Herb Walk at Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve

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PLEASE NOTE: This event is full. To be added to the waiting list, please click on the REGISTER link at the bottom of the page. Thanks!

Due to the devastating Thomas Fire of December 2017 that surrounded but did not destroy the garden, we were not able to visit this bedazzling private property last year. Now that Mother Nature has had two winters’ worth of rain with which to recover, we’re going back! I have been offered the opportunity once again to lead a private tour of the Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve, operated by the Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) in the mountains above Lake Casitas west of Ojai.

This is a rare and special place with no public trails connecting it to the outside world. The land includes plants and features beyond what we usually encounter on my outings, including a renowned Mediterranean-climate botanic garden. A docent will be present to share some of the rare exotic plants found in the Botanic Garden after we first take a walk among the native plants on the Nature Preserve.

We will meet at Maricopa Plaza in Ojai between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. for a carpool to reduce the number of cars on the private road to the Garden. The travel time to the trailhead will be 20-30 minutes. Beginning at 9 a.m., total walking distance will be approximately 1 mile.

Participants are invited to stay and enjoy their sack lunch in a beautiful setting after the tour. We will plan to have some cars leave at 12:30 p.m. to arrive back at Maricopa Plaza by 1 p.m. for those not staying for lunch.

The cost is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 62-up, and $10 for students 13-17. Kids 5-12 can attend free, one per adult, pending request and approval. An additional $10 suggested donation per person is requested by CEF. There is a donation box at the end of the tour where cash or checks can be deposited. CEF survives on donations to support the operations and upkeep of the garden and open space.

Please click on the REGISTER link below to be added to the waiting list. 

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