Collage near La Honda: a child holding a fall leaf, chestnuts in spiky husks, a bowl of roasted chestnuts, and children carrying baskets on a trail.

10/25: Collect Chestnuts 🌰 + Taste Chestnut Honey 🐝🍯! Golden 🍂 Fall Leaves, Stunning Lake Hike + Pizza Dinner 💦🥾 (La Honda Area)

from $10.00

📅 SUNDAY, OCT. 25 • ⏰ 2 PM — 5 PM • 📍 La Honda Area

We'll discover an historic chestnut orchard 🌰🌳, learning about its history and tasting chestnut honey 🐝🍯! Afterward, we will go on an easy 1-mile hike around a serene lake with a pretty flat path where we’ll likely encounter a gaggle of geese or a raft of ducks and kids can climb a more than century-old oak tree!

Finally, for those who are interested, we'll grab an early dinner at Alice's Restaurant. I'm reaching out to see if they can offer us a special, quick menu.

🥳 PART OF OUR WINTER WONDERS BUNDLE (for DROP-IN only, see info below) 🥳

Your whole winter season, planned for you and your family — with our signature outings! ❄️

We have so much FUN on these adventures — they sell out every year — so this season we're capping numbers and prioritizing families who choose the bundle option first. Grab all 3 day adventures in one go, and your family saves $30 compared to booking each one separately at today's rates.

While you can still do drop-ins per day trip, bundle families get priority booking and guaranteed spots across all 3 dates. Drop-in spots will be limited.

🌰 10/25 — Chestnut Collecting, Chestnut Honey Tasting, Golden Fall Leaves, Lake Hike + Optional Pizza Dinner (La Honda Area)

💦 12/13 — Winter Waterfall Wonderland, Ladybug Love, Leopard-Spotted Banana Slugs + Fungi Hunt (South Bay)

🐌 1/18 — MLK Day: Banana Slug Bonanza, 1,700-Year-Old Redwood + Ancient Ocean Rocks (Peninsula)

SIGN UP HERE: https://www.familyadventuresquad.org/choose-your-adventures/p/winter-wonders-family-adventure-bundle

FOR CHESTNUT COLLECTING, HERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT:

🌰🌳🐝 HISTORIC CHESTNUT ORCHARD: Discover a more than 100-year-old rare chestnut orchard! Rare because the American Chestnut was decimated by blight in the 1800s but this grove was protected due to its isolation! The fall leaves are a GORGEOUS GOLDEN so if you’re looking for fall leaves in the evergreen Bay Area, this is it!!! If the owner is available, he will give us a tour, but he will only know closer to the day if he can do this (he has in years past but every year is different).

🌰🍯🌰🍯🌰🍯 CHESTNUTS: Learn how to unearth chestnuts from their burrs and to sort them. You'll get to taste delicious chestnut honey and will likely get to sample a raw or roasted chestnut. Plus, you’ll leave with a recipe for roasting what are known as brown diamonds and maybe some chestnut honey or a roasting pan, if you opt to buy.

🍂🍃🍂🍃 FALL LEAVES FIX: Your kids (and you!) can run through piles of golden chestnut leaves! Get your fall "leaf" fix here!

💦🪿🌳 LAKE HIKE, DUCKS, GEESE + OLD OAKS: We will go on a 1.1-mile hike around a serene lake with a pretty flat path that is scooter- and bike-friendly for the kiddos. Along the way, we’ll likely run into a gaggle of geese or a raft of ducks (yes, that’s what a group of ducks is called!), plus the kids will get to run over wooden bridges and climb a more than 100-year-old oak tree!

🍕🍟🥗 PIZZA, PIZZA (SALAD + FRIES, TOO): We'll grab an early dinner at iconic Alice's Restaurant (I'm reaching out to see if they can offer us a special, quick menu)

🔍 SCAVENGER HUNT: Embark on a fun scavenger hunt around this historic area in the Santa Cruz Mountains

To get an idea of drive time, map to here (this is not the actual meeting point): https://maps.app.goo.gl/NckKQgSMagqABeu5A

WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!

Pricing Types:

📅 SUNDAY, OCT. 25 • ⏰ 2 PM — 5 PM • 📍 La Honda Area

We'll discover an historic chestnut orchard 🌰🌳, learning about its history and tasting chestnut honey 🐝🍯! Afterward, we will go on an easy 1-mile hike around a serene lake with a pretty flat path where we’ll likely encounter a gaggle of geese or a raft of ducks and kids can climb a more than century-old oak tree!

Finally, for those who are interested, we'll grab an early dinner at Alice's Restaurant. I'm reaching out to see if they can offer us a special, quick menu.

🥳 PART OF OUR WINTER WONDERS BUNDLE (for DROP-IN only, see info below) 🥳

Your whole winter season, planned for you and your family — with our signature outings! ❄️

We have so much FUN on these adventures — they sell out every year — so this season we're capping numbers and prioritizing families who choose the bundle option first. Grab all 3 day adventures in one go, and your family saves $30 compared to booking each one separately at today's rates.

While you can still do drop-ins per day trip, bundle families get priority booking and guaranteed spots across all 3 dates. Drop-in spots will be limited.

