Come walk off your Thanksgiving dinner on a short relaxing hike in the San Gabriel Mountains. Only 40 tickets are available for this event. We will take a gentle hike with the goats, moms and babies together, with lots of stops for them to enjoy fresh spring grasses. sagebrush and desert almond. During stops I'll talk about the unique landscape at Angeles Crest Creamery and how the goats fit into the ecosystem, about what they eat and how their forage behavior changes seasonally. Shepherding dairy goats in the San Gabriel Mountains is an experiment in developing a low-input dairying system by matching the appropriate animal to the available forage and using ancient techniques like shepherding not normally practiced in the United States. I'll share what I've learned from the land and the herd a year and a half into the project.

This is a slow, easy hike, that's more about enjoying the company of the goats and surroundings than getting a lot of exercise. However, we sometimes cover rough terrain or hike through brush, so good shoes and long pants are recommended. The hike will last 30-45 minutes, depending on the mood of the herd, and the rest of the time is available for hanging out with the animals or having a picnic. 

What to bring: Refillable water bottle, layered clothing, hat for protection from the sun, chopped up carrots, apples, or orange peels if you'd like to be able to give the goats some treats (after the hike only, please), a picnic lunch that will fit in your backpack if you'd like to eat by the lake after the hike. Feel free to bing beer and/or wine for your picnic. Please plan to take any trash you generate with you when you leave the ranch. If you'd like to pack a cooler, leave it in your car, and then retrieve it after the hike, that will work fine.

What not to bring: Animals, especially dogs (we have plenty of our own). Children too young to walk on their own for an hour or so (strollers and sagebrush are difficult companions). 

How to find us: Angeles Crest Creamery is located in the San Gabriel Mountains overlooking the Antelope Valley, a 90 minute drive from most parts of Los Angeles. We recommend taking the 14 to the 138 to Largo Vista -- this is the easiest route; your GPS may provide an alternative. The entrance to the ranch is about half a mile West of Largo Vista on Big Pines Hwy. Please do not disturb the private residences just West of Largo Vista--keep driving until you see the big red barn. Park on Big Pines Hwy and walk onto the property. Sorry, driving on the property is not allowed. We will meet at the barn at 11am for a brief safety intro before we start the hike. 

Organic eggs and other goodies from the ranch will be available for sale during the event. 

Our educational events, like Goat Hikes, are also fundraisers for our project, so we sell tickets. If you would like to attend but are not in a position to buy a ticket, please email us and we will accommodate you. 

We are a operational ranch and there are real dangers here including goats with horns, sharp stuff to step on our bump into, and it's rattlesnake season. Children must be closely supervised at all times. By purchasing this ticket you agree to defend and hold harmless Gloria Putnam and Angeles Crest Creamery in the event of any claim arising from your visit to the ranch.