Directions: Turn off Highway 1 north of Caspar (and just south of Jughandle Creek bridge) at the highway marker M 56.1 into Jughandle parking lot (See cirrcled P on the map above). There will be plenty of room for all of us to park if you carpool with your group. We'll meet in the Jughandle parking lot at 10:30 a.m., get organized for a few minutes, and then start our field trip. There are places along the trail where we will regroup during the morning as we make the ascent. It is not a very steep climb except for a few rather short stretches, and there are some fairly flat areas where we can all meet periodically. Some parts of the trail are fairly narrow, however, and we will then have to walk single-file. My plan is that we will be back at the parking lot by 3:30 p.m. and since the recommended time to allot for the whole round trip is three hours, that seems reasonable (about six hours) because we will be identifying plants and birds as we go. I have an Ecological Staircase handout to give you on Saturday morning, which illustrates the major plants encountered along the trail. See you on Saturday!

Jug Handle State Reserve is located about equal distances (five miles each way) between Fort Bragg and Mendocino. it consists primarily of a strip of land about one mile wide enclosing a set of five biologically and geologically distinct terraces resembling a staircase and known as The Ecological Staircase. The Reserve is bisected by State Highway 1, and then continues inland three miles from the coast to Jackson State Forest. The trail we will take makes a beautiful tour of this geological uplift from the coastal prairie to the Pygmy Forest two and a half miles inland. Be sure to wear good hiking boots or hiking shoes. Bring water, lunch and your guidebooks! Most important are the tree finder, wildflower book and bird guide. Of course, the mammal finder is small, so bring that, too, as we may see evidence of mammals. Few places on earth display a more complete record of ecological succession. Each of the five terraces represents one stage in a progression of successional environments. Here we have one of the few opportunities in California to interpret this aspect of the coastal spectrum of distinct plant communities, ecological succession, and evolution of the landscape through time.