List of Past Field Trips

If you want to have interesting photographic adventures in Northern California, have a look at the field trips the Lincoln Hills Photography Club has made in the past.

There are always field trips coming up. Get active and have a great experience - join one!

We have put together a rolling slide show of field trips we have taken. To view, click HERE

Click HERE to view planning details for Photo Locations where we have conducted Field Trips.

Field Trip Coming Up!
Fall Foliage in Nevada City & Grass Valley
Tuesday, October 29th

2409-Downtown Nevada City-Sept22-I-NP.jpg

DOWNTOWN NEVADA CITY
SOURCE: DAVID H. COLLIER

Come join us for a walk/drive around Nevada City and Grass Valley to photograph the fall colors on Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Along with the beauty of capturing the tree colors, blend in the buildings and houses of a by gone era of the old west. We are also planning to meet at Sergio's Caffè located at 109 Mill St, Grass Valley at 2:00pm for lunch. Sergio's Caffé (sergioscaffe.com)

Please RSVP if you plan to join us for the walk around and lunch. Please email Heather at heatherbrown.lhpc@gmail.com .

2409-Empire Mine State Park-Sept22-I-NP.jpg

EMPIRE MINE STATE PARK
SOURCE: NEVADA CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Please click [HERE] to view the detailed trip package.

Milky Way - Galaxy Photo Field Trip
In the dark skies of Hope Valley near Lake Tahoe
August 4 & 5, 2024

What: A photo club field trip and adventure to the mountains south of Lake Tahoe during the darkest skies of the month.

Why: The Milky Way is highly visible during this time and your smartphone and cameras can see many details we cannot see with our eyes. All of us have seen these types of photographs displaying incredible beauty.

Who: Everyone from beginners to advanced. All cameras from smartphones (from ~ 2020 releases) to high-end cameras will be able to capture the incredible beauty of a vast array of stars.

When: August 4 & 5, 2024. This is the “new moon phase” which is the darkest time of the month. The location is one of the “dark skies” areas as there are no urban areas nearby. This combination means there is very little “light pollution” so the stars are highly visible.

Where: We will be setting up in locations in the Hope Valley where we have had great success in the past.

Milky Way Galaxy

Knowledge: Our club has expertise in this type of photography with in-the-field experience and the recent Special Learning Classes for both smartphones and cameras. We have presentation handouts we can email to you upon request. Some of our members will be available to help others with technical and set-up advice in practice sessions before the trip or on-site at the Hope Valley locations.

Jim Sakaguchi is planning this field trip.

Attached is his planning document for your review. It covers many aspects of the trip, lodging suggestions, equipment checklists, times and places to meet for photography, technical references, camera setups, travel tips and much more.

Jim will be keeping a list of attendees and will provide updates on the trip for everyone signing up. If you have any questions, please send an email to Jim at his email address noted below.

Sign-up Required. If you would like to go on this trip; send an email to Jim Sakaguchi: jimsakaguchi57@gmail.com.

Attachment, 11 pages, sent in both Word and PDF formats. Click [HERE]

Flash Mob Field Trip Announcement

Amador Flower Farm

When: Monday, June 24th

What: Spend a day with 1200 varieties of daylillies in your lens.

Where: Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth, CA

Bring your camera and smart phones to join fellow Photography Club members as we roam the gardens and fields of Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth, CA.

Afterwards, we'll be stopping at nearby Villa Toscao Winery for lunch.

Please RSVP to Heather Brown at heatherbrown.lhpc@gmail.com. If you need a ride share, please let Heather know.

Click [HERE] for detailed trip email.

Trip Coordinator: Jim Sakaguchi

Amador Flower Farm
Plymouth, CA

We would like the pleasure of your company to visit:
High Hand Nursery (website)
3750 Taylor Road, Loomis

Date: May 22nd, 2024 WEDNESDAY

08:15 AM we Meet at Orchard Creek Parking Lot at Rows 11 & 12

08:30 AM Wheels roll! A printed map will be given to each vehicle.

We should arrive when the doors open at 09:00, so there will not be many people to obscure your lovely photographs. We will spend time roaming the beautiful grounds and inside the gift shop area. There is also a place next to the Cafe and parking lot to purchase vinegar, oils, honey and preserves from their farm.

1100 AM meet at the Outdoor CAFE for LUNCH

EARLY BIRDS GET THE WORMS!

