All 2023 field trips are open for registration.
REGISTER NOW
Thank you for your commitment to the future our natural world. We hope you join us to experience some of the beautiful places you’re helping to protect.
The health and safety of our members and staff remain our top priority. See the Legacy Club Field Trip Health & Safety page for current information on COVID-19 safety protocols and requirements for participants.
Trips are limited to 1 trip per Legacy Club member plus a guest. The 2023 Field Trips are expected to fill up very quickly.
Questions? Contact your Legacy Club Stewardship Manager Allison Murdock Haslam at caLegacy@tnc.org or (415) 281-0425
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why did the trips fill up so quickly?
Due to TNC’s COVID-19 in-person regulations, space is limited for our 2023 Legacy Club field trips as we are reducing group sizes to reduce exposure.
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Should I sign up for a waitlist?
Yes! We receive cancellations regularly and will notify waitlisted members as soon as a spot may become available.
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Where can I find vaccination and current COVID-19 safety and protocol information?
Check our website here for more information.
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Is there a fee associated with these trips?
Trips are free unless an additional transportation or equipment use cost is associated with it. For example, on a kayaking trip, guests pay the cost of the kayak rental.
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When will I receive more details on the trip I’ve signed up for?
The brochure includes the approximate activity level and timing for each trip. One month prior to your field trip, you will receive additional details based on local conditions along with specifics about the meeting location, itinerary and hike.
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How do I cancel my reservation?
We have waitlists for each trip, so please let us know if your plans change. Contact Allison Murdock Haslam at CaLegacy@tnc.org or (415) 281-0425 to cancel or update your reservation.
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Can I bring my dog?
No dogs or pets are allowed at these ecologically sensitive locations. Email Allison at CaLegacy@tnc.org if you have a registered support dog you need to bring.
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Will TNC help me arrange transportation to our meeting location?
Guests are responsible for arranging travel to our meeting locations. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are not currently assisting guests with coordinating carpooling. If restrictions lessen or change, we will share a sign-up sheet where guests can coordinate carpooling on their own.
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Is there a chance the trip will be cancelled?
We will notify you if we need to cancel due to extreme circumstances, including inclement weather, forest fires or unhealthy air.
Cosumnes River Preserve (Sacramento County, CA)
Two options: Wednesday, January 25 or Thursday, November 16
A major stop on the Pacific Flyway, this 50,000-acre preserve hosts over 250 species of resident and migratory birds, including lesser and greater sandhill cranes. As the last free-flowing river on the Sierra’s western slope, the Cosumnes provides beneficial flooding that makes it a wellspring of conservation opportunities. See TNC’s agricultural water management and habitat restoration strategies in action. This trip culminates with a viewing of the sandhill cranes at sunset.
HIKE: EASY, 1 MILE; WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 12:30-6pm (January), 12-5:30pm (November)
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: Cosumnes River Preserve in Galt, CA (30 minutes south of Sacramento)
Lucky 5 Ranch (San Diego County, CA)
Thursday, March 16
Nestled in the Laguna Mountains, Lucky 5 Ranch is a vital link that connects Cuyamaca Rancho and Anza-Borrego Desert state parks. The property supports abundant wildlife, including golden eagles, mountain lions and bobcats, and features grasslands, rock outcrops, montane meadows and chaparral. Guests will learn about our efforts to protect this critical wildlife corridor and similar lands across the state.
HIKE: MODERATELY STRENUOUS, 3 MILES
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10am – 1:30pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: 15 minutes outside of Julian, CA
Las Piletas Ranch (San Luis Obispo County, CA)
Two options: Wednesday, March 29 or Thursday, March 30
Purchased by TNC in 2022, Las Piletas Ranch boasts 13,500 acres of rolling foothills, grasslands, and oak woodlands, and 24 miles of springs and seasonal creeks. Learn how TNC is working to create the San Andreas Linkage along the inner Coast Ranges to protect a vulnerable wildlife corridor for species native to this region such as the endangered San Joaquin kit fox.
