Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society

Dedicated to the study, exploration, and appreciation of natural history
in the Santa Ynez Valley region.

Wildflowers and Plant Life Along the Pistol Club Trail at Sedgwick Reserve

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Field trip with Margie Popper and John Evarts

California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and cream cups (Platystemon californicus) are common annuals along this trail route on upper Sedgwick Reserve. Photo by John Evarts.

For many years, the Pistol Club Trail on the upper part of Sedgwick Reserve was not accessible for casual hiking. That changed in 2023 due to the hard work of Sedgwick staff and volunteers who restored this route. Join Margie Popper and John Evarts on a leisurely hike along this loop, which offers a combination of great scenery, diverse spring wildflowers, and a mosaic of vegetation types. There are some species along the route that are uncommon or not found elsewhere on the Reserve.

The Pistol Club Trail is the only place to see wide-throat monkeyflower (Diplacus brevipes) on Sedgwick Reserve and it is one of three different monkeyflowers along the trail. Photo by John Evarts.

This trail crosses the Little Pine Fault zone, which provides a good opportunity to see some of the edaphic influences on plant life within the Franciscan Formation. Large swaths of this area were impacted by the July 2024 Lake Fire, and although this hike will not specifically focus on fire ecology, it will offer a chance to view a landscape that is on the rebound after burning.

The Pistol Club hike is rated as strenuous by Sedgwick Reserve docents and staff. Its total distance will vary from 4 to 5 miles, depending on trailhead parking access on the day of the trip.

Blue dips (Dipterostemon capitatus) and South Coast Range morning glory (Calystegia collina subsp. venusta) are two plants on the Pistol Club Trail that we can expect to see on the hike, since they do especially well in the years after a fire (this photo is from the Pistol Club Trail, 2025). Photo by John Evarts.

The loop entails a stiff ascent in the first mile, and the trip’s overall elevation gain is nearly 800 feet. We plan to make rest stops on the climb up, especially since the route offers excellent views across the Little Pine Fault. Our short midday lunch stop will likely be near the crossing of the east fork of Figueroa Creek or close to the Pistol Club, which was the site of a rustic retreat used by Duke Sedgwick. Participants on this trip must be fit hikers, and trekking poles are strongly recommended.

Margie Popper and John Evarts, on the top of Gaviota Peak, 2025. Photo courtesy Gaviota Gopher.

Margie Popper and John Evarts are docents at Sedgwick Reserve and past trip leaders for the Society. They honed their skills as naturalists during a 30-year career of editing, writing, and publishing California natural history titles as owners of Cachuma Press.

 

How to Register

How to Register

Event Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026, 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Participation is limited to 20.
Registration opens at 9:00 am on February 20 for members and March 1 for nonmembers at syvnhs@syvnature.org or 805/693-5683.
Field trip location and information will be sent to registrants.
Hike difficulty is rated as strenuous
Members $15 / Nonmembers $30 / Children $5

 

The featured photo is by John Evarts.  After an initial stiff climb from the trailhead, the Pistol Club loop traverses rolling and occasionally steep terrain near the headwaters of Figueroa Creek.

 

 

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