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Mediterranean California

A Mediterranean-style climate—with rainy, mild winters and dry summers—coupled with an eclectic geologic history has produced a greater variety of plant and animal species in this region than anywhere else in the nation. Referred to as “an island called California” for its distinctive ecology, the Golden State harbors more than 1,200 unique species. Rampant development has consumed large areas of native habitat, imperiling dozens of these plants and animals.

  • Angeles Forests:

    The Angeles National Forest extends from the high desert to the mountains on the lands of the Tongva people. The Angeles National Forest contains countless hiking trails and campgrounds; it is one of OBA’s most visited locations.

  • Inyo Forests:

    Inyo National Forest extends from the California and Nevada borders on the lands of the Paiute and Shoshone people. Inyo National Forest contains old trees, Mono Lake and the tallest peak in the continental US is Mt. Whitney (14,494 feet). In the spring, Inyo National Forest is home to an astounding variety of wildflowers.

  • Santa Monica Mtns:

    Located on the lands of the Chumash and Tongva people, the Santa Monica Mountains are one of the largest and most significant examples of Mediterranean-type ecosystems in the world. These ecologically diverse mountains are home to 400 species of birds and over 1,000 species of plants.

  • Baja California:

    The Baja California Peninsula extends across Cochimí, Guaycura, and Pericú lands and contains beautiful beaches, coniferous forests, coastal scrub lands, and Sonoran deserts. 740 marine endemic species live around the peninsula and it is home to 40% of all marine mammals in the world.

  • Bearpaw Preserve:

    Bearpaw Reserve, on Tongva ancestral lands, is 600 acres of steep, spectacular mountains with a seasonal 110-foot waterfall. Vegetation includes incense cedars, ponderosa and coulter pine, chaparral, and oracle oaks. Bearpaw is home to large mammals like coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and of course California Black Bears.

  • Wind Wolves Preserve:

    Wind Wolves Preserve is in an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley influences converge. Due to elevation ranges from 640 to 6,005 feet, the Preserve has an impressive array of landforms and habitats that serve as a critical landscape linkage and wildlife corridor between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada.

  • Mission Creek Preserve:

    Located in a transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, the Mission Creek Preserve has a rich species diversity representing both deserts. The center of the Preserve is a lush wetland with a backdrop of eroded painted hills and Mount San Gorgonio looming in the background. The wetlands are important habitat for the endangered Least Bell’s Vireo and Southwest Willow Flycatcher. 

  • White Water Preserve:

    Whitewater Preserve is surrounded by the San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes the year-round Whitewater River which provides riparian habitat for many birds. The canyon has a robust population of bighorn sheep, deer and bear, and is an important wildlife corridor between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains.

  • Catalina Island:

    Santa Catalina Island is just an hour long ferry ride from the San Pedro Pier. Catalina was originally inhabited and used by many different Southern California Tribes, including the Tongva. This beautiful island gem is surrounded by crystal blue waters and is home to many unique endemic species, like the Catalina Island Fox. 

  • Topanga Lagoon:

    Topanga Lagoon is located at the mouth of Topanga Creek, which drains from the Santa Monica Mountains. The lagoon is about 1 acre in size. The beach surrounding the lagoon is an important coastal access point and recreation area for millions of visitors every year. Topanga Lagoon is an important natural resource and home to species like the federally endangered tidewater goby and federally endangered Southern California steelhead trout. 

  • Elkhorn Slough:

    The Elkhorn Slough is seven miles inland from the coast in the center of Monterey Bay. The American Birding Conservancy has identified this biologically rich estuary as a Globally Important Bird area. Elkhorn Slough provides habitat for a diversity of resident and migratory birds, plants, fish and sea otters, and other marine mammals.

North American Deserts

North America has four major deserts: Great Basin, Mohave, Chihuahuan and Sonoran. Outward Bound Adventures most often visits the Mojave Desert, which is characterized largely by its winter rainy season. Hard freezes are common. The perennial vegetation is composed mostly of low shrubs; annuals carpet the ground in wet years. The only common tree species is the characteristic joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), a treelike yucca that forms extensive woodlands above 3000 feet  elevation.

  • Mojave Desert:

    The Mojave Desert lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the land of the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah. Existing between 2,000 and 4,000 feet with a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys, Mojave Desert spans 20 million acres. 

