King Range National Conservation Area, CA – Volunteer Vacations 2024
May 5 @ 5:00 pm - May 11 @ 10:00 am
Trip Navigation
Find yourself on the Lost Coast, trek through rolling hills of wildflowers, and assist park rangers and ecologists with removing non-native species within the King Range National Conservation Area!
The King Range National Conservation Area (NCA) encompasses 68,000 acres and extends along 35 miles of northern California coastline. Located about 200 miles north of San Francisco, an abrupt wall of mountains towers 4,000 feet above this spectacular and remote stretch of the Lost Coast, inspiring the nation’s first NCA designation in 1970. The NCA contains the King Range Wilderness (43,000 acres), one of the only coastal wilderness areas in the contiguous United States.
Volunteers will focus on removing conifer seedlings and replanting native grasses to ensure that invasive and non-native species are unable to continue to occupy these areas. Without active management to remove conifer seedlings, coastal prairies could convert to forest stands through conifer encroachment. Basecamp will be located at 2,100 feet elevation, with moderate daily hikes up to 2,400 feet elevation over 2-4 miles each way (4-6 miles of hiking total per day.) The terrain mostly consists of hard-packed, moderately-flat ground. Some daily project sites may require hiking off-trail through grassy hills. Host staff can provide transportation to the worksite. The Spanish Ridge Trailhead (basecamp) is located about 90 minutes drive-time for the King Range Visitor Center in Whitethorn, CA. While half of the route is along a paved, windy road, the latter half is along bumpy 4×4 roads.
During this trip, King Range National Conservation Area’s average high temperature is 60°, and average low temperature is 44°.
There is no experience needed to join a Volunteer Vacation! Your expert hosts will provide detailed instruction, tool demonstrations, and project oversight throughout the week. All you need is a willing attitude and to be in good physical condition to participate in moderate physical activity for approximately 6-8 hours a day with plenty of breaks, at your own pace. Find out more about what it’s like to join a Volunteer Vacation and other frequently asked questions here.
AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Sinkyone peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, their deep and sacred connection to these lands, and those who continue to steward these lands today. We offer this land acknowledgement as the first of many steps to stand as an ally and amplify Indigenous voices. We invite the American Hiking Society community to join us through continued efforts to support Indigenous communities and learn more about the history of the lands on which we live, work and recreate.
Click here for a PDF of trip details.
