Golden Trout Natural History Workshop, Inc.


High Sierra Natural History and Photographic Workshops


for Families and Individuals
Located at Golden Trout Camp in the Golden Trout Wilderness
At the southern border of the John Muir Wilderness
West of Lone Pine, CA



The historic Golden Trout Camp log cabins

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To Register, receive a Brochure, or for any further Information, contact us.


You can download a PDF version of the 2011 Golden Trout Workshop brochure here.

Registrations and other information can be mailed to our address:
PO Box 253, Solvang, CA 93464 - 0253

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Summer Schedule -- 2011


Session 1: Sun., June 19 through Sat., June 25 (B&W Photography with Paul Roark and Roy Harrington) SESSION FULL
Session 2: Sun., June 26 through Sat., July 2 (Natural History with Ben Munger [archeology and ecology] and Laurie Munger [geology]) SESSION FULL
Session 3: Sun., July 3 through Sat., July 9 (Natural History with Tim Thomas [botany] and Paul Collins [mammals and birds]) SESSION FULL

Those wishing to enroll for the sessions listed should reserve space early. However, no reservations are taken until the brochures are mailed, usually at the end of January. If you have never attended one of the workshops or are uncertain whether you are on the mailing list, contact registrar Paul Roark at the above link to be sure you are on the mailing list and receive a brochure as soon as possible.

A non-refundable registration fee of $100 per person is due at the time of registration and is included in the total fee cost. Full payment must be received not later than May 1. Absolutely no refunds will be made on cancellations after May 1 unless there is a replacement. Note that travel insurance may be available but is the responsibility of individual guests.

The camp is at 10,000 feet, and day hikes usually go to somewhat higher elevations. If you have ever experienced problems with high elevations or have a heart condition, consult your doctor about potential altitude and medical problems prior to registering. This is a wilderness camp with no emergency facilities. There is a satellite phone that can make outgoing calls, but is for medical emergency use only and cannot receive incoming calls.


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Tuition


Adults: $525
Children (age 5 through 12): $325
Children under 5 are free, but not recommended for this high elevation, wilderness camp.



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Facilities

Facilities include canvas tent cabins for guests and a log dining cabin where breakfast and dinner are served daily. Guests make their own sack lunches with food supplied by GTC. Hot showers are provided twice weekly; cold showers are available daily. Water to Golden Trout Camp is provided via a safe underground spring. Camp supplies are packed in weekly by mule train. Guests are responsible for packing in their own sleeping bag, clothes, and personal items.

How to Get There

Golden Trout Camp is at 10,000 feet in the southern Sierra Nevada, south of Mount Whitney, and can be reached only by trail. Take Hwy 395 to Lone Pine in the Owens Valley, about 215 miles from Los Angeles. Go west on the Whitney Portal Road and then left (south) on Horseshoe Meadows Road to the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead (approximately 20 miles). Leave your car there, then hike the 3-mile, 500-foot elevation gain trail to the camp. Depending upon weather conditions and your level of fitness, the hike will require at least two hours to complete. Participants are encouraged to spend one night at the trailhead before hiking in to acclimate themselves to the altitude.


For a small topo map of the area (scale 1" = 1 mi.) click here. The hike in is highlighted in yellow.
For a larger map (1 MB) that shows up to Whitney, click here.

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E-mail Us!

Have questions about the workshop subjects?

Feel free to contact Registrar and Photography Workshop co-leader Paul Roark for any information. For natural history questions, feel free to contact naturalists Ben Munger or Laurie Munger.

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Links to Other Sites of Interest

Weather & Snow Level at Golden Trout camp
This web page shows the amount of snow at the camp as well as the temperatures. BE SURE TO CHECK THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURES when calculating what sleeping gear you'll need. The camp is at 10,100 feet elevation, and temperatures drop about 5 degrees per 1000 feet. The webstie says "Cottonwood Lakes," but the elevation indicates it is not actually at the lakes; the weather station is right next to the camp. For general snow pack information relating to the Eastern Sierras, see the Mammoth Pass snow level information. This pass is significantly further north, however. As such, it will show much more snow than the Cottonwood Lakes receive.

"A Trip to God's Country,"
This 16 page booklet describes and illustrates a trip to Golden Trout Camp in the 1960's. It was written by E.F. O'Keefe and illustrated by C.G. Maxwell. The O'Keefe family owned and operated the camp prior to Thacher School's purchase of the facilities. Note that this description is prior to the Horseshoe Meadow road being built. The booklet contains interesting historical information about the camp and area. The PDF is 5 MB.

Paul Roark, Photographer
A B&W gallery of Golden Trout camp area images by photographer, B&W carbon inkset designer, and Gallery Los Olivos president Paul Roark, who hosts one summer session workshop each year for photographers.

Tina Manley, Photographer
Photogarpher Tina Manley, known for her color and B&W photography of people, gives her first impressions of landscape shooting at the Golden Trout workshop.

Adventure 16 Outdoor and Travel Outfitters
Adventure 16 has a reputation as one of the best outdoor outfitters in the United States.
It has a wide selection of gear you might want for High Sierra hiking and camping.

WWW.395.Com
This page by WWW.395.Com provides a compact description and history of the Golden Trout Wilderness.

Click here to learn more about Golden Trout Camp workshops, their purposes and goals.

Click here for a thorough discussion of altitude sickness.

Thank you for visiting us.