  • Capitol Reef:

    Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden gem located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country. The park is part of the ancestral lands of the Fremont and Pueblo people and many petroglyphs can be found there. It is filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline that extends almost 100 miles.

  • Bryce Canyon:

    Bryce Canyon, located in the lands of the Anasazi, Fremont and Paiute people. The canyon is home to beautiful, crimson colored rock columns called hoodoos. Bryce Canyon has the largest concentration of hoodoos found on Earth. Located on a high plateau at the top of the Giant Staircase, Bryce Canyon, holds spectacular views.

  • Zion:

    Mukuntuweap, now known as Zion Canyon, is located in the lands of the Southern Paiute people. Zion is known for its massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink and red and narrow slot canyons that make exciting hikes. Zion is a spectacular network of forested mesas, colorful canyons, and striking deserts.

  • Coral Sand Dunes:

    Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a beautiful expanse of shifting sands in pink hues. The dunes support a diverse population of insects, including the Coral Pink tiger beetle that is found only here. Melting snow sometimes creates small ponds in the dunes that support amphibians such as salamanders and toads.

  • Joshua Tree:

    In Joshua Tree, on the land of the Serrano, Chemehuevi, Cahuilla and Mojave people, there are two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado. A great variety of plants and animals make their homes in a land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. The vast wilderness of Joshua Tree contains dark night skies and surreal geologic features that are part of the rich cultural history of the land.

  • Mono Lake:

    Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake located at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada in California on the land of the Kutzadika'a. The lake holds trillions of brine shrimp and is home to millions of birds. The world-famous tufa towers make for beautiful scenery. Its tributary streams also supply water to Los Angeles, nearly 350 miles to the south.

  • Death Valley:

    Located below-sea-level Death Valley, located on the land of the Timbisha Shoshone, is a land of extremes. Intense heat, freezing cold, rare rainstorms and flash floods all contribute to a climate that, surprisingly, holds incredible biodiversity. From the towering snow caps to the salty desert basin, Death Valley holds awe inspiring landscapes.

Northwestern Forested Mountains

The Northwestern Forested Mountains are ecologically diverse and geographically widespread, encompassing the mountain ecosystems of central and northwestern North America. Geographically, they extend from the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada north through the Siskiyous, the east side of the Cascade Range, and then east of the Coast Ranges to interior Alaska. Climatically, the region is characterized by a transition from a moist, maritime climate in the northwest, to a continental and drier climate in the Rockies in the southeast.

  • Rogue River Rafting:

    The Rogue River runs west from Crater Lake, the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. It is known for its salmon runs and people often visit the river for white water rafting.

  • Yosemite:

    Yosemite, on the land of the Ahwahneechee people, is surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. Yosemite is internationally known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Yosemite supports a diversity of plants and animals and is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada.

  • Sierras:

    The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The wide-ranging Sierra runs 400 miles north-south and its width ranges from 50 miles to 80 miles across east–west. Outward Bound Adventures has taken youth backpacking in the Sierra, every summer, for over 60 years.

  • Sequoia Kings Canyon:

    Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are the homelands of the Mono (Monache), Yokut, Tübatulabal, Paiute, and Western Shoshone. Huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and Sequoias, the world’s largest trees exemplify the diversity of landscapes, life, and beauty.  summers—coupled with an eclectic geologic history has produced a greater variety of plant and animal species in this region than anywhere else in the nation. 


  • Lassen Volcanic Park:

    Lassen Volcanic National Park is on the lands of the Atsugewi, Yana, Yahi, and Maidu people. Lassen has steaming fumaroles, wildflower-filled meadows, crystalline mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Jagged peaks tell the volcanic story of its eruptive past while hot water continues to shape the land.

  • Multnomah Falls:

    Multnomah falls is a spectacular waterfall, part of the lands of the Multnomah Tribe and many other Tribes that lived in the Columbia Gorge area. The falls are fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, and the flow is highest during winter and spring. This is also one of the best places in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to study geology exposed by floods. 

Marine West Coast Forest

The Marine West Coast is a biome characterized by a mild climate with high rainfall and humidity. In North America, this ecoregion is limited to a small band along the ocean in the Pacific Northwest, from northern California up through Alaska's coast. The presence of steep mountains along North America's west coast leads to a relatively sharp transition from this region into the more climatically-variable Northwest Forested Mountains, as well as deserts in the rain shadow of these mountains.