PLEASE RSVP to heatherbrown.lhpc@gmail.com NOW

Please tell Heather your preference. Do you wish to drive or be driven? Time to be home.

Photo Club Member Image

We will most likely set up lunch per vehicle and sit at separate tables near each other. Last time Diane managed to convince the hostess to put us all together which was absolutely wonderful. The reason for being an early bird.

Thus, this is a last minute FLASH MOB experience. The date was changed from Thursday as we have discovered Costco will be opening that day which could cause a traffic jam.

FLOWER MOON on Thursday will be a great day for us to edit our photos and enjoy flowers all over again! Very appropriate.

So charge up those batteries and bring all your mobile phone expertise to shoot some great photos. Need help? Don't be afraid to ask for assistance. We can share our knowledge with each other. This is a great opportunity for our SmartPhone people. It is good to have a 1/2 day field trip to rest our bodies. Would you consider a trip like this once a month?

Looking forward to you joining us. It really is our favorite nursery!

Photography Club Field Trip – Another Great Adventure!

Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Asilomar, 17 Mile Drive and Big Sur areas

April 23, 24, 25, returning home on April 26

Club member Images from past trips

Book your reservations early to get great rates and no-cost cancellations if your plans change.

Dates: We recommend booking reservations now for April 2024 with check-in starting on Tuesday, April 23, including 24 and 25, with check-out on Friday, April 26. Some people are extending their reservations to spend more time in the area.

Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds in the Asilomar State Park and Beach.

For this trip, we are planning to make the Asilomar State Park Conference Center in Pacific Grove our central location. This historical “minimalist” state park facility is designed to encourage visitors to spend time outdoors or in group conferences. It is adjacent to the state beach, providing easy walks for sunrise or sunset times on the beach.

Having a central location will enable group meetups in the evenings at a fire pit or the beach for sunset, meetups for meals including a lunch at the Pebble Beach Golf Course, and classes for tips on great locations and times for photography opportunities. This also enables our participants to join together for day trips or meals in small groups if desired.

Asilomar has great rates for those who book early, starting at ~ $170/night, a bargain for this area, and if you reserve your room via the promotion code for seniors, you can cancel anytime up to 72 hours in advance and get your deposit back. Reservations require paying the first night as a deposit, and the remainder is due upon check-in.

Many conferences are held at this prime location, and rooms will quickly fill up so we encourage you to make a decision early to guarantee availability. We already know of a very large group of photographers from Chicago who are planning a conference at the same time.

We urge you to make your plans and reservations now! It is a classic, “You snooze, you lose” situation.

Note: You may book reservations at any hotel; you are not required to stay at Asilomar.

Wherever you want to stay, we still encourage you to book reservations as soon as possible before availability tightens and rates spike.

1905-Carmel Beach-Phil Harmon-May07-I-FT

1905-Jim Moon-Aquarium Jellyfish-May07-I

1905-Hearst Castle-Wendy-May07-I-FT-1004

Sunset at Carmel Beach.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Hearst Castle

Trip Packs, Pre-trip Planning Meetings, and “Show & Tell” Gathering post-trip.

For this trip, we will have a complete, detailed Trip Pack available, a pre-trip planning meeting so you can make the best use of your time on the trip, and a separate “Show & Tell” gathering after the trip. Because many members/guests will be going on this trip, these materials and gatherings will be limited to those who make a reservation for lodging.

Planners for this trip include Jim Sakaguchi, Truman Holtzclaw and Les Thomas. Input from others is encouraged. Contact any of us if you have any questions.

After you have booked your hotel reservation, send an email to Les Thomas, 7thomas33@gmail.com and we’ll add your name(s) to the participant list.

How to make hotel reservations. Click [HERE] for a step-by-step guide for making reservations prepared by Jim Sakaguchi.

- Les Thomas 7thomas33@gmail.com

tulips-bouquet-pink-background-with-copy

Wildflowers Yuba River-Buttermilk Bend Trail
Friday, April 20, 2023 – 9 am to 3:00 pm
Meet up to Carpool @ 8 am

Photos from Trip Advisor & Park Websites

Join hosts Bill Kress and Les Thomas on a field trip adventure to the South Yuba River State Park along the "Buttermilk Bend" wildflower trail. The focus will be on the wildflowers, the raging river, and the large covered wooden bridge which we can walk through. Record rainfalls are providing special wildflower blooms.

