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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Coastal Habitat Restoration at CaliforniaNatureTours.com
San Francisco Area Habitat Restoration
Golden Gate National Recreation Area has 33 endangered species of wildlife and plants -- more than any other national park in the Continental United States. Help restore their habitats on Sundays with the GGNRA's Habitat Restoration Team. Every Sunday, volunteers travel with Ranger Maria Alvarez to a different site in the GGNRA, from Marin's Olema Valley to San Francisco's Presidio to Sweeney Ridge in the hills overlooking San Francisco International Airport.
San Francisco Area Habitat Restoration
Volunteers remove invasive species that crowd out endandered wildlife
- Help restore wildlife habitat
- 33 endangered animals, birds, fish, plants!
- On Sundays only
- 6yrs, 1m/1.5k, 3hrs
- Free!
- 33 park sites in and around S.F. CA
FAQ, Contact David
Endangered Species Need Habitat Restoration
Many wildlife and plant species are endangered by loss of habitat -- including habitat degraded by invasive plants in our national park lands. This habitat loss affects common species like the black-tailed deer, as well as rare species like the San Francisco Garter Snake, found only in a few San Mateo County freshwater wetlands; the California Red-Legged Frog, and the Mission Blue Butterfly. Invasive plants like South African Cape Ivy, which is poisonous to native animals, spread like weeds and must be removed. After removal, volunteers plant seedlings of native plants grown in one of four plant nurseries run by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Heal the Earth, join the fun and learn about plants and wildlife in the GGNRA any Sunday starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Habitat Restoration Team!
Meet at: Specific location in or around S.F. depends on which species we're helping. We'll let you know, and email you a google map.
FAQ, Contact David
DON'T WANT A CALIFORNIA HABITAT RESTORATION TOUR ACTIVITY?
Below are the top six tours. Or see QuickView list of All Tours.
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EASY & FRIENDLY BOOKING!
1. Find your tour
2. Request dates you like
3. Discuss your needs with us
4. Pay securely online at PayPal
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Custom Tours for You
Though "standard" tours are great, make one perfect for you!
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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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