Point Reyes Nature Journaling Retreat
with John Muir Laws and Roseann Hanson
May 5- 10, 2025
Join John Muir Laws and Roseann Hanson for a 6-day nature journaling retreat at the stunning Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California.
Join us for a fun, peaceful, creative, and joyful 6-day, 5-night nature journaling retreat on the stunning Northern California coast. Throughout the week, we’ll hike and explore this beautiful region, journaling the landscapes, birds, and other natural wonders we encounter. This retreat will energize your nature journaling practice, while inspiring, challenging, and encouraging you to connect with nature, fellow journalers, and yourself. All experience levels are welcome.
We’ll share the joy of journaling and being in nature, while we discuss different journaling techniques and habits as well as the impact of a growth mindset. Jack and Roseann will lead workshops on various nature journaling topics along with informal tutorials in the field.
Our days will include morning walks, field lunches, and evening sessions, offering ample opportunities for journaling and reflection. One special highlight of this retreat will be a bird banding demonstration with the Palomarin Field Station, operated by Point Blue Conservation Science, giving you up-close looks at birds in the hand. As one of the oldest bird banding stations in the United States, it is a premiere location for long-term bird studies and a fascinating place for nature journaling.
You will come away with a journal full of beautiful memories, new journaling friends, and the tools, inspiration, and motivation to continue your nature journaling journey.
Please review the detailed information below before you register, including teacher bios, ticket price options, and cancellation policy.
LOCATION
Our retreat base will be in Inverness, CA, giving us easy access to the wonders of the beloved Point Reyes National Seashore, a stunning landscape that is among the most visited spots in the United States. With its spectacular views, gorgeous beaches, rolling hills, and rich ecosystems filled with life, it is an ideal location to inspire awe, wonder, curiosity, and journal pages.
SCHEDULE
Please plan to arrive at as early as 3pm and no later than 5pm on Monday, May 5, so that you can get situated in your accommodations, take a deep breath of ocean air, and be ready for dinner and our first evening’s gathering. The retreat will end after lunch on Saturday, May 10. Each day will be fun, full, and long, and participants may opt out of classes or field trips at their discretion. Our hikes will be gentle—most will be slow and less than 1 mile. Registered participants will receive a schedule as well as a suggested packing list closer to the event.
ACCOMODATIONS
Located in Inverness, CA, the St. Columba’s Inverness retreat center is a beautiful, rustic, comfortable 3-story redwood house with views of Tomales Bay, a chapel, a large commercial kitchen and dining area on the first floor, cozy gathering rooms, and shared bathrooms and shower facilities. (NOTE: There is no elevator.) Here, our catering team will take care of all the meal planning, cooking, and dishes, and you get to play in nature all day. You may choose to stay in a single room, a double room, a multiple room, or make your own accommodations nearby–there are plenty of rentals in the area—search “Inverness, CA” on AirBnB or check out local accommodations such as Motel Inverness and Olema Campground.
NOTE: Regardless of which accommodation option you choose, all meals are included and there is not a registration option that does not include meals.
Note on group rooms and accommodations
To ensure a restful and peaceful environment for all participants, we kindly ask that those who are noisy sleepers (e.g. loud snoring, CPAP machines, etc) or have other habits that may disrupt others’ sleep please refrain from booking a group room. We encourage you to select a private room or an offsite option to ensure your comfort and to be considerate of others’ sleep needs.
Group rooms may include both genders. Double rooms will be assigned to people of the same gender.
This retreat center is located in a historic building, and as such, some bed and room accommodations may be non-standard. For example, some rooms include bottom bunk beds or shorter twin beds that may not be suitable for taller individuals. The center has 3 floors and stairs but no elevator. If you have specific preferences for your bedding arrangements or require accommodations with more modern amenities, we suggest considering an offsite option. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us ensure a comfortable experience for everyone.
MEALS
All meals from dinner on Monday, May 5, through lunch on Saturday May 10, are included no matter which housing option you choose. The catering team aims to source foods from the bounty of local farmers in the area, and they will accommodate your dietary restrictions—we will send registered participants a survey to gather that information. Meals will be served buffet style in a simple dining room. There will be a hot breakfast and dinner served each day, and lunch fixings will be set out with breakfast so you can make yourself lunch for the field. Coffee, tea, and water are available all day. You are also welcome to bring additional snacks for yourself.
TRANSPORTATION
The nearest airport is San Francisco. We do not offer airport transfers, but we are happy to help connect participants to share rides to/from the airport. We also encourage participants driving from similar geographic areas to carpool, and we will help participants connect about those options. San Francisco also offers an extensive public transportation system that allows travelers to take buses from the SFO airport to Inverness, CA. NOTE: We will be taking field trips during the week that require driving, and participants will share rides with those who have cars.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Wild Wonder Foundation is committed to inclusiveness, respect, and equal opportunity for everyone as we nurture and celebrate a diverse, global community of nature journalers. We have a very limited number of partial scholarships available. Those who face economic barriers, underrepresentation, and/or historic marginalization are eligible for financial support, and we will give scholarship priority to those most in need of assistance. Learn more and apply here.
