Tarantula Trek

Reservations required: mtdiablohiker@gmail.com

Limited spaces available so reserve early!

Leaders: Ken Lavin and Liz Watson

“I know I am not capable of suffering more than I did during those few minutes of suspense in the dark, surrounded by those creeping, bloody-minded tarantulas.” (Mark Twain, Roughing It)

Join us on this nature walk up Mitchell Canyon and we will dispel any malicious rumors you might have heard from Mark Twain or others about Mount Diablo’s iconic arachnids.

Tarantulas are actually the "teddy bears" of Mount Diablo; they even have a dance called the tarantella named for them. You'll also have a chance to meet tarantulas named Scarlett O'Harry and Wishbone, the real-life (not just Facebook friends) of outing leaders Liz and Ken. As darkness fall, we'll be on the lookout for the spiders’ biofluorescent relatives – scorpions!