San Fransisco, CA
TRIP INFO
Site Leaders
Ayla Pearson
Sophia Meagher
Type of Service
Environmental
Site Partner(s)
San Mateo Parks and Recreation
LOGISTICS
Departure Date
3/2/2024
Return Date
3/9/2024
Participants
8
Cost/Person
$980
Site Leader Description #1
Ayla is a third year biochemistry major from New Hampshire. She has been on two ASB trips to
Moab and Portland and is excited to return to the west coast for more environmental service
and fun adventures! When not memorizing nucleotide structures, Ayla can be found running with
the UVA club team, practicing yoga, baking, or playing with her kitten, Stevie.
Site Leader Description #2
Hi, I’m Sophia and I am a third year behavioral neuroscience major from Virginia Beach! I went
on the Florida Keys ASB trip last year, so now I’m super excited to explore the opposite side of
the country! Outside of class and going on awesome ASB adventures, I am one of Club
Running’s social chairs and enjoy hiking, cheering on UVA sports, and watching movies!
Trip Logistics
We will be driving to the Dulles airport on Saturday for an evening flight and arriving in
San Francisco around 8:30 pm. We will then drive to our Airbnb, get a good night’s sleep, and
spend Sunday exploring San Francisco and buying groceries. Monday through Friday will
consist of service with San Mateo County Parks and Rec from morning to early afternoon, and
afternoons will be spent hiking, sightseeing, and other fun adventures! We will finish up our trip
with an Alcatraz tour on Saturday morning, then pack up our Airbnb and head to the airport in
the evening for our 11 pm flight back to Dulles. We will get back to Dulles at 8:30 am on Sunday,
and should be back in Charlottesville by noon.
Participant Requirements
There are no specific requirements or skills for this trip but we expect our participants to
have a positive attitude, passion for service, and love of the outdoors! Participants should be
prepared to wake up early, get their hands dirty doing several hours of outdoor activity during
and after service, and contribute to cooking and cleaning duties at the Airbnb.
Service Activities
We will be spending most of our service time volunteering with the San Mateo Parks and
Recreation department, which manages many parks in the greater San Francisco area. We will
be working in multiple locations throughout the week and helping with projects like trail
maintenance, planting, and other cleanup projects. San Francisco has a wide variety of natural
scenery so we will likely be doing and seeing something different every day!
Recreational Activities
After service is complete for the day, we are planning on doing several of the best-known
hikes in San Francisco as well as lots of other sightseeing and exploring! Hikes will include Twin
Peaks and Muir Woods National Monument. We are also planning on visiting several of San
Francisco’s beautiful beaches, spending an afternoon at Fisherman’s Wharf, exploring Golden
Gate Park, and riding a cable car! We will finish up our trip with an Alcatraz tour on Saturday!
Community/Area Background
San Francisco is an epicenter for art, music, food, and culture. The city is large and busy
but also includes a wide variety of natural attractions in the surrounding area. Just across the
Golden Gate Bridge lies expansive natural areas, including the Golden Gate Recreation Are and
Muir Woods National Recreation Area. Even within the city itself, rugged coastlines such as
Land’s End and green spaces like Golden Gate Park can be found.