Current Field Trips
Field Trips Winter/Spring 2026 Season
Carpinteria Tar Pits
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Field Trip with Sabina Thomas Near Carpinteria State Beach We will learn about local geology, in particular as it relates to the formation of fossil fuels and “tar.” We will visit the Carpinteria asphaltum (bitumen) deposits and learn about the recent history of asphalt mining and oil production in the Santa Barbara-Carpinteria area. Of course, asphalt was used in materials production by Chumash communities long before the commercial development that began in the 1850s. On
Wildflowers and Plant Life Along the Pistol Club Trail at Sedgwick Reserve
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Field trip with Margie Popper and 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
Fire Ecology Hike to the Summit of Figueroa Mountain
Saturday, April 18
Field trip with Matt Kay
Annual wildflowers such as sky lupine and tufted poppy (Lupinus nanus, Eschscholzia caespitosa) put on great displays in the burn zone on Figueroa last spring, and we may be lucky enough to see a similar profusion of blooms this year. Photo by John Evarts.
On this hike to the summit area of Figueroa Mountain, biologist Matt Kay will focus on the themes of recovery and resiliency in the plant life of this ecological sky island. Much of the mountain was burned during the Lake Fire of July 2024. Now, nearly two years after this wildfire, the Figueroa landscape is undergoing a transformation that provides a living classroom for the study of fire ecology. The trip
UCSB Trees
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Field trip with Larry Ballard
UCSB campus
Due to popular demand, we are once again offering a walking tour with Larry Ballard to visit a varied selection of trees on the campus of UCSB. With more than 250 species from six continents, UCSB is among the best locations in California to see both common and unusual trees in an urban landscape. The campus grounds also contain several rare or unusual trees
FIELD TRIP PAYMENT
Advance registration is required for all field trips, and registration must be made before making a payment. Registration instructions are given within each field trip post.
The Society’s field trips cost $15 for members, $5 for children, and $30 per person for non-members.