Winter Solstice Saunter

96 Mitchell Canyon Road,Clayton CA 94517

18 December, 2022

Description

We’ll search for signs of the season, including mistletoe, Christmas berry, and those natural tree ornaments, “apple galls” and “California pears”. Our trail passes under Foothill and Coulter pines, two gnarly conifer species that will never replace Douglas fir as Christmas trees, but are famous for their humongous cones! TOTAL DISTANCE This is an easy to moderate 4-mile round trip hike with a few hundred feet in elevation gain. LEADERS Liz Watson and Ken Lavin WEATHER POLICY Rain cancels COST $6 per vehicle park entrance fee ($5 for seniors). Exact cash is required. Pay at the entrance gate. WHERE TO MEET We will meet at the Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center NOTES Bring snacks and water. Dress in layers and wear good hiking shoes. If you have any questions about this outing, email Ken Lavin or phone him at 415-543-6771 x321. Photo: Hitchster via Flickr About the LeadersLiz Watson is a special education teacher for Contra Costa County. She currently teaches at Liberty High School in Brentwood. Liz holds a California naturalist certification from UC Davis extension and volunteers at the Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital in Walnut Creek. Ken Lavin is the outings coordinator for Greenbelt Alliance. Learn more about Ken here.