HIKE: MODERATE, 3-4 MILES
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10am-3pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: 90 minutes east of San Luis Obispo, CA
7J Ranch (Nye County, NV)
Wednesday, April 12
This 900-acre ranch is dotted with springs and naturally irrigated meadows that harbor native fish, amphibians and spring snails found nowhere else in the world. Its unique geography—between the Great Basin and Mojave deserts—is a linkage that sustains a vast web of species. Join us near Beatty, Nevada, two hours northwest of Las Vegas, to learn how TNC is conserving this important landscape at the headwaters of the Amargosa River.
HIKE: EASY, 1-2 MILES
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10am-3pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: Beatty, NV (2 hours northwest of Las Vegas)
Frank and Joan Randall Tehachapi Preserve, Loop Ranch (Kern County, CA)
Saturday, April 29
Spanning 81,000 acres, TNC’s largest preserve in California sits at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada and forms a linkage that connects four of the state’s most important ecological regions: the Sierra Nevada, the Mojave Desert, the Central Valley and the South Coast. The preserve provides essential habitat for such notable species as the California condor and mountain lion. See the famous Tehachapi railroad loop and hike through blue oaks while learning about this critical wildlife corridor and why we’re working to safeguard it for future generations.
Hike: Moderate 2-3 miles
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10am-3pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: 15 minutes outside Tehachapi, CA
River Fork Ranch Preserve (Douglas County, NV)
Thursday, May 11
This 800-acre TNC preserve protects wetland, meadow and riparian habitats along a two-mile section of the Carson River and supports a robust and diverse wildlife population that includes bald eagles, sandhill cranes, leopard frogs, monarch butterflies and mule deer. Learn how TNC is protecting the floodplain, restoring habitat and running an active cattle operation sustainably.
Hike: Easy, 2-3 miles
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10am-3pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: 50 minutes south of Reno, NV or 40 minutes east of South Lake Tahoe, CA
Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve (Santa Barbara County, CA)
Two options: Friday, July 14 or Friday, August 25
Visit an active cattle ranch and more than 24,300-acre preserve located at Point Conception—a critical ecological transition zone between Northern and Southern California. On your tour, you’ll learn how this magnificent property connects a network of protected areas covering 125,000 acres of important, climate-resilient habitat. Join us to hear about our plans for its future.
Hike: Easy, 2 miles
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: 1 hour west of Santa Barbara
Ten Mile River (Mendocino County, CA)
Friday, September 22
Located along a scenic stretch of coastline north of Fort Bragg, the Ten Mile River and estuary is critical to recovering California’s imperiled salmon populations. The river runs through working forests recovering from a century of clear-cutting into one of the North Coast’s least developed estuaries. Our coastal river and estuary protection project here demonstrates how sustainable forestry, ranching and salmon conservation can work together.
Hike: Moderate, 2-3 miles
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10am-3pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: 15 minutes north of Fort Bragg, CA
Los Angeles River (Los Angeles County, CA)
Thursday, October 12
Los Angeles is one of the most populous cities in the world and while many of its waterways have been paved and channelized, nature still manages to flourish in these conditions! The L.A. River and its tributaries harbor a surprising variety of native plants and animals in isolated pockets. See how TNC’s urban restoration work benefits both nature and human communities.
Hike: Easy, 1-2 miles, wheelchair accessible
ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIP: 10:30am – 2pm
ESTIMATED MEETING POINT: Los Angeles, CA
Calling all naturalists and photographers!
If you have an interest in volunteering as a naturalist or photographer on a field trip, please include that in your registration form. Volunteer photographers will use their skills to document a field trip while the volunteer naturalists will be an additional resource by providing information on flora and fauna to those around them.
Info and Opportunities
Blog
Legacy Club Field Trips Health and Safety MeasuresAs we resume in-person gatherings, the health and safety of our members, staff and partners remain our top priority.
Video
Legacy Club Webinar SeriesSign up for upcoming webinars and enjoy past recordings where you can watch and learn about conservation work from around the globe.
Travel
Legacy JourneysTap into your wanderlust with The Nature Conservancy on one of our Legacy Journeys! You are invited to experience the nature you help protect!