Botanizing the San Gabriel Mountains with Evan Meyer

Join TPF Executive Director Evan Meyer for an easy botanical hike to the summit of Mt. Lowe from the Eaton Saddle Trailhead. This hike will be geared towards those just learning the wild plants of Southern California. We’ll learn basic identification skills while discussing the plants we see, with lots of tangents about nature, botany, horticulture and the environment. Along the way we’ll stop to appreciate oaks, big-cone Douglas fir, mountain mahogany, California bay, poodle plant, live-forevers, California lilacs, manzanitas, and hopefully a wildflower or two.

They say that botanists never leave the parking lot because they are too busy looking at plants, but we will plan to reach the summit of Mt. Lowe, for a total distance of just over 3 miles and about 500 feet of elevation gain. Make sure that you are up for hiking on uneven terrain in an exposed, sunny location. Bring sturdy shoes, sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat, backpack, snacks, and plenty of water (we recommended at least 2 liters.) We’ll meet at the Eaton Saddle Trailhead on Mt. Wilson Red Box Road at 8AM.

Evan Meyer began his botanical career in 2008 as an undergraduate research assistant working in the coastal prairies of Northern California. It was there that he realized that being a professional plant person was pretty great and didn’t look back. He has since held positions at the Native Plant Trust, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University Herbaria, California Botanical Garden, and UCLA Botanical Garden. In early 2020 he became the Executive Director at Theodore Payne Foundation. He is broadly interested in the intersections of botany, horticulture, the environment and culture. You can follow along with his plant ponderings on Instagram @vegetablekingdoms.