COST
There are multiple registration options, all of which include all meals from Monday dinner through Saturday lunch. There is no registration option that does not include all meals. All onsite rooms require at least one flight of stairs. All onsite rooms have shared bathrooms unless otherwise noted. All rates shown are per person.
Offsite Lodging Ticket:
$1770–offsite ticket. You are responsible for booking your own accommodations for each night of the retreat.
Retreat Center Tickets:
$1900– Small (under 20 feet) RV or camper* ticket at St. Columba’s (no sewer or electrical hookups available) with access to the bathrooms inside. - SOLD OUT
$2190– Group room (up to 8 people total in one large room) with a twin bed bottom bunk (no one will be in the top bunk) - SOLD OUT
$2300–Group room (up to 8 people total in one large room) with a twin bed
$2420–Group room (up to 8 people total in one large room) with a queen bed
$2530–Double room with short (best for those who are 5”4’ and under), elevated twin beds (has a step stool)
$2680–Double room with a twin bed
$2980–Single room with a twin bed - SOLD OUT
$3150–Single room with a full bed - SOLD OUT
$3300–Single room with a queen bed - SOLD OUT
$3550–Single room with a queen bed and private half bath - SOLD OUT
*Each RV with a single participant requires one RV ticket. Additional participants in the RV will need their own off-site ticket.
This retreat has capacity for 30-40 participants.
Is your preferred option sold out? Please fill out the Wild Wonder Retreats Wait List form asap. We get cancellations and will fill the open spaces in the order that wait list entries are received.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
We require all participants to purchase travel insurance that includes cancellation and medical evacuation. This is to ensure that you protect yourself financially if you experience illness before departure, cancelled flights, lost baggage, or a medical incident during the event OR if we have to cancel the event due to local emergencies such as wildfire, flood, or global health crises. We recommend Travelguard for this insurance, but you are free to choose the carrier that works best for you. Cost varies depending on your age, home state, and total travel costs, but it’s affordable and well worth the peace of mind it offers. Allianz Travel, Seven Corners, Travelex, and Faye are all highly rated travel insurance providers with options for trip cancellation coverage.
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS
If you cancel on/before March 20, 2025, you will receive a refund minus a $450 cancellation fee. If you cancel after that date, there will be no refunds. Please ensure that you purchase travel insurance, so in the event that you need to cancel, the insurance can cover reimbursement of expenses.
You may arrange to transfer your ticket to someone else (meaning you find someone else to buy your ticket from you and you arrange that transaction) by April 4, 2025 for a $250 fee.
Note: Refunds can take 3-5 business days to process.
RETREAT EXPECTATIONS
To ensure a positive, supportive, and healthy experience, we ask that all retreat participants read, understand, and agree to the following:
Please review the Wild Wonder Foundation Retreats COVID Policy as all participants will be asked to follow these guidelines.
Please review the Wild Wonder Community Values and Expectations of Conduct
Be aware, you will need to sign the necessary liability waivers for the retreat venue and the Wild Wonder Foundation before the retreat. These forms will be sent to your email ahead of the retreat.
Please review the refund and cancellation policy carefully before purchasing your ticket. Cancellations made less than 45 days before the retreat start date are non-refundable.
QUESTIONS?
Please begin by reviewing our Frequently Asked Questions (located at the bottom of this page) to see if your question is answered there. If not, please reach out to us at retreats@wildwonder.org, and we will respond as soon as possible, typically within 3 business days. Please note that we are a small team with limited staffing.
Note: Our retreat tickets tend to sell out quickly, so we anticipate a fully booked event.
Meet Your Leaders
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John Muir Laws
A principal leader and innovator of the worldwide nature journaling movement, John Muir Laws (aka Jack) is an award-winning naturalist, artist, author, scientist, and educator who has dedicated nearly four decades of his life to connecting people to nature through art and science. The co-founder of Wild Wonder Foundation, Jack is the author of several books, including the Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada, Sierra Birds, Sierra Wildflowers, and the Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling. He has taught nature journaling for more than 4 decades, and his passion, curiosity, and generosity are legendary. MORE
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Roseann Hanson
Roseann Hanson is co-founder, operations manager, and treasurer of the Wild Wonder Foundation. She is the author of Nature Journaling for a Wild Life, an 8-week guided course for beginners, and Master of Field Arts, a deep-dive into becoming a master naturalist and field artist. For more than 35 years, Roseann has worked around the globe as a guide, journalist, and conservationist. She has authored a dozen natural history and outdoor books, and her work has involved thousands of miles of overlanding on five continents. She is an elected National Fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society in recognition of her conservation and science communications work. She established the trans-disciplinary Art & Science Program at the 117-year-old Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, part of the University of Arizona College of Science, and currently teaches through her own Field Arts Institute. MORE
Retreat Frequently Asked Questions
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Please see each retreat page for specific dates. If you cancel 45 days or more before the retreat, you will receive a refund minus a $450 cancellation fee. There are no refunds after that period. You may arrange to transfer your ticket to someone else (meaning you find someone else to buy your ticket from you and you arrange that transaction) up to 30 days prior to the retreat for a transfer fee of $250.