  • Seawood Preserve:

    The 128-acre Seawood Cape Preserve lies on the land of the Yurok People in Northern California. The preserve contains a mile of rocky, rugged coastline where you can find sea lions and harbor seals. Inland, there are lush redwood and fir forests and two perennial streams that are vital habitat for Pacific tailed frogs, coastal cutthroat trout, and southern torrent salamanders. 

  • Avenue of the Giants:

    This 31-mile road is  known to be the most scenic drive among the redwoods. It is lined by gigantic trees and parallels Highway 101, providing an excellent alternate (and slower) route through southern Humboldt County to access campgrounds, picnic areas and trailheads leading into the redwood forest.

  • Olympic National Park:

    Olympic National Park is located on the homelands of eight contemporary tribes of the Olympic Peninsula - the Makah, Quileute, Hoh, Quinault, Skokomish, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, and Lower Elwha Klallam. The park protects a vast wilderness of almost a million acres and contains thousands of years of human history. There are multiple ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rainforests, and wild coastlines.

Tropical Wet Forest

Tropical rainforests are the most biologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems in the world. Sunlight strikes the tropics almost straight on, producing intense solar energy that keeps temperatures high, between 70° and 85°F, and keeps the air humid. Tropical rainforests are so warm and moist that they produce as much as 75% of their own rain through evaporation and transpiration. Such ample sunlight and moisture are the essential building blocks for tropical rainforests’ diverse flora and fauna. Roughly half of the world’s species can be found here.

  • Hawai’i:

    The Hawaiian tropical rainforests are an ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands that includes one of the world's wettest places, the slopes of Mount Waiʻaleʻale, which average 373 in of rainfall per year. The isolation of the Hawaiian islands resulted in the evolution of an incredible diversity of endemic species, including mosses, birds, and other wildlife. In the lush, moist forests high in the mountains, trees are draped with vines, orchids, ferns, and mosses.

  • Costa Rica:

    Costa Rica’s tropical rainforests are located in the lowlands (coastal plains) of the northern and Caribbean coast, along with those of the central and southern Pacific as the main regions. Tropical rainforests are called the “gems of the Earth” and the “world’s biggest drug store,” since more than 33% of natural medications have been found here. It is an earthly environment with an exceptional abundance of creatures and plants (in amount and variety) living in perfect balance.


Tropical Dry Forest

Tropical Dry Forests, also called tropical deciduous forests, are characterized by open woodlands in tropical areas that have a long dry season followed by a season of heavy rainfall. Tropical dry forests are often found north and south of the world’s tropical rainforests. With a dry season that lasts six or more months, the climate is significantly more seasonal than that of a rainforest. The trees usually shed their leaves during the dry season and come into leaf at the start of the rainy season.

  • Hawai’i:

    The Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niʻihau and Kahoʻolawe. Annual rainfall is less than 50 in and may be as low as 9.8 in; the rainy season lasts from November to March. Dominant tree species include koa, koaiʻa, ʻakoko, ʻōhiʻa lehua, lonomea, māmane,and loulu. The palila (Loxioides bailleui), a Hawaiian honeycreeper, is restricted to this type of habitat. 

What to bring? 

01

  • Navigate

    Map (with protective case)

    Compass

    GPS (optional)

    Altimeter (optional)

02

  • UV Protect

    Sunscreen

    Lip balm

    Sunglasses

03

  • Insulate

    Jackets

    Vests

    Pants

    Gloves

    Hats

04

  • Illuminate

    Headlamp

    Flashlight

    Extra batteries


05

  • First-aid

    First-aid kit

    Bath Room Kit

    Toilet Paper 

    Trowel

    Swag Bag

    Menstrual Hygiene Products

06

  • Fire

    Matches  

    Lighter  

    Waterproof container

    Firestarter (for emergency survival fire)


07

  • Tool Kits

    Knife  

    Multi-tool

    Duct tape strips


08

  • Nutrition

    Extra food

09

  • Hydrate

    Water bottles 

    Hydration Reservoirs

    Water filter

    Water Treatment System

10

  • Emergency

    SAT Phone

    Emergency Info Card  



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