Current Trip Information
You must be a current member of Desert Survivors to join in with one of these trips. Each membership applies to one individual adult. For reasons of liability insurance coverage each adult trip participant must have his or her own individual membership. Children 17 years and younger participating on a trip will be covered by the adult parent or legal guardian's Desert Survivors membership. Trip participants are required a sign a relase of liability form at the beginning of each trip.
If you are new to Desert Survivors or contemplating joining one of our interesting desert trips as a new member please read General Trip Information at the bottom of this page.
Many of our popular trips, particularly car camps on 3 day holiday weekends, tend to fill early and quickly, so plan accordingly. We ask that if you do secure a reservation with a trip leader, please be sure to use it, but if you cannot keep the reservation then advise the trip leader immediately to allow someone on standby to take the open slot.
Our backpacking trips tend not to fill to maximum at all times and may have an open space or two. If you find yourself with an open weekend and want to join in, try phoning the trip leader, space may still be available.
A trip leader may ask that you contact them directly by telephone. This enables the leader to assess your skills and abilities and to answer any questions you may have. Your safety and enjoyment while on the trip is just one of their many concerns. They want you have fun and the trip to be a rewarding experience. This also enables the trip leaders to build a "balanced group" that will enhance everyone's enjoyment of the trip.
Upon securing a slot for the trip you will be emailed additional information concerning the meeting area, car-pooling, last minute changes, etc.
Click here for your Overnight Backpacking Checklist.
SPRING / SUMMER 2026
DESERT SURVIVORS TRIPS AND EVENTS
All trips and events and itineraries are subject to change.
More trips may be added to this schedule and announce via email to members.
Ratings: (E) EASY (M) MODERATE (S) STRENUOUS
UPCOMING TRIPS AND EVENTS
These trips and events are for current Desert Survivors members.
Lapsed in your membership? Want to join? Please go to THIS PAGE.
May 15 -18, 2026 (Fri - Mon)
COYOTE LAKE CROSSING ADVENTURE DRIVE AND CAR CAMP (M), Great Basin Desert
East of Steens Mountain in Southeastern Oregon, there are two obscure and seldom visited Wilderness Study Areas, with a narrow road corridor separating them. We are going to attempt to drive this route⏤which includes crossing a playa on a primitive road⏤to explore this extremely remote high desert, and see what it has to offer. We will visit several hot springs (both soakable and not) hike and camp on playas, hike up Table Mountain, look for abundant wildlife and spring flowers and enjoy views that go on forever.ix years ago, Desert Survivors organized a raft trip on the Yampa River in Utah.
We will be carpooling in high-clearance 4WD vehicles, that have a low gear, as this is an untested route. Combine this trip with Kurt’s Playas and Hot Springs trip for a full week of fun in the Oregon outback! Limit six vehicles. Contact Trip-leader Dave Oline, olined@sou.edu (458) 658-7307 Co-leader: Kurt Staib, kstaib@pacbell.net (530) 632 5605.
May 19-21, 2026 (Tue. - Fri)
PLAYAS, HOT SPRINGS AND MOUNTAINS IN EASTERN OREGON (M), Great Basin Desert
This trip begins where the previous trip ends at Frog Springs on the Alvord playa. We will visit the Alvord Desert, Diamond Craters, Steens Mountains, Borax Lake, and historical areas along the way. The drive will be mostly on well-maintained roads with some dirt, so high-clearance vehicles are required. We will camp on a playa, in lava fields, in the mountains, and at a hot spring. The trip will end at Virgin Valley Warm Springs in the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge.
The trip is to high elevation areas, so be prepared to be flexible due to conditions possibly changing. Combined this excursion with Dave's Coyote Crossing trip for a full week of adventure. Carpooling is encouraged. Limit six Vehicles. Contact Trip-leader Kurt Staib, kstaib@pacbell.net (530) 632 5605. Co- leader Dave Oline, olined@sou.edu (458) 658-7307.
June 13-14, 2026 (Sat-Sun)
MONO LAKE WEED PULL AND REMEMBRANCE OF JANET BARTH , Mono Lake, CA
Please join fellow volunteers in removing invasive flora at Mono Lake. The weed pulling will take place in the morning, ending at noon––before the high sun makes work too difficult. The task will do much to preserve habitat at critical places along the lakeshore.
