Join us for a campout at Crystal Lake in LA County featuring Rare Plant Treasure Hunts, guided interpretive hikes, collecting demonstrations, and more. This event is hosted by the San Gabriel Mountains, South Coast, Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains, and Bryophyte Chapters of CNPS. Participants will make their own camping arrangements and the CNPS chapters provide the activities. You can join us for the full weekend or just for the day or for any one activity.

The weekend will include a variety of plant walks, botany hikes, and other activities for both children and adults, including for mobility impaired folks. There will also be several Rare Plant Treasure Hunts for botany students and other folks with a science interest.

Crystal Lake is in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Crystal Lake campground is located at the top of Highway 39, 25 miles north of Azusa, at an elevation of 5,500 feet. Click here for the campground’s web page. Although there are plenty of camp sites, they are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis, which means you may need to arrive early Friday to secure a spot. The camp site fee per night is $12, which accommodates up to 8 people. A few nearby cabins are available from a private vendor, and need to be reserved well ahead. Bring your own food. A small cafe and store has prepared food and camping basics.

RSVP: In order to plan the activities, we need to know the number and interests of participants. If you are interested in coming, please complete the survey at cnps-sgm.org/campingsurvey. For further details, please contact Gabi McLean at gabi.mclean@verizon.net.

Please visit the San Gabriel Mountains Chapter event page to see the full schedule of activities.