Date:
Are you backpacking-curious? Maybe you've been trying to get a sweetie or a friend out on the trail. Or maybe you like backpacking but can never find anyone to go with you. Wherever you fall on the backpacking spectrum, these guided overnight trips through the Santa Cruz Mountains are a great introduction to a rewarding activity and a good way to meet awesome people. Reservations open Feb. 1.
Led by State Parks naturalists, these trips last 1-3 nights and cover 11.5-31.5 miles. Backpackers will learn about the flora and fauna of the parks as well as some backpacking fundamentals, like how to keep your food from getting stolen by raccoons (always handy). The trips, which were tested last summer in a pilot program, are made possible by State Parks and five conservation groups: Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, Sempervirens Fund, the Waddell Creek Association, the Mountain Parks Foundation and the Portola and Castle Rock Foundation.
Here are dates and prices:
• Skyline to the Sea 40th Anniversary Adventure, Big Basin and Castle Rock State Parks: June 23-26. Cost: $250.
• A Night Among the Ancients, Portola Redwoods State Park: July 9-10. Cost: $100.
• Waddell to Waterfalls, Big Basin State Park: July 23-24. Cost: $100.
• One Night, Three Waterfalls, Big Basin: Aug. 13-14. Cost: $100.
• Butano to Waddell — the Trail Less Traveled, Butano and Big Basin State Parks, Sept. 16-18. Cost: $175.
Registration opens Feb. 1 and is limited to 10 people per trip. Children 13 and older must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian 21 or older; children younger than 13 are not allowed on the trips. Call 831-291-8273, email backpacking.adventures@parks.ca.gov or visit www.thatsmypark.org/parks-beaches/guided-backpacking-tours for more.
Photo by David Stone on Creative Commons
