Fort Worth Sierra members on an outing at Brazos Bend State Park

Fort Worth Sierra Outings

Dec. 5 (Sat) OUTING Dayhike at Fort Worth Nature Center.
Work off your stress by hiking 3-5 miles on trails in the Nature Center. Meet at Hardwick Interpretative Center at 8 AM. In the event of rain, hike is cancelled. Bring water and appropriate clothing for weather including rain gear. No dogs please. Leader: Claudia Blalock, 817-924-6242.

Dec. 6 (Sun.) - Sustainable Sunday: Vegan Buffet every first Sunday
From Mid-Suburban Sierra Club at Papaya Garden, 1201 W. Airport Frwy #100, 817 684-9378, Euless on the corner of Airport Fwy (Hwy 183) and Industrial (FM 157 also known as Collins in Arlington). Thai, plant-based, and all-you-can-eat buffet is served from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. Ask for Terry at the door to meet/converse with an interesting group of earth-minded people. Or sit with your friends and family in this spacious restaurant. Organizer: Terry Jensen (817) 545-0140 or (972) 251-1532.

Dec. 12 (Sat) - OUTING Day Hike on North Shore of Grapevine Lake.
Hike 5 to 6 miles on a dirt trail along the north shore of Grapevine Lake. No reservations required, just show up. Please, no pets. Bring water and snacks, and spare shoes for after the hike in case the trail is muddy. Meet at 9:00am at Rockledge Park in Grapevine at the parking lot near the restrooms (northern part of the park). Note that the City of Grapevine now charges $5 per car to enter the park. After the hike, you may join us for lunch. Directions: From Hwy 121, exit at Bass Pro Road and go west. Turn left (southwest) on Hwy 26 toward Grapevine. Drive about 1/4 mile to Fairway Drive and turn right (north). Continue to drive across the dam and past the spillway. Turn left on the first driveway after the spillway to Rockledge Park. At the park, veer right to Park Rd. Three, and drive to the north parking lot. Leader: Marcos Jorge 972-394-2546(H)

Dec. 16 (Wed) General Meeting of the Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club, 6:30PM
*** Holiday Party!!! *** We will NOT have regular meeting with a speaker, but we will socialize with members and guests. Please bring a snack or dessert to share. Drinks will be provided. Location: Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, Moncrief Garden Center, 817-871-7686, 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard at University, north of I-30, Fort Worth

Dec. 20 (Sun) OUTING Dayhike at Fort Worth Nature Center.
Work off your holiday stress and extra pounds by hiking 3-5 miles on trails in the Nature Center. Meet at Hardwick Interpretative Center at 2 PM. In the event of rain, hike is cancelled. Bring water and appropriate clothing for weather including rain gear. No dogs please. Leader: Claudia Blalock, 817-924-6242.

Dec. 29 (Tues.) Newsletter Folding Party at 6 p.m.
Braum's Restaurant, 6770 Bridge St at Loop 820, Fort Worth. Have a few minutes to donate your time to the club to label newsletters? No skill required, just a willingness to help.

Jan 2 (Sat) FIRST OUTING OF 2010: Dayhike at Fort Worth Nature Center.
Start your new year right by hiking 3-5 miles on trails in the Nature Center. Meet at Hardwick Interpretative Center at 9 AM. In the event of rain, hike is cancelled. Bring water and appropriate clothing for weather including rain gear. No dogs please. Leader: Claudia Blalock, 817-924-6242.

Jan. 3 (Sun.) - Sustainable Sunday: Vegan Buffet every first Sunday
From Mid-Suburban Sierra Club at Papaya Garden, 1201 W. Airport Frwy #100, 817 684-9378, Euless on the corner of Airport Fwy (Hwy 183) and Industrial (FM 157 also known as Collins in Arlington). Thai, plant-based, and all-you-can-eat buffet is served from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. Ask for Terry at the door to meet/converse with an interesting group of earth-minded people. Or sit with your friends and family in this spacious restaurant. Organizer: Terry Jensen (817) 545-0140 or (972) 251-1532.

Jan. 5 (Tues.) Sierra Club Executive Committee (Excom) Meeting, 6 p.m.
Pappa Chang's 1526 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Worth, just south of I-30 at the corner of Pennsylvania and 8th Ave. All Sierra Club members and interested parties are invited to attend this meeting and help shape the policies and events of the Fort Worth Sierra Club.

How Outings Work

The Sierra Club has almost 800,000 members and part of our mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth.  Our volunteer-run outings program supports the Sierra Club’s conservation mission by connecting people with the natural world and with the Club. We follow the example of John Muir, the father of our National Park System and Sierra Club founder, who led others to these wild spaces.  By taking others on Sierra Club outings, we hope to impart our love of these special places and a commitment to protect them. 

The Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club offers many types of outings (trips) to local areas as well as to surrounding states. Outings may be as short as several hours to a multi-day trip. The types of outings may include urban day hikes, bicycle rides, canoe trips, wilderness backpacks, sea kayak tours or overnight car camping in established campgrounds such as a state park. Our leaders volunteer their time to receive training, plan trips, and to lead these outings. These outings are not-for-profit and support the mission of the Sierra Club. All Sierra Club trips are conducted in accordance with the National Sierra Club Outing Program. 

Our outings are open to members and nonmembers. A list of upcoming outings is provided above and includes pertinent information about each event and a contact person for the event. Most trips require pre-registration and leader approval as indicated in their description. Other outings such as many day hikes do not require prior approval or registration; you just show up. Please contact the leader for details about each trip. 

PLEASE NOTE: All participants on Sierra Club Outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and a liability waiver must be signed by the parent or guardian. If you would like to read the liability waiver before you choose to participate on an Outing, please go to: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/, or contact the Outings Department at (415) 977-5528 for a printed version.

Also, it is noted that Outings Leaders may limit the number of participants on a trip, and may choose to screen potential participants for experience, conditioning, and suitability for participation. The Outings Leaders' decisions are final. Depending on the strenuous nature of the trip, not all interested people have the necessary skills and conditioning to have an enjoyable trip.

Each outing officially begins at the trailhead. The trip leader cannot assign carpooling for trip participants, but may help to coordinate ridesharing. Some outings to state/national parks or wilderness areas may require an entrance and/or camping fee; each participant will be responsible for paying his own expenses. No radios or firearms are allowed. Pets are not allowed unless indicated in the trip description. 

The Fort Worth Sierra Club does not provide camping equipment such as tents, clothing, backpacks or watercraft for any outing. Each participant is responsible for providing his own equipment. The trip leader will provide details about the equipment and supplies needed for each outing. (provide links to list of equipment). Classes such as map reading and compass instruction, beginner backpacking, and canoeing may be offered by the Outings Committee or listed in our publications to assist members in increasing their outdoor skills. All Fort Worth Sierra Club outings encourage and practice “leave no trace” and low impact to the environment outdoor practices. 

In general, overnight trips or outings to wilderness areas are usually limited to approximately 12 persons and require reservations. This small number helps to minimize our impact to wilderness areas and to provide better opportunities for fellowship. If you must cancel, inform the leader as soon as possible. Urban day hikes are usually not limited to 12 persons. 

If you have questions about the Fort Worth Sierra Club Outings Program or wish to become an outings leader, contact the chairperson at 817-924-6242.