Field Trips
Click here to see entries for EBCNPS Past Field Trips.
Sunday May 6, 10:00 am, Brooks Island (west of Point Richmond)
Dolphin Charters and the East Bay Regional Parks District have a tour boat reserved for an East Bay chapter field trip, which will depart the Berkeley Marina at 10:00 a.m. The cost is $72.00 for residents of the park district, and $80.00 for non-residents. To reserve a space and for payment and logistics details, you should call (888) 327-2757, and be sure to tell them the reservation number, 29606, and the "course name": CNPS BOAT TO BROOKS ISLAND.
Because of the very shallow water around the island, the trip is planned around a higher tide to allow for landing, with a tour of the bay enroute to the anchorage. Passengers will then land on Brooks Island in several shifts on a 17-foot skiff, which will take several trips (You should be mobile enough to climb in and out of the skiff without aid.) The environmentally sensitive island includes salt marsh and northern coastal scrub, plus over 18 species of birds nesting on the island. We'll eat lunch on the island and hike around it. Bring lunch and all the liquid you will need, plus all-weather clothing. A storm will cancel the trip, but not light rain.
Sunday May 13, 10:00 am, Blue Oak Trail at Briones Regional Park
Gregg Weber will lead on this trail that includes views of some unusual plants, such as Myrica californica and Pickeringia montana (think pink), and Calochortus pulchellus in bloom.
We will see a lot of diversity in grasslands, oak woods of several species, chemise/black sage chaparral.
The Blue Oak loop has a 700 foot elevation change and quite a few ups and downs. The round trip is about 5 miles.
Directions: Take Highway 24 to Lafayette, and exit at Pleasant Hill Road north. Go about one mile north on Pleasant Hill Road, and turn left onto Reliez Valley Road. Stay on Reliez Valley Road for about 3.5 miles. The parking lot is on the left, after Withers Ave. Do not go into the park entrance farther north on Reliez Valley Road or you will miss the field trip.
Sunday May 20, 10 am, Mount Diablo State Park North Peak trail from Devil’s Elbow to Prospector’s Gap
Meet at the Devil’s Elbow parking lot at 10 am. This trial is packed with native plants and relatively few alien species. There may be Calochortus venustus, C. pulchellus, Chorizanthe membranacea, Hydrophyllum occidentale, Arnica discoidea, a few areas of Collinsia tinctoria, Clarkia concinna, plus native Cirsium (thistles), lupines, and Lomatium. There are also large areas of Quercus chrysolepis (canyon live oak). This trip will be most of the day, so bring lunch and water. We should arrive back at the parking lot around 3 pm. The trip leader is Gregg Weber, and you can call him at 510-223-3310 if you have questions.
Directions: Take 680 to the Diablo Road exit, and go east on Diablo Road At Green Valley Road, only one lane goes straight ahead. After Green Valley Road, go on and do not turn at the Diablo Country Club sign. In about a mile, turn left at the Mount Diablo State Park sign. Continue to the end of Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which becomes South Gate Road as it enters the park. Pay the $10 gate fee at the entrance station (or have your state parks pass visible). Continue to Junction Ranger Station, and turn right. About ¾ mile past Juniper Camp’s large parking area is a small parking area at Devil’s Elbow, where we will meet at 10 am.
Sunday, May 27, 10:00 am, field trip to Serpentine Prairie (Redwood Regional Park)
Gregg Weber will lead a field trip to view not only Presidio clarkia, but also many other unusual flowers and grasses that are now several years into restoration. This trip is appropriate for beginning/intermediate plant identification. However, the unusual plant spotters have the option of looking up Serpentine Prairie plant lists at www.calflora.org, and then clicking on the What Grows Here feature. Directions (driving): Take Joaquin Miller Road exit from Highway 13 (coming from either north or south), and turn left (uphill) onto Joaquin Miller at the end of the exit ramp. Follow Joaquin Miller uphill all the way to its end at the traffic light intersection with Skyline. Go straight through the traffic light (proceeding southeast)--the road will change its name to Skyline without any turn required on your part. The Trudeau Training Center lot is also the parking lot for Serpentine Prairie, and it will appear on the left only a short block after the traffic light. For mass transit riders, take AC Transit bus # 54 ($2.10 for adult/non-student) uphill from 35th Ave./MacArthur, and get off at the intersection of Redwood Road and Campus Drive (next to last stop.) Proceed uphill on Redwood Road to the intersection with Skyline, also with a traffic light. Cross Skyline and then go left (north on Skyline until you reach the Trudeau Center parking lot. Notice the Calochortus luteus and bunchgrasses flowering in the traffic median. AC Transit now has bicycle racks.