The weekend will also celebrate the life of Janet Barth, who unexpectedly passed away in February 2026. Ms. Barth was a powerhouse in all endeavors protecting the wild lands of eastern California and Nevada. She was active in the Sierra Club 30x30 Initiative to conserve 30% of California’s wild spaces by 2030. She fought proposals for open-pit gold mining in the Bodie Hills, and along with Lynn Boulton monitored the exploratory drill sites in the region, documenting the resulting scars to the land. Many times, Janet pulled weeds at Mono Lake.
Janet was an active member of Desert Survivors, participating in many of our trips, and gave generous monetary support. She is remembered with fondness, and is dearly missed.
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June 14-18, 2026 (Sun-Thur)
YAMPA RIVER RAFTING TRIP (M) Vernal, UT
Six years ago, Desert Survivors organized a raft trip on the Yampa River in Utah. We will be returning in June 2026. Rafting on the Yampa will take you through spectacular canyons, dramatic vertical walls, floating through the confluence with the Green River, with exciting rapids, ephemeral waterfalls, great camping sites and hiking opportunities to caves, overlooks and Native American archaeological sites. Desert Survivors has reserved this excursion with ARTA River Trips.
The Yampa River Rafting Trip is fully booked at this time, with three people on the wait-list. For more info Contact Mike Wells at michaelevan@sebastiancorp.net
June 26-28, 2026 (Fri-Sun)
NORTHERN INYO MOUNTAINS BACKPACK (S) Eastern California
This is a two-night, three-day backpack with a shuttle. The trip is a good introduction to backpacking in the Inyos for folks in reasonably good shape. The hike is mostly off-trail, with moderate grades. Participants will need to carry 2 ½ gallons of water. We will be backpacking up Tamarack Canyon from Badger Flat to the crest of the Inyos and then following the broad northern crest south to Seep Hole Springs. This is a park-like stretch of the Inyos–– with exquisite pinyons, junipers and other trees. Expect expansive views of Saline Valley, as well as of Owens Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Our last day, we will drop down the Seep Holes Spring trail to our shuttle stop in Mazourka Canyon to collect the rest of our vehicles. Limited to 8 participants. Co-leaders Marty Dickes and Stacy Goss. Contact: Marty Dickes: tessa3136@gmail.com 760-382-6521
August 1, 2026 Saturday 10:30AM to Late Afternoon
DESERT SURVIVORS SUMMER PICNIC (E) Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Richmond, CA
Join Desert Survivors at stunning Point Pinole Regional Shoreline for our annual summer picnic! Easy hiking and stunning views of the San Francisco & San Pablo Bays, Mount Diablo, and Mount Tamalpais await us. Renew and make new friendships, plan new adventures and tell tall tales about previous ones. Gather with fellow desert lovers and prepare to have a great time! More information will be sent to members before the event. Contact Activities Director Dave Halligan, hallidave@yahoo.com (510) 610-4187
August 8-9, 2026 (Sat - Sun)
SIERRA CLUB DESERT COMMITTEE MEETING (E) White Mountains, CA
The Sierra Club Desert Committee holds its annual August meeting up in the Nelson Group Campground at Cedar Flats, off of CA Hwy 168, at elevation 7,400 ft. See presentations on a wide variety of desert conservation issues. You will go away much better informed and more prepared to protect our wild lands. The meeting is open to all; Sierra Club membership not required. We would love to see some new faces! Come for one or both days. You don't need to RSVP: just show up. It's a great way to get out of the summer heat and reconnect with other desert activists. Free camping both Friday and Saturday nights. Potluck diner on Saturday evening. Contact Stacy Goss stacy.goss@comcast.net
August 12-15, 2026 (Wed-Sat)
CROOKED CREEK FIELD STATION 2026 (E-S) White Mountains, CA
Mark your calendars! Desert Survivors are returning to the Crooked Creek Field Station for three nights this summer. The facility sits at 10,000 feet elevation and is located about 10 miles north of the Schulman Grove of bristlecone pines in the White Mountains. Accommodations consist of a bed in the station dorm or rooms, if available (bring sheets/sleeping bag). Other options include tent or car camping adjacent to the facility. All meals are included. Activities include lounging, hiking, bristlecone groves and stargazing. UCLA has increased their fees to $340 for our 3-night stay. Desert Survivor membership is required.
To participate on this trip please contact Leader: Michael Wells michaelevan@sebastiancorp.net 530-367-4372. Mr. Wells will direct you to the pay page for this event.
August 25, 2026 (Tues)
Amargosa Conservancy Online Event:
THE FLORA OF THE AMARGOSA RIVER HEADWATERS by CHLOE NOVAK
About 50 miles north of Ash Meadows, the Amargosa River begins where the Mojave and Great Basin deserts collide, with pinyon-juniper forest blending into Joshua tree woodland and a mesquite-cottonwood flanked river braiding through alkali wetlands. While the unique plants of the lower Amargosa are well known thanks to longstanding efforts by many including the Amargosa Conservancy, the flora of its headwaters remains obscure and understudied even among scientists.
