.com.