Naturalists At Large - Sites by Program: Lodge-Based Programs

Sites by Program

Lodge-Based Programs

The rigors of the outdoors and all the comforts of home. Featuring "home-cooked" meals, comfortable beds and hot showers.

Our Redwood Glen camp is situated in a beautiful redwood forest the Santa Cruz Mountains between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. It's nine miles from the beach within open spaces, recreation fields, oak trees, towering redwoods and along Pescadero Creek. Facilities include numerous hiking trails, a swimming pool, climbing wall, low ropes course, basketball and volleyball courts, several indoor spaces and a campfire stage. Heated cabins sleep 8 to 12 people. See the site description!

Another site in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mount Cross has endless opportunities for outdoor science, hiking and challenge activities. There is convenient access to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Elkhorn Slough, and Point Lobos Marine Preserve. Located in a redwood grove, Mount Cross features a competition-sized swimming pool, high and low challenge courses, playing fields, several lodging options and excellent meals. See the site description!

Camp Loma Mar is convenient to the east San Francisco Bay region. Loma Mar is one of California's newest summer camps. There are air conditioned cabins, an awesome ropes course and beautiful forests.

Montecito Sequoia Lodge is the perfect all-season outdoor education and retreat site. Montecito is 7200 ft above sea level, situated next to a beautiful mountain lake, adjacent to the Redwood Mountain section of Kings Canyon National Park, and in the new Giant Sequoia National Monument. Convenient to schools in both northern and southern California, you have the choice between rooms with private baths or rustic cabins with central baths. See the site description! Programs at this site include:

WINTER — Learn to travel over the snow on Nordic skis or snowshoes, and discover the mysteries of the "snow forest." This is the best winter program in California. Naturalists at Large provides all students with Nordic skis and snowshoes. The best months to visit are late January through March.

SPRING — The Sierra forest is shedding its snowy mantle and is bursting with new life. Spring programs begin in April and continue through early June.

AUTUMN — Experience the enchantment of the Sierra in the fall. Get your academic year off to a great start with a Naturalists at Large Sequoia program. Discover the forest and nearby Giant Sequoia groves. Fall programs run from early September to early November.

A few miles north of Santa Barbara, El Capitan Canyon has it all. A beautiful streamside location, beaches, canyons, tidepools, chaparral covered hillsides - all combined to create numerous educational opportunities. The perennial stream is prefect for studying freshwater ecology. The tidepools and beaches of El Capitan State Park are a fifteen-minute walk away. Kayaking can be included in most programs. Students and chaperones stay in modern cabins with baths. Wholesome meals are served under the oaks. A new high-challenge course makes El Capitan Canyon a very excellent site!

Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, Mt. Crags, Bloomfield, and Camp Gilmore are situated adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park.

These fine facilities offer dorm style cabins and central bathrooms.

Faculty stay in smaller rooms adjacent to the student cabins or in "counselor" rooms in the student cabins. All sites offer central dining for breakfast and dinner and students assist with setting tables and serving food family-style. Lunches are eaten on the trail as the groups explore the mountains. Indoor conference rooms are available for evening use and in the case of inclement weather. All locations offer many opportunities to explore the diverse Santa Monica Mountain environments. See site descriptions for Mt. Crags and for Camp Gilmore!

Surrounded by 230 acres of a pinion and juniper woodland, Camp Oakes lies 12 miles from Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. It's convenient to all of southern California. Enjoy the mountain vistas, sunsets, starry nights, and rugged pines at this year-round site. Students stay in heated dormitories with indoor bathroom/shower facilities.

Extensive high and low challenge courses develop teamwork skills, and offers the chance for individuals to meet, and exceed, their personal goals — all of which build confidence and self-esteem. The Camp Oakes waterfront and pool provide numerous opportunities for swimming and canoeing.

The Pacific Crest trail traces the Camp Oakes eastern border. It's just one of the many accessible trails we use.

Cedar Lake, San Bernardino Mountains — provides many opportunities for exploring several different environments, such as meadows, rocky slopes, and freshwater streams. There are several housing options. Students and teachers can either stay in semi-private rooms with their own bathroom or in two large dormitories with central baths for each gender. Activities include hiking, initiative games, group challenges, high and low challenge courses. There is a lake with canoes and a swimming area along with extensive walking and hiking trails.

NAL has many more excellent lodge sites in the San Bernardino Mountains. They include:

Pilgrim Pines, Camp Whittle, Round Meadow, and Camp Bluff Lake.

If your school is using another site now, we can create an ideal outdoor education program for you at the location of your choice!

Home

Why Use NAL?

Sites by Region

-North Coast

-San Francisco Bay Area &

Santa Cruz

-Sierra Nevada

-Central Coast

-Santa Monica Mountains