COMING SOON-- WORKSHOPS
What really goes in the blue bin
--and what doesn't
Deepen your outdoor experience
--Use a topo map and compass
COMING SOON-- PHOTO GALLERY
Browse photos of a coming tour
--or of the tour you just took
ARMCHAIR TOUR!
Movie: Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America
--Chronicles the life and times of David Brower, the Sierra Club's legendary first Executive Director.
--An avid mountain climber, he led campaigns to protect national parks and other wildlands in the 1950s through the 1990s.
-- He inspired millions of Americans to become environmentalists!
Book: California's Wild Gardens: A Living Legacy
--From the California Native Plant Society (www.cnps.org)
--If you lived to be 100 and hiked every day throughout California, you couldn't see as many species of wildflowers and different habitats as in this beautiful book. A biodiversity feast for the eyes!
Music: Beethoven's 6th Symphony, the Pastoral
--By Ludwig von Beethoven
--Portions of this symphony, composed two centuries ago, provide the soundtrack for parts of Walt Disney's animated 1940 film, Fantasia. Whether you've seen it or not, hear the entire masterpiece that paints a peaceful rural landscape in music, as a storm moves over it.
TOUR TIP
Summer in the San Francisco Bay Area means lower temperatures at the coast and hot temperatures inland. Always carry water, and dress in layers, because the day can warm up, then cool off again before sunset. It can be 60 degrees F., windy, and cool on the Golden Gate Bridge at the same time it's 97 degrees F., hot, and no wind at Mount Diablo, just 30 miles inland!
CUSTOMIZE
Not sure which tour is right for you? Special event coming up? A topic you're especially interested in?
Let us create a tour just for you!
Learn more today.
ECO-HISTORY FACT
Back in 1875 logger William Waddell became the San Francisco Bay Area's last man to be killed by a grizzly bear. You can retrace his final steps along the waterway named after him, Waddell Creek, on our Redwoods and Waterfalls Walking (or mountain bike) Tour.
No worries about marauding grizzlies, though -- the Bay Area's last grizzly was shot at Bonny Doon Mountain, only a few miles away from Waddell Creek, in 1886. The grizzly is California's official state animal, seen on the state flag, but it's been extinct in California since the 1920s!
Waddell Creek is also a great place for an easy 2-day backpack trip in the redwoods -- only three miles each way, and no uphill. If you're interested, let us know when you'd like to go.
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Big Sur Monterey Hike + Car Camp at CaliforniaNatureTours.com
Big Sur Monterey Hike + Car Camp
Big Sur + Monterey in four fantastic days! Travel through the unchanged wild landscape of the Big Sur back country to historic Mission San Antonio. The dramatic Big Sur Coast is next, with camping and hiking among redwoods at the Big Sur River. Guided hikes and tours, Monterey Bay Aquarium tickets, campsite and park entry fees, and eight meals included.
Big Sur + Monterey Hiking and Car Camping
Big Sur Coast: ocean, rocks, and drama
- Big Sur Coast, Mission San Antonio
- Camping beneath redwoods
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Includes meals but not gear
- 7yrs, 30m/48k, 4days
- $369 USD
- Carpool caravan from San Francisco CA will be arranged
FAQ, Contact David
Big Sur to Monterey Car Camping + Hiking
DAY 1: Big Sur is our destination, but our approach is unconventional: South from Salinas through the vast natural landscapes of the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, stopping for a picnic lunch at Mission San Antonio, the only California Mission still isolated in a rural setting. Then it's over the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains to our campground.
DAY 2: We travel north along the Big Sur Coast for 40 miles, stopping at state park vantage points for short walks and a picnic lunch at a dramatic overlook. We'll camp at a campground on the Big Sur River, in the shade of giant redwoods.
DAY 3: We hike along the sycamore-shaded Big Sur River to its mouth, and wade across it to a remote, uncrowded beach for a picnic lunch. After lunch, we'll climb a hill for a view of the narrow Big Sur River Canyon and the mountains rising dramatically from the Coast, before heading back to camp.
DAY 4: We drive north to Point Lobos State Reserve for a 2-mile walk along this series of wooded headlands jutting into deep Pacific waters. Then it's on to Monterey for a visit to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has every local ocean creature from sea otters to sea slugs.
Meals: Bring your own picnic lunch for the first day; meals will be provided by California Nature Tours for next three dinners, next three breakfasts, and next two lunches. Buy lunch in Monterey on Day 4. Aquarium tickets are included in trip price.
Meet at: Carpool caravan with our vehicle and participants' vehicles will meet in San Francisco; exact location depends on location of participants. We'll let you know, and email you a google map. Our vehicle can pick-up from selected locations in S.F. If you need a ride, let us know when you sign-up.
FAQ, Contact David
DON'T WANT CAR CAMPING AND HIKING IN BIG SUR MONTEREY ON NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST?
Below are the top six tours. Or see QuickView list of All Tours.
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Action Alert
Help Save Bay Area's Greenbelt!
If you enjoy the San Francisco Bay Area's natural beauty, you should find out how local residents have been working together to preserve it since 1958 with the Greenbelt Alliance -- and if you live in California, get involved!
The redwoods were AMAZING! . . . a truly magical experience . . . I felt transported to another world, every step
yielding amazing sights, and
David has so much knowledge
about the flora and fauna
as well as local and national history . . .
I highly recommend David's unique personalised tours . . .
You'll remember it always, I know I will!
Kim H.
Manchester, England
I was thrilled to find
California Nature Tours--
a San Francisco Bay treasure!
My tours to Muir Woods and
Point Reyes National Seashore
were relaxing, educational, and just magnificent.
I highly recommend David Schmidt and California Nature Tours.
You will come away feeling great and knowing you have seen California through the eyes of someone extraordinary.
You will love it!
Ms. G. K.
Washington, D.C.
Thank you David, for your
hike at China Camp.
It was a beautiful setting and we saw deer at close range.
But what made it especially interesting & memorable was your knowledge of the area.
Thanks again and regards,
Ms. A.V.
Oakland, CA
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
John Muir
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