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Please review the Wild Wonder Foundation COVID Policy.
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Yes, we ask that you buy travel insurance to protect you if you have to cancel or leave early. Please review each retreat’s cancellation policy carefully. If you choose not to purchase travel insurance and need to cancel after the cancellation deadline, we will be unable to refund your ticket costs. This is due to the non-refundable expenses that the organization incurs while planning an event of this nature. We require participants to purchase travel insurance to ensure you are financially protected in the event of an unexpected cancellation. Thank you for your understanding.
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The travel insurance requirement is in place to protect participants in the event of unexpected last-minute cancellations, which we unfortunately cannot refund. For example, if you were to fall ill or test positive for COVID right before the trip, travel insurance would help cover both the ticket fee and any other expenses, like flights.
Additionally, some participants purchase emergency medical coverage as part of their travel insurance plan, especially if they are traveling from out of state where their health insurance may not be accepted or may not provide full coverage.
We want to ensure you're fully protected should anything unexpected arise, and travel insurance is the best way to safeguard your investment.
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We will provide registered participants with a high-level schedule approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of retreat. Note: because outdoor retreats can be subject to unpredictable weather and changing conditions, we are not able to offer a detailed hour-by-hour itinerary. Instead, we maintain a flexible, high-level schedule that allows us to adjust as needed in order to best accommodate the group and the environment. This flexibility helps us ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience, regardless of unforeseen circumstances.
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Yes, you may send your rooming preferences to us and we will accommodate where possible.
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Double occupancy and group room tickets are for participants who will share a room with one or more people. If you have a specific friend or person you’d like to room with, feel free to email us at retreats@wildwonder.org to make that request. Otherwise, roommates will be randomly assigned.
Please note that group rooms (for 3 or more people) may include mixed-gender assignments, while double occupancy rooms will be assigned same-gender roommates. None of these options involve sharing a bed—each bed is separate, and the bed type is listed in the ticket details.
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No, we cannot provide refunds after the cancellation deadline.
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No. Tickets are only available for the full retreat.
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This is an option for some retreats including the Point Reyes retreat, the Sierra Nevada retreat, and the Bainbridge Island retreat that offer off-site tickets. NOTE: All tickets include all meals, and there is no ticket that does not include meals.
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No.
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Children over 12 may attend when accompanied by an adult who is responsible for the young person’s supervision at all times. The child will require a separate ticket and there is no discount for children.
Note: Additional paperwork for children will be required.
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Yes. We will survey participants ahead of the retreat to gather food requirements.
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Yes, we have a small number of partial scholarships for each retreat–click here for the application. Note: Retreats sell out quickly, and we hold a small number of spots for scholarships. If you apply for a scholarship and do not receive it, all retreats will likely be sold out by the time you are notified.
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Due to the nature of our retreat locations and activities, most of our venues involve walking on uneven terrain and navigating steps or irregular ground. Activities at the retreats often include walking on trails, sometimes up to a mile. While all activities are optional, participants who require accommodations may find that they are unable to fully participate in some of the outdoor activities.
Our most accessible venue this year is IslandWood on Bainbridge Island, WA. This venue offers a variety of accessible features, including ADA-compliant bathrooms, lodging, parking, and trails. There are also staff members available at the retreat to provide golf cart rides to assist participants with getting around the campus as needed. Please note that some off-site activities may not be fully accessible, and we may use campus paths that are not ADA-compliant during the retreat.
At our Sierra Retreat this year, we offer some lodging options at Big Springs, including several ADA-compliant rooms. However, please note that most of our outdoor activities will involve dirt trails and uneven terrain. The field campus itself is not paved, so participants will need to navigate dirt paths and stairs to reach the dining hall.
We want to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, so please feel free to reach out if you have specific accessibility needs or concerns. We’ll do our best to accommodate.
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While we can’t guarantee that everyone in your group will get a spot in the same room or that tickets will still be available when you sign up (our tickets can sell out quickly at times), we recommend having one person purchase all the tickets for your group at once. This gives you the best chance of securing all the spots together.
If you're unable to get all the tickets you wanted, consider exploring some of our other room options. Alternatively, you can cancel or reach out to us about a ticket transfer if you're interested.
We encourage you to carefully review our cancellation policy before purchasing your tickets. Please note that Wild Wonder incurs non-refundable transaction fees when tickets are purchased, so we are unable to offer a full refund once a ticket has been purchased.
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Fill out the Wild Wonder Retreats Wait List form if you are interested in attending a retreat but the tickets are sold out. We will contact you in the order you sign up if a spot opens up or a ticket transfer is available.
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Retreats and other paid events enable Wild Wonder to offer many low-cost and free events each year. Retreat pricing reflects the costs of paying experienced instructors and support staff, high quality food and experienced catering staff, and ensuring a quality experience for all participants. In addition, a portion of each ticket price supports retreat scholarships.
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If you cannot find the information you need in the retreat description or FAQs, please reach out to us at retreats@wildwonder.org, and we will respond as soon as possible, typically within 3 business days. Please note that we are a small team with limited staffing.