On daily hikes, you will explore a variety of coastal redwood preserves and parks. You will be able to experience the mystery of remaining old growth stands and the beauty of the second growth forests logged at the turn of the century. Our hikes will be in Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties along the coast with accommodations in San Francisco and Pescadero.
This will be a “green” tour; we will reduce our environmental footprint wherever possible. We will use public transit, a biodiesel bus and walking for transportation. We will stay at an environmentally friendly hotel and resort. And we will patronize the farmer's market and a restaurant featuring a locally grown menu. Most hikes are in the 4 to 5 mile range and will be done at a leisurely pace. There are climbs/descents of 1200' so please make sure you are physically prepared and have a comfortable pair of sturdy walking shoes.
Cost: $1470.00 per person*
Deposit: $500 per person
| Start Dates: |
Finish Date: |
| Trip 1: Thursday September 30th |
Tuesday October 5th |
| Trip 2: Thursday October 21st |
Tuesday October 25th |
NOTE: Minimum number required 8 people per trip; Maximum 12 per trip
*Trip cost includes the following:
Accommodations - 2 nights Hotel Triton, 3 nights Costanoa Resort Canvass cabin double occupancy; Food/Meals - Welcome continental breakfast, snacks on hikes, final night reception; Transportation Ðbiodiesel bus provided by Incredible Adventures Inc. (and tip for driver); Fees - California Academy of Sciences Behind the scenes tour, entrance fees to Muir Woods and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, guided hike at Costanoa Resort (and tip); Travel Philanthropy: $40 donation per person to Save the Redwoods League.
Not included:
Transportation to and from San Francisco Bay Area; Food/Meals: 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 dinners; Trip Insurance**
** Green Concierge Travel recommends that you purchase travel insurance within 14 days of your initial deposit for Walking in the Coastal Redwoods tour or purchase of your transportation to California, whichever comes first. If you purchase within 14 days of your first payment, you will be eligible for additional coverage from most insurance companies including Òcancel for any reasonÓ. Speaking from experience with clients over the last year, things happen that are unpredictable and as most of your trip including airfare is prepaid, insurance would cover these expenses.
Detailed Itinerary For Walking
in the Coastal Redwoods
(Same itinerary for Trip 2)
September 30th, Thursday
Arrive in San Francisco via transportation of your choice. San Francisco is readily accessible by Amtrak which stops in Oakland/Emeryville. Make your way to the Hotel Triton located near the gates to China Town and Union Square, right in the heart of the city. Dinner is on your own.
October 1st, Friday
We start the day with a welcoming breakfast reception. Join your other travelers as we meet one another and prepare for our day ahead. We will spend the morning at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park getting there by public transit and a short walk. Bring your walking gear for our afternoon at Muir Woods. After lunch at the Academy, we will be picked up by our biodiesel tour bus that will take us to Muir Woods. We will hike up and out of Muir Creek after visiting the well known groves. This hike is about 2.5 miles with a steep climb* (1200') that we can take at a leisurely pace. Our bus will meet us at the Pan Toll ranger station for our return trip back to the city. Dinner is on your own.
October 2nd, Saturday
After packing your bags and getting a starter cup of coffee or tea, we will walk to the San Francisco Ferry Building and the Farmer's Market. Spend the next hour and a half exploring the market getting some food and a packed lunch for our hike. We will get picked up by our biodiesel bus and taken to the top of the Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve. The preserve rests just south and east of the coastal town of Half Moon Bay. Our hike will take us down (1400') the Purisima Creek Trail over a distance of about 4 miles. Our biodiesel bus will meet us at the end of our hike to take us down to the coast and on to our lodging for the next three nights, Costanoa Resort. Dinner will be at the Costanoa Grill on your own this evening.
The Costanoa Resort is named for a local indigenous tribe that once inhabited the area around Pescadero and the surrounding mountains. The Costanoans lived on vegetative products, especially acorns and seeds, though they also obtained fish and mussels, and captured deer and smaller game. Costanoa comes from the Spanish word costanoa or “coast people”.
October 3rd, Sunday
Wake up with sunshine and get breakfast at the Cascade Grille. We will base today's activities at Costanoa giving our biodiesel bus and driver the day off. In the morning, we will have a guided hike in Costanoa's backyard. This is transitional habitat along the coast leading up to the redwood forests that blanket the Santa Cruz Mountains. We will learn something about the indigenous people that once inhabited the area. If it's clear, the hike will provide views of the coastline. We will head back for lunch and then the afternoon is on your own. You can walk to nearby Whitehorse Creek Beach and tide pools, take a horseback ride, or relax and enjoy spa services.
