Marin Day Hiker (Day Camp)

Tuition: $395 (lunch not included) $425 (lunch included)
Drop off/pick up location is Julius Kahn Playground in the Presidio Park, San Francisco.
Drop off at 9am and pick up by 5pm. Address: 3395-3699 W Pacific Ave., San Francisco, CA 94118.
Program fee includes snacks and a t-shirt.  Lunch provided by Wanderers is $30 extra.  Ordering instructions are on the registration form.
Days are 9am-5pm. Extended care available, see registration page.

Day 1: Monday - Point Reyes - Coastal Trail to Alamere Falls

Our destination today is Alamere Falls, a showy cascade in Pt. Reyes National Park that spills right onto the beach. We reach the falls by way of a zig zag coastal hike and a fun rock scramble. We walk among salmonberry, orange poppies and red Indian paintbrush, and learn what plants call California their original home. Redtail hawks soar overhead and seals bark from their rocky perches while we look for lounging lizards and chase butterflies.  If we’re lucky, we may be able to see all the way to Chimney Rock or the Farallon islands on the horizon.  Driftwood monsters come alive using what we find on the beach, and we enjoy a picnic lunch at the base of the falls.

Lessons: Coastal plants, Native vs. Non-native & Invasive Species

Day 2: Tuesday -  Steep Ravine Trail & Stinson Beach

Today we descend into an enchanting world of milkmaids, sword ferns and cathedral-like redwoods on the Steep Ravine trail. Wooden bridges ford the creek and ladders send us climbing beside waterfalls and crystal pools. We walk through magical fern gardens and crawl through the tunnel tree. Giant salamanders may make us give chase and we search for wild huckleberry. Our trail climbs rocky bluffs and ends at Stinson Beach, where we make sand castles and enjoy the sun.

Lessons: Redwood Ecology, Leave No Trace

Day 3: Wednesday - Muir Woods

Muir Woods begs to be explored by the curious and the energetic.  We go beyond the "tour group" route and wander a labyrinth of hidden trails.  The forest friends we meet include the Banana slug, the Mission Blue butterfly and the red-legged frog.  The giant redwoods whisper their secrets to us through the fairy rings, and Fern Canyon beckons for a play in the creek.     

Lessons: Redwoods, John Muir                                                                                 

Day 4: Thursday - Pt. Reyes - Tule Elk Preserve

What is the sound of a bull elk bugle? Can you see a snowy plover when it isn’t snowy? Can the California coast really fall into the ocean? We’ll find the answers to these questions and more today when we explore Pt. Reyes National Seashore and its visitors center. We hike through a pine forest, over a windswept plain, and above a crashing sea below. Glimpsing herds of tule elk, an endangered species, will be a special treat.

Lessons: Tule Elk, Earthquakes

Day 5: Friday - Mount Tamalpais & Muir Beach

Today's challenge hike takes us to the top of Mt. Tamalpais, but getting there is half the fun! Tracing the route of ?the crookedest railroad in the world?, we play trail games, sing songs, and discover what the mountain has to offer us. Along the way, we may see grey foxes, bobcats or black-tailed deer. At the top we are rewarded with views of San Francisco and a renewed sense of accomplishment. On our way back down, a park ranger will meet us to teach us about the history of the Mt. Tam Gravity Car.  We'll even get a chance to sit in a full-sized replica and ring the bell and use the brakes!  We'll celebrate our final day together with a sand castle contest and ice cream party at Muir Beach.

Lesson: Mt. Tamalpais History

   

Wanderers – phone: 415-643-5686 – kurt@wandererscamp.com