Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology & How the Flora Responded to a Devastating Debris Flow in Buckeye Canyon, December 31, 2022
Leaders: David Nelson and Doug Allshouse
Saturday, May 23rd, 10am-2pm
Spring is a great time to visit San Bruno Mountain when most of the plants are blooming and Buckeye Canyon is demonstrating its recovery from the devastating debris flow of 12/31/22-1/1/23. This hike will look at the geological history and how the flora have responded to a debris flow in Buckeye from two viewpoints: (1) the geology of debris flows, how they change as they flow down the canyon, and how often they occur; and (2) the effect of the debris flow on the plants and how nature recovers from disasters in terms of both natives and invasives. David Nelson and Doug Alshouse are both site stewards for San Bruno Mountain State and County Park, CNPS YB board members, and co-authors of the book: San Bruno Mountain: A Guide to the Flora and Fauna.
Meet on Quarry Road at the base of Buckeye Canyon at 10 am (directions below). This area is part of the San Bruno Mountain Ecological Reserve We expect to be back at the cars around 2 pm, total hiking distance ½ mile. Bring hiking shoes, water, binoculars, loupe if you have one, and lunch or snacks. Wear a hat for sun and take layers for possible foggy weather. Expect narrow trails and poison oak on trail edges along the route.
Contact David at NelsonDL@Pacbell.net to register for the hike.
Directions:
1) From Bayshore Blvd, turn onto Valley Drive, the entrance to Crocker Industrial Park in Brisbane.
2) Drive down Valley Drive and turn left at the stoplight at the intersection of Valley Drive and South Hill Drive
3) Drive a very short distance on South Hill Drive; as the road begins to curve, immediately after a pedestrian crosswalk, you'll see a steep driveway on your left with potholes. Turn into that steep driveway and drive up.
4) Immediately at the top of the driveway turn left and stop parallel to the concrete drainage ditch, next to the trailhead entrance sign to Buckeye Canyon. This is the location of the trail into Buckeye Canyon (Google Map)