October 4th, Monday
Breakfast at the Cascade Grille. We will set out to see one of the largest remaining old growth stands on the southern end of the Redwood range at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Some of the trees in this park are over 1000 years old. As an early redwood tourist site, these trees became the inspiration for preservation efforts in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We will walk a loop just over 4 miles with a 500' elevation gain to a lookout. For lunch, we will stop at Ristorante Avanti on the northwest side of Santa Cruz. As a member of Chef's Collaborative, Ristorante Avanti has made a commitment to the local food system and to the community. The owners describe their food as Mediterranean cuisine influenced by Spain and France. The menu is inspired by what's available at local farms. In the afternoon, we will drive back up the coast with some flexibility to stop at a beach or the wetlands at Pescadero. We will return to Costanoa in time to freshen up for a final gathering together. If you are still hungry, dinner will be on your own at the Cascade Grille.
October 5th, Tuesday
Breakfast at the Cascade Grille and check out. Our biodiesel bus will take us back up the coast. For those departing from San Francisco Airport, we will make a drop off at the San Bruno Station of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) taking you directly into the airport where you can access all terminals. Please do not make reservations for flights any earlier than 12:45 PM. The bus will continue to downtown San Francisco.
Accommodations:
A) Triton Hotel: Located two blocks from Union Square and across the street from the Chinatown gates, Hotel Triton offers hip hospitality in a central location. The Hotel Triton, a Kimpton Hotel, has been a pioneer in environmentally friendly hotels: the hotel is cleaned with "green" products and the hotel has partnered up with The Trust for Public Land, donating a percentage of room revenue to this visionary organization. The hotel also offers eco-friendly rooms and eco-celebrity suites.
B) Costanoa Resort: Located just of Highway 1 the road that snakes up and down the California coast, Costanoa resort rests below the Santa Cruz Mountains and above the coast. The resort's accommodations run the gamut from tent camp sites to RVs to Canvass cabins or bungalows, log cabins and more typical lodge rooms. For Costanoa, the tour includes staying in one of the Cypress Bungalows desribed bellow. Should you desire a room in the Lodge, please adjust the price of the tour as indicated on the reservation form.
Cypress bungalows:
These have one four poster queen bed with a heated mattress pad, down bedding, electric lights, locking door and windows, bathrobes and towels, personal care products, alarm clock, and a pair of Adirondack chairs, daily maid service and access to our outdoor hot tub and saunas. These bungalows do not have indoor plumbing so guests use comfort stations located a short walk from the cabin.
Lodge King room:
These have one king bed with down bedding, bathtub/shower combo, bathrobes, Bose radio, mini refrigerator, two-line telephone with voicemail, coffee maker, thermostat-controlled heat, daily maid service and access to our outdoor hot tub and saunas. These rooms are located on either the first or second floor with doors that open onto a patio or balcony.
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon
men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that
emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews
a weary spirit.
- Robert Louis Stevenson
For more on Walking in the Coastal Redwoods or to make a reservation, contact Liz Wessel at Green Concierge Travel at info@greenconciergetravel.com or call 608.204.2717. Or you can download
Detailed itinerary - Walking in the Coastal Redwoods
Reservation form - Walking in the Coastal Redwoods
Terms and Conditions - Walking in the Coastal Redwoods
Great Places — In A Group
Try ecotravel in a group! Green Concierge offers trips designed in-house and by a variety of vendors. Green Concierge Travel looks for vendors that are leaders in ecotravel and ecotourism offering a group experience that travels lightly on the planet and respects the communities and cultures visited.
You can walk the Canadian countryside, paddle some of the most beautiful rivers, bike from town to town and explore exotic destinations like Africa and Asia and take your values along for the ride. Vendors can be found offering luxury experiences or one where you do the work (wildlife research, trail maintenance of community building) - volunteer - and write the travel expenses off as a donation!
Contact Green Concierge Travel to talk about your dream trip and we will help find the right vendors to make this trip possible. We have brochures on hand for many vendors.
Sequoia sempervirens or the Coastal redwood hugs the west coast in a 450 mile stretch from the Oregon Border to south of Monterey and the Big Sur central coast of California. This is the southern end of the temperate coastal rainforest stretching from Alaska to California. Little remains of the original old growth forest. Preservation efforts which began in the late 1800's, set aside both the remnants of the ancient forest but also the habitat for second growth redwood forests.