*** Note: Change of Plans for the August 8 Field Trip!!!

Because the Monitor Pass flora appear to be past their peak blooming and the pass looks a bit on the dry side, we will substitute with a hike from Carson Pass off Highway 88 to Lake Winnemucca, then from there, down to Woods Lake, thus avoiding an out-and-back trek and heading downhill from Lake Winnemucca. The total mileage for this hike will be about the same as the out-and-back from Carson Pass – about 5 miles – but will give us additional plants to admire on the downhill trek.

This hike will take us to the high-elevation flora to see such glorious plants as whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and Sierra juniper (Juniperus grandis), red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa), Labrador tea (Rhododendron columbianum), monument plant (Frasera speciosa), alpine gentian (Gentianna newberryi), grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), and many more.

We will meet at 9:00 am at the Woods Lake parking lot on Woods Lake Road off Highway 88 (between Caples Lake and Carson Pass), leave a few cars there, and pack into the remaining vehicles to drive up to Carson Pass. We’ll trek to Lake Winnemucca from Carson Pass, exploring the flora as we go, and from Lake Winnemucca we’ll hike down to Woods Lake, admiring the additional flora that we didn’t see on the trail from Carson Pass. This trek is about 5 miles total, with the elevation gain from Carson Pass to Lake Winnemucca less than the elevation loss from Lake Winnemucca to Woods Lake (less climbing this way!). We’ll aim to get back to the Woods Lake parking lot by about 4:00 pm.

Note that you’ll need to purchase a day-use permit or possess a Federal Senior or Disability Access Pass.

Unfortunately, this field trip is currently full. Would you like to join the wait list below?