🌰 10/25 — Chestnut Collecting, Chestnut Honey Tasting, Golden Fall Leaves, Lake Hike + Optional Pizza Dinner (La Honda Area)

💦 12/13 — Winter Waterfall Wonderland, Ladybug Love, Leopard-Spotted Banana Slugs + Fungi Hunt (South Bay)

🐌 1/18 — MLK Day: Banana Slug Bonanza, 1,700-Year-Old Redwood + Ancient Ocean Rocks (Peninsula)

SIGN UP HERE: https://www.familyadventuresquad.org/choose-your-adventures/p/winter-wonders-family-adventure-bundle

FOR CHESTNUT COLLECTING, HERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT:

🌰🌳🐝 HISTORIC CHESTNUT ORCHARD: Discover a more than 100-year-old rare chestnut orchard! Rare because the American Chestnut was decimated by blight in the 1800s but this grove was protected due to its isolation! The fall leaves are a GORGEOUS GOLDEN so if you’re looking for fall leaves in the evergreen Bay Area, this is it!!! If the owner is available, he will give us a tour, but he will only know closer to the day if he can do this (he has in years past but every year is different).

🌰🍯🌰🍯🌰🍯 CHESTNUTS: Learn how to unearth chestnuts from their burrs and to sort them. You'll get to taste delicious chestnut honey and will likely get to sample a raw or roasted chestnut. Plus, you’ll leave with a recipe for roasting what are known as brown diamonds and maybe some chestnut honey or a roasting pan, if you opt to buy.

🍂🍃🍂🍃 FALL LEAVES FIX: Your kids (and you!) can run through piles of golden chestnut leaves! Get your fall "leaf" fix here!

💦🪿🌳 LAKE HIKE, DUCKS, GEESE + OLD OAKS: We will go on a 1.1-mile hike around a serene lake with a pretty flat path that is scooter- and bike-friendly for the kiddos. Along the way, we’ll likely run into a gaggle of geese or a raft of ducks (yes, that’s what a group of ducks is called!), plus the kids will get to run over wooden bridges and climb a more than 100-year-old oak tree!

🍕🍟🥗 PIZZA, PIZZA (SALAD + FRIES, TOO): We'll grab an early dinner at iconic Alice's Restaurant (I'm reaching out to see if they can offer us a special, quick menu)

🔍 SCAVENGER HUNT: Embark on a fun scavenger hunt around this historic area in the Santa Cruz Mountains

To get an idea of drive time, map to here (this is not the actual meeting point): https://maps.app.goo.gl/NckKQgSMagqABeu5A

WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!

  • CHESTNUT ORCHARD

    EASY, short walk from parking. Jogging strollers can be used. 

    HIKE
    EASY    , 1.5 miles hike. Kids can bring scooters/bikes. Part gravel path, part dirt. Jogging strollers are best. There is some small uphills plus the path narrows for a short distance making it a bit challenging, but not impossible, with jogging strollers.

  • Saturday, 2 PM: Meet at the parking lot and head over to the grove. Explore grove, collect chestnuts, taste honey, sort chestnuts + pay.

    3 PM: Drive a few minutes to short lake hike nearby. Have snack before embarking upon hike at

    3:25 PM: Leave on hike

    4 PM: Stop at giant oak tree for another snack and to play on trees

    4:45 PM: Back at parking lot, head over to Alice’s for pizza

  • To get an idea of drive time, map to here (this is not the actual meeting point): https://maps.app.goo.gl/NckKQgSMagqABeu5A

  • HOW TO BOOK:

    1. Add this adventure to your cart and check out

    2. Join the WhatsApp chat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DXm0ZWkMGQw6kai214WjJG

    3. Complete loaner kit request form: https://bit.ly/loanerkit

  • *FAS fee: $64/drop-in pass for single-income family; $74/drop-in pass per family

    *After 2 kids, $10 charge for each additional child to cover treats + educational materials.

    *LATE FEE: Please sign up by MONDAY Oct 5, 10 p.m., or a $10 late fee will be charged.
    *Outings are not refundable. A one-time credit transfer to another outing — to be used within three months — is possible; the credit expires within three months, please DM Miranda

    *Full payment must be made to secure your spot (we don't take cash; only digital payment — see options in "how to book" section below).

    *Spots are LIMITED and the only way to hold your place is by adding this outing to your cart and checking out!

  • Last year, Alice's Restaurant, which is near the hike + orchard, allowed FAS to pre-order pizza and fries for the kids. We're checking to see if they will allow us to pre-order cheese pizzas and fries this year, and are collecting orders so we're ready to go if they give us the green light.

    https://forms.gle/cHsNtn7ugeSJBCDj9

  • WHAT'S INCLUDED

    • Guided adventure, scavenger hunt and educational activities

    • Digital guide that will make this event EASY for you and your family! (Natural + cultural history, plus lunch + coffee stops + more)

    • In-person guided outing

    • All logistics

    • Adventure checklist (what you need to bring)

    • Treat for the kids

    • Arts + crafts activity

    You’ll also get access to:

    • First-aid kit

    • Loaner kit of hiking gear (48-hour notice). Please inquire about what gear is available; I have items for kids and adults, like single/double jogging strollers, Baby Bjorn infant carrier, toddler backpack carrier, hiking poles, etc.

  • *Food (you pay for Alice’s beforehand via Zelle)