Mojave Desert Spring Field Trip: Amargosa Basin

Details:

Join us for an adventure to the Mojave Desert!

We’re coordinating a four-day/three-night field trip to the Amargosa Basin – the gateway to Death Valley and home to all manner of interesting flora and fauna. This early spring adventure is timed with the peak of the desert’s wildflower blooming season so you don’t want to miss this special experience.

We’ll be staying in the cozy Shoshone Education and Research Station (SHEAR) in Shoshone, CA. Accommodations include bunk style, shared rooms and bathrooms, and a communal living/eating space for our group to enjoy. We’ll meet in this space each morning before our planned excursions and enjoy a light breakfast and group discussion. We’ll also gather and share stories over a group dinner for the first two nights of our stay. Accommodations at SHEAR, excursions, meals (daily breakfast and two dinners), and programming are all included in the price of registration.

A packing list and more information will be shared following registration.

The Experience Includes

• Accommodations at SHEAR
• Daily light breakfast and two group dinners
• Van transportation from SHEAR for planned excursions within the Amargosa Basin and Death Valley
• A trip to China Ranch Date Farm, a scenic and historic oasis along the Amargosa River
• Time to enjoy developed and undeveloped hot springs
• Explorations for pupfish, Amargosa vole, and botanical treasures
• A visit to Death Valley
• Searching for 500-million-year-old trilobite fossils (Hiking required on loose surfaces)
• Birding walks with various specialty birds found within minutes of SHEAR
• A guest presentation from the Friends of the Amargosa River

Special Considerations

All guests are expected to provide their own transformation to the field station in Shoshone, CA – where our adventures will begin!

If you prefer to make other accommodations, there are a few options available throughout Tecopa/Shoshone. If you go this route, we will provide an agenda so you can join us at SHEAR facilities for our daily breakfast and two group dinner evenings and catch a ride for excursions.

Outside of the Garden’s provided meals, you will need to cover some of your own meals (lunches and one dinner). There are several restaurant options available in the area. However, remember services are limited in this corner of the Mojave Desert, and you may prefer to pack ahead (food storage is available).

Pricing:

$850 per person

Who’s Leading this Show?

This experience will be led by the Garden’s Director of Education and Engagement, Scot Pipkin and Botanist Steve Junak.

As the Garden’s director of education and engagement, Scot oversees educational programs spanning school field trips, interpretation, digital education, and community classes and tours. He is a trained landscape architect, an expert birder, and he brings a undeniable passion for the natural world to all his endeavors.

As the Garden’s herbarium curator emeritus, Steve is an active researcher and expert on the flora of the islands of California and Baja California. He holds an M.A. in botany, has led field trips for more than 25 years, and has co-authored several books on the Channel Islands.