The pre-trip information meeting is scheduled for April 24, 2023 from 4pm – 5:30pm at the home of Les and Marilyn Thomas. Light snacks will be provided. Sign-up for the Pre-Trip informational meeting is important. If you are unable to attend the pre-trip, but plan on participating in the field trip, please RSVP to Les Thomas at Lthomas33@gmail.com. During the pre-trip meeting, Steve Stewart will demonstrate creative concepts to encourage you to take great flower images. Steve will provide suggestions to help advance your skills to transform your images into art

During the pre-trip meeting, Steve Stewart will demonstrate creative concepts to encourage you to take great flower images. Steve will provide suggestions to help advance your skills to transform your images into art.

Additional details =>

McKinley Rose Garden
Sacramento
Friday, April 28, 2023 – 9 am to 11 am
meet up to carpool at 8 am

McKinley Rose Garden is a highly renowned rose display garden in our own backyard. This is one of the largest rose gardens in northern California and has been an All-American Rose Selection display garden. The garden Features 1,200 rose plants in hundreds of varieties.

Steve Stewart and Les Thomas, planners for this trip, did a “scouting trip” recently and the rose bushes were already budding. Some of the roses were opening. This field trip date will correspond to a spectacular first-season bloom display which is often the most beautiful.

A pre-trip information meeting is scheduled for April 12, 2023 from 4pm – 5:30pm at the home of Les and Marilyn Thomas. Light snacks will be provided. Sign-up for the Pre-Trip informational meeting is important. If you are unable to attend the pre-trip, but plan on participating in the field trip, please RSVP to Les Thomas at Lthomas33@gmail.com.

Additional details =>

Crocker Art Museum

Crocker Art Museum
Friday March 3, 10am – 2pm

Join us for a field trip to a local world class art museum! This field trip offers something for everyone at every photographic skill level. The Crocker welcomes photographers with some understandable limitations. We’re requested not to use flash or tripods and neither are necessary to get some very memorable photographs.

We plan to arrive at the Museum at 10am. You can depart anytime up to the 5pm closing. A special Docent tour will be offered at a cost of $8 per person but this is voluntary.

Carpooling is recommended to share expenses for gas and parking. Details to be announced.

2302-Crocker Museum-Field Trips-Feb17.jpg

A pre-trip information meeting is scheduled for Thursday Feb 23 from 4pm – 5:30pm at the home of Les and Marilyn Thomas. Topics to be discussed are Museum rules, carpooling arrangements, parking, tips for photographing Museum collections, food options and more. Light snacks will be provided. RSVP to Les Thomas at Lthomas33@gmail.com.

If you have any questions, planners for this trip are Les Thomas, 916-698-7783 and Diane Margetts, 916-955-1809.

Additional trip details, including the trip planner. =>

Photography Club Field Trip & Great Adventure
Day Trip to Gray Lodge Wildlife Area
Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Gray Lodge is a winter stop over for thousands of migrating birds that use the Pacific Flyway. This is the prime time to see many winter-only birds of the water, land and sky. https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Gray-Lodge-WA

All LH Photography Club members using cameras from Smartphones to the latest high-end brands are invited to participate.

Plan your own activities. At Gray Lodge, there will be several nice, flat trails to the various ponds as well as observation decks and vistas. Traveling to the Wildlife Area photographers will have an opportunity to photograph farmlands with old barns and livestock and the Sutter Buttes mountain range.

For important details, including a map, please click on the PDF document here. ==>

Eastern Sierras Fall Colors Field Trip
October 13,14,15,16 & 17 of 2022
Concurrent with the Lake Tahoe Area Trip -All or Part Trip Pack

Field Trip team members are hitting the road running for 2022-2023 adventures. The first scheduled trip offers a combined Eastern Sierra and Lake Tahoe area trip scheduled for October 13 - 17, 2022. This trip is arranged so members can partake in any number of the 5 days in one location, split the days between the two locations, and spend five days traveling to both Eastern Sierra and Lake Tahoe. Or some combination thereof.

Les Thomas and his team have researched Photography locations, websites, maps, resources, places to eat, photographer equipment needs, safety, and more. Their extensive research results are published in the "Planning and Information Trip Packs " below.

Lake Tahoe and Eastern Sierra trip packs (below) include photographic locations well-known for exquisite fall color, beautiful lakes, streams, wildlife, and opportunities for capturing incredible sunsets, sunrises, and the galaxy.

