Exploring the Healing Power of Nature: Sempervirens Fund Launches Trails Rx Program

The Sempervirens Fund land trust has recently launched a new program known as Trails Rx, which provides detailed guides to five trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Each trail includes suggested activities to promote health and wellness as you walk. The Trails Rx program features trails such as the Six Bridges Trail in Butano State Park, Atkinson Bluff Trail in Año Nuevo State Park, and trails in Big Basin, Castle Rock, and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parks farther south.

According to Sara Barth, the executive director of Sempervirens Fund, the Trails Rx program not only focuses on promoting health but also highlights the connection between the well-being of the forests and that of the communities. The program encourages individuals to fully immerse themselves in the environment as they hike along each trail. Each trail has a dedicated webpage with prompts designed to bring attention to the wellness features of the hike.

For example, the Atkinson Bluff Trail guide suggests taking 5-10 minutes to observe the surroundings in silence, focusing on looking up high, down low, at objects up close, and observing the surroundings in the distance. Additionally,