Join California Botanic Garden researcher Chloe Novak for an introduction to the amazing plants of this highly threatened landscape, including many rare and endemic species found nowhere else in the Amargosa watershed, and the exciting work of documenting them for science and conservation.
To take part in this online, Zoom event, please register beforehand by CLICKING HERE.
Desert Survivors supports the Amargosa Conservancy in its mission toward a sustainable future for the Amargosa Basin through Science, Stewardship and Advocacy.
September 23-27, 2026 (Wed-Sat)
INDIAN CREEK TO PELLISIER FLATS EXPLORATORY BACKPACK(S) White Mountains, CA
Pellisier Flats is arguably the most remote and least visited site in the White Mountains. It is a unique high-altitude ecosystem. A moonscape of dolomite barrens with sparse, dwarf prostrate plants, surrounded by rock-strewn fields and slopes, with pockets of lush stream and pond vegetation. It was one of the last refuges of the Paiutes post-European contact.
This is a strenuous backpack with steep elevation gains at high altitudes. On Wednesday we will drive up the Indian Creek jeep road to our trailhead at 7,600’, where we will camp overnight to get acclimated to the altitude. On Thursday we will start our backpack ascending 3400’ on an old stock trail to camp above tree line at 11,000'. Friday, we will continue climbing to refill our bottles at springs along Birch Creek before continuing on to Mt. Hogue (12,712’). Saturday we will try to explore a bit more of Pellisier Flat before we start our descent, dropping 1,900’ to overnight at a hunter’s camp along the stock trail. On Sunday, we will drop the last 2,200’ to our trailhead in time to drive out of the canyon by daylight.
This trip is limited to 4-8 participants, and is dependent on the number of high-clearance 4x4 vehicles (no more than 3) that are available to transport people up to the trailhead. Carpooling is encouraged. Contact Leader: Marty Dickes - 760-382-6521 - tessa3136@gmail.com
NEW DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Saturday, October 17, 2026
DESERT SURVIVORS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (E) Berkeley, CA
Again this year, we will hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Mineral Springs picnic area in Tilden Park. More information will be coming to Desert Survivors members via email.
MORE DESERT SURVIVORS TRIPS MAY BE IN THE OFFING
We will announce new trips and events by email, and at our website:
Safety Policies for Desert Survivors Trips
If you develop Covid-19 symptoms shortly before a trip please stay home. If Covid-19 symptoms arise during the trip, please tell the trip leader as soon as possible. Desert Survivors Covid-19 polices, follow the best information available at the time of this writing. The Covid-19 pandemic is an ever-changing crisis. Our safety protocols are subject to modification at any time.
Annual membership ($30) required for each adult trip participant. The membership fee is not required if the participant has Honorary Membership status, or if the participant is the minor child of Desert Survivors member. A $35 donation may also be requested by the leader at the trailhead. This donation is voluntary. Each participant must sign a general liability waiver and list emergency contacts before departing on the trip. Trips are cooperative in nature. Some trips may be exploratory (not previewed by trip leader). Conditions may be difficult and the unexpected may occur. Consult with leader for details before deciding to go on trip. Trip sign-up procedure: You must call or write leader in advance to reserve space and receive a map and detailed trip description. Leader will confirm your sign-up. Due to past instances where participants signed up for a trip and did not show, a trip leader may require a $20 reservation fee. Trip participants will learn if the fee is required during the confirmation with the leader. This fee will be refunded at the trailhead.
• As noted in trip write-ups above, some leaders have set limits to the number of participants.
• Sign-ups are first come, first served. A waiting list will be maintained to fill any spaces that arise due to drop-outs. Please notify the leader ahead of time if you are dropping out.
• Desert Survivors encourages trip participants to carpool as a means to increase driver safety while reducing costs, energy consumption and environmental impacts. Trip participants are responsible for making their own carpool arrangements. Desert Survivors recommends that trip participants make equitable arrangements to share costs, and all arrangements and financial compensation should be clearly negotiated in advance.
• Desert Survivors' trips begin at the designated trailhead. While trip participants are expected to cooperate with the trip leader, each participant is responsible for his or her own safety. In particular, trip participants are responsible for safely transporting themselves to and from trip locals.
• Firearms are not allowed on any Desert Survivors activities (trips, events, meetings.)