For a checklist of plants species at Skyline Prairie download either the Excel version or the pdf version.
Sunday, June 3 at 1:00 pm, Tilden Park Field trip with CNPS state meeting delegates
After the CNPS chapter council meeting, our chapter will host field trips in Tilden Park for the state delegates and local chapter members. Due to the uncertainty in numbers attending, we ask that you e-mail your interest in the field trips to janetgawthrop47@gmail.com.
Sunday, June 10, 9:30 am, Mount Diablo State Park, Falls trail, Middle trail, Bruce Lee Spring trail, Wasserman trail
This is a moderate round trip of 5 miles with 1200 feet elevation gain on the way out. It will be mostly downhill on the return trip, and we expect to be out 4-5 hours. Bring lunch and at least 1.5 liters of water. We will start on Clayton Oaks trail, and proceed from there to Bruce Lee Spring trail, lower Donner trail, and on to Wasserman and Falls trails.
Expect to see Monardella douglasii and Collinsia tinctoria in flower, along with several paintbrush species, Clarkia biloba, Sedum radiatum, Campanula exigua, Silene californica, Pickeringia montana, Asclepias californica, and lots of common plants. We should arrive back at the parking lot around 3 pm. The trip leader is Gregg Weber, and you can call him at 510-223-3310 if you have questions.
Directions: Take 24 or 680 to Ignacio Valley Road, and continue on Ignacio Valley Road several miles into the city of Clayton. At the intersection of Ignacio Valley and Clayton Road, turn right at the stop light onto Clayton Road. Stay on Clayton Road past the first intersection with Marsh Creek Road; in about a mile, Clayton Road becomes Marsh Creek Road. Continue straight on Marsh Creek Road to Regency Drive, where you turn right. Go 3 blocks on Regency Drive, and then turn left on Rialto Drive. Go to the end of Rialto Drive and park. Do not go to the end of Regency, because that is a different access point.
Sunday, June 17, 9:30 am, Mount Diablo State Park, Knobcone Point Road and Blackhawk Ridge Road
We will go through woodland, grasslands, chaparral areas, with Pickeringia, Salvia, Arctostaphylos, Garrya, Calochortus splendens, and lots of oaks and Clarkia rubicunda. This can be a very hot walk, so dress for heat and bring at least 1.5 liters of water, and lunch.
The road loses about 500 feet down to a creek, and then gains 700 feet to the top of the loop, with elevations reversed on the way back. We should arrive back at the parking lot at 4 pm. The trip leader is Gregg Weber, and you can call him at 510-223-3310 with questions.
Directions: Take 680 to the Diablo Road exit, and go east on Diablo Road. At Green Valley Road, only one lane goes straight ahead. After Green Valley Road, go past and do not turn at the Diablo Country Club sign. In about a mile, turn left at the Mt. Diablo State Park sign. Continue to the end of Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which becomes South Gate Road as it enters the park. Be prepared to pay the fee (now $10?) at the main entrance station, or have you state parks pass ready. Continue for about a mile, and park at the large parking area at Curry Point, where we will meet.
Sunday, July 15, 10:00 am, Redwood Regional Park, trip to focus on sedges and late-fruiting plants
We will see about 5 species of sedge. Learn some basics of sedge ID and morphology (sculptural shapes of plant parts in botany). A copy of the Field Guide to Intermountain Sedges and also the key from the 2011 Jepson Manual will be available for reference. We will take Redwood Peak trail, French trail, Starflower trail, Tres Sendas trail, and Stream trail.
Directions: Get onto Skyline Drive in the Oakland hills, either from Highway 13 from the north or 580 from the south. From 13, the most direct route is the Joaquin Miller exit, and then take Joaquin Miller Road to Skyline. Turn left at the light for Joaquin Miller and Skyline, and follow Skyline north (mostly uphill) as you go to the Chabot Space Science Center roughly a mile north of Joaquin Miller Road. Turn into the driveway for the Space Center and park either in the lot or in the parking garage, which is free. Ignore the no trespassing signs as the do not apply to park or science center users. Gregg Weber is leading and you can call him at 510-223-3310 if you have questions.