Organized nonprofits, university groups, schools, and related organizations can create a reservation in RAMS to request a private docent-led hike for your group. The current rate is $12.68 per participant. We operate as a small staff with busy research operations and cannot approve every docent-led hike request. Please submit your request via RAMS at least a month in advance. We require a minimum of 5 participants to schedule a hike. If your group is larger than 20, please plan to split into smaller groups.
Sedgwick Reserve’s Hiking Policies:
Sedgwick Reserve has a managed use mandate, which means visitors are not allowed to go out on the trails on their own, and hikers are expected to stay with their docent group at all times. The only exception to this managed use mandate is the 2-mile Quail Trail loop, which organized groups can hike on their own if they are already here for a class, workshop, or research trip.
The general public are only allowed to hike at Sedgwick Reserve during organized public hike days (generally second Saturdays December-May). To be informed of upcoming public hikes and events, sign up for Sedgwick’s newsletter.
Trail Options:
Please see trail descriptions and difficulty levels below. We can also modify hikes/experiences based on particular interests such as geology, fire ecology, and wildlife tracking. For any questions, reach out to outreach specialist Nikki Evans at nevans@ucsb.edu
Distance: 1.25 miles
Elevation gain: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2-2.5 hours
Join docents for a walk around the Sedgwick Reserve Field Station and its nearby trails. Learn what life is like at a research field station and what kinds of research we do. Along the way learn about flora, fauna, and ecology. Visit the 1908 barn and the Tack Room exhibits on Fire Research and Sedgwick History. Walk past the pond to enjoy sweeping views of savannas and the San Rafael Mountains.
This tour, across gravel and dirt roads, covers a distance of approximately 1.25 miles with gentle changes in elevation. It is great for anyone looking for an introduction to the land and its histories. It can also be made into an accessible walk for wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers with some advance notice.
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation Gain: 250 feet (Equivalent to 25 flights of stairs)
Difficulty: Easy+
Time: 2.5 hours
Join Sedgwick docents for an informative hike on the Quail Trail which begins at Sedgwick’s field station, explores a blue oak woodland, and provides beautiful views of the Reserve from Lisque Mesa. Enjoy scenic vistas as you walk past some of Sedgwick Reserve’s long-standing research sites. Docents will discuss the flora, fauna, geology, research, and history of the Reserve.
This hike is considered easy+, which is slightly harder than our easiest trails, because it includes one moderately steep ascent and descent.
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 350 feet (Equivalent to 35 flights of stairs)
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2.5-3 hours
Join Sedgwick docents for a moderate hike along Kite Ridge to the Mesa. Climb up to Kite ridge where you’ll enjoy stunning views of mountains and savanna. Walk along the ridgeline before descending into a blue oak woodland. Learn about wildlife, biodiversity monitoring efforts, and camera traps. Hike across the mesa where you’ll see scientific infrastructure and learn about research at the Reserve.
Distance: 3.25 miles
Elevation Gain: 500 feet (Equivalent to 50 flights of stairs)
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2.5-3 hours
Join Sedgwick docents for a moderate hike along our Ridge to Ridge Trail. Ascend arroyo willow trail to enjoy beautiful views the oak savanna and Sedgwick pond. Descend into a blue oak woodland where you will learn about wildlife, biodiversity monitoring efforts, and camera traps. Take another series of hills to reach Goldfinch Trail. Learn about prescribed burns at the Reserve as you enjoy stunning views.
Distance: 4.25 miles
Elevation Gain: 550 feet (Equivalent to 55 flights of stairs)
Difficulty: Moderately-Strenuous
Time: 3 hours
Join Sedgwick docents for a moderately-strenuous hike on the Southwest Corner Loop. Learn about the Reserve’s prescribed burn program as you explore regrowth along three years of prescribed burn sites. Enjoy scenic vistas, steep ascents through coastal sage scrub, and beautiful canyon views. Docents will discuss the flora, fauna, geology, and history of the reserve. This hike is 4.25 miles long, takes 3 hours to complete, and includes 550 feet of elevation change.
Distance: 4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet (Equivalent to 100 flights of stairs)
Difficulty: Strenuous
Time: 3.5 hours
The Pistol Club Trail is in the reserve’s remote northeast corner. Drive from the field station into the heart of the Reserve. Hike into the subduction zone (Little Pine Fault). Cross coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and grasslands. Learn about geology. Enjoy lumbering foothill pines. Much of this hike goes through areas that burned in the 2024 Lake Fire and you’ll learn about fire and fire recovery.
This trail is not always accessible and will depend on the road conditions. To reach the trailhead, please plan to carpool in your own vehicles along a dirt road with several creek crossings.
Distance: TBD
Elevation Gain: TBD
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Time: TBD
With advanced planning and schedule-permitting, we can offer a nature-based mindfulness walk for your group led by Sedgwick communication and outreach specialist, Nikki Evans. She is certified in nature-based mindfulness techniques, has peer-reviewed publications in trauma-informed environmental education and socio-cultural understandings of nature, and has a PhD in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. The walk can include time for sound mapping and deep bird listening, sit spots in nature, a wonder walk, and/or simple meditative practices designed to help us connect with ourselves and the earth. This can be modified for groups of adults or children.
Distance: TBD
Elevation Gain: TBD
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Time: TBD
With advanced planning and schedule-permitting, we can offer a wildlife tracking walk. Learn about the signs left behind by local animals, particularly tracks, scats, and animal homes, use vinyl track replicas to experiment with tracks in different mediums, and go on a walk to test your knowledge of animal signs. This is a beginner-level tracking program. It can be modified for groups of adults or children.
Things to know:
- Hiking Season: The typical hiking season at Sedgwick Reserve is October-May. June through September can be very hot. The best time to hike is in the morning 9AM-12PM. We do not permit hiking once the weather hits 85 degrees.
- What to wear: Closed-toe hiking or walking shoes are required. Visitors in flip-flops or other unstable footwear will not be permitted on the trails. Wear a hat and layers appropriate for the weather.
- What to bring: Please bring water. A trail snack is also recommended. Hiking poles are always a good idea, especially for moderate and strenuous hikes. If you would like to borrow some, let a docent or staff know.
- Dogs are not permitted on the trails or left in vehicles.
- There are restrooms at the field station before departing for your hikes.
- You can expect an interpretive, docent-led hike. You will learn about flora, fauna, geology, history, scientific research at Sedgwick, and more! Feel free to let the docent know what your interests are.
Getting to the Reserve:
- Directions to the Reserve
- Map of the field station. If arriving for the day, please park in the designated lot and head over to the Tipton Meeting House to meet your docents.