7a5e64_c4117d5a7b864b988be371d9247466f3~mv2.jpeg

Pete Henshaw

Eastern Sierra Fall Colors October, 2016

Fall Colors Eastern Sierras Trip Pack 2022

Fall Colors Lake Tahoe Trip Pack 2022

Safety Equipment
ICE Trekkers Diamond Grip

Death Valley -- March 2 - 7 2020

1703-Bill Kress-Death_Valley-Mar29-P-FT-

Truman with "Barney" at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley

after a very long and bumpy jeep ride over the worst roads.

1703-Dorothe Kress-Death_Valley-Mar29-P-

Some very serious photographers getting the best angle for those moving stones on Racetrack Playa

Dorothe and Bill Kress at Darwin Falls, Death Valley

Our previous trip was in 2017 and was one of our club's most adventurous and fun trips. Les had provided a lot of PDF resources for that trip, and you can see all of them on our Locations page HERE

We have significant amounts of "tips" and recommendations for everything from where to stay, equipment suggestions, daily agendas or "menus" of activities, places to eat, special Death Valley expert presentations on-site and the award winning videos we created to provide you with insights on more than 50 "world class" photographic locations.

As in all places that are special, the past several years have experienced an increase in the numbers of people who are traveling to these sites at the prime times for photography.

While there are generally no crowding issues in the vastness of Death Valley, there are limited numbers of lodging options available.

There are many beautiful places we plan to visit on this unique trip, including Darwin Falls, Ubehebe and Little Ubehebe Craters, The Racetrack Playa, Golden Canyon and many others.

If Death Valley gets some rainfall at the end of the year, we may have an interesting wildflower bloom.

Those staying in Beatty will pass the ghost town, Rhyolite on the way to Death Valley, and might see wild buros roaming the area.

Planners include Charlie Schuman, Truman Holtzclaw, Kathy Houston and Les Thomas. Les has provided lodging suggestions. To read his PDF file,

click HERE

Trip Pack #1 of 2, which is a Zip file of PDF documents, may be found HERE. Trip Pack #2 will be sent out just prior to our trip which starts on March 2 and also will be posted to this website.

Northern California and Oregon Coast -- May 2020

1905-Circles Sand DKress-Bandon-May01-I-

Bandon Beach during a Circles in Sand event

1908-Ferndale-MainSt Kress-Aug27-I-LP-10

Main Street, Ferndale, California

Our previous trip to west coastal areas was May 27 to June 2, 2018 and we saw a diversity of beautiful cities, lighthouses, landscapes, sunrise-sunsets and wildlife.

Last year we met in Bandon, Oregon, a 450 mile drive from our community. There are different routes to get there and interesting sites to see on the way.

The central route can include metal sculptures near Weed, CA, Crater Lake (watch for passable roads) and the many waterfalls along Route 138. There is a covered bridge in Glide, OR.

A coastal route can include stops in Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve, Mendocino, Fort Bragg, Ferndale, Redwood National Park, Crescent City, Eureka and many other interesting attractions.

We have placed a few places that are on this field trip's agenda on our Locations page and they can reached by clicking below.

Bandon, Oregon

Bandon, Circles in Sand

Crescent City, California

Eureka, California

Ferndale, California

Waterfalls, Southern Oregon

We will provide many "tips" and recommendations for lodging, equipment, restaurants and specific locations.

Planners include Truman Holtzclaw and Bill Kress.

Carson Mansion

Eureka, California

1908-Bandon-Sunset-Kress Aug27-I-LP-1003

Bandon Beach at Sunset

1908-Crescent City Battery Point LH-Pers

Battery Point Lighthouse

Crescent City, California

Click on the trip dates & title below to navigate to the desired article.

October 7 - 11 2019 -- Eastern Sieras, Fall Colors Field Trip

Mono Lake, June Lake Loop, Convict Lake, Bishop, Manzanar, Alabama Hills and more

California Highway 395

October 17 - 18 2019 -- Lake Tahoe for Salmon, Bears, and Fall Colors

Bears, Fall Foliage, Vistas, Salmon

South Lake Tahoe

April 2019 -- Field Trip to California's Central Coast

Sunsets, Sunrises, Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, Wildflowers, Hearst Castle

Monterey to San Simeon

January 2019 through March 2019 -- Our Heron-Egret Rookery

Lots of Herons and Egrets nesting

A local attraction. Park at the Dollar-Tree lot and walk behind the building.