Los Angeles Inner City Outings welcomes schools and groups to take hikes that spark interest and enthusiasm for the natural environment. In order to make sure all trips go smoothly (and safely), ICO has developed the following guidelines and procedures.

ICO and Agency Liaisons

• ICO will assign each agency an ICO member designated as a contact person who will assist in scheduling hikes and finding leaders.
• Each agency should appoint a liaison who will assist in making hike participants aware of how to plan for the trip and the rules on the trail.
• The ICO contact, the liaison, and agency should have each other’s phone numbers.
• The ICO contact needs to fill out an "ICO Outings Information Form" which the ICO Bus Coordinator keeps on file.

Scheduling Trips

• To register your school or agency with Los Angeles ICO, a representative must first attend one of ICO's monthly meetings. The first hike can be requested at that meeting.

Monthly meetings:
7:30pm (new agency people and new volunteers should arrive at meeting at 7pm)
on the third Monday of every month
(except Jan and Feb)
at the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter headquarters
located in the Equitable Building
3435 Wilshire Blvd., #320
(one block east of Normandie)  

Enter on Mariposa for free night parking in the parking garage under the building.

Click here to view a MAP

• Trips must be scheduled at least 6 weeks in advance, unless the school or agency provides its own transportation.
• After the first trip, future trips are scheduled through the ICO member designated as contact person.
• The agency liaison should check in the following issue of the Angeles ICO newsletter bulletin and with the ICO contact to verify that the trip is scheduled.
• ICO hikes are closed hikes and are not published in the Angeles Chapter Schedule.

Transportation To and From the Hike

• Most trips rely on school buses that ICO contracts for. Normally, the pick-up and final drop-off point for the kids, parents, and teachers must be within the City of Los Angeles or an adjacent, unincorporated section of Los Angeles County for this free bus service.
• School buses hold about 50-55 persons. Sometimes two classes go on the same hike, but the quality of a hike is better with fewer people (an optimal number is about 20 to 30 participants).
• Bus pick up and return times are generally:

8:30am – 2:30pm on Weekends
9:00am – 2:00pm on Weekdays

• Changing the date or destination of a hike requires 10 days advance notice. Please contact your trip leader and the ICO Bus Coordinator.
• If you must cancel a hike that has been scheduled, please contact your leader promptly. Buses that are not canceled at least 48 hours in advance of the hike must be paid for by ICO. It is the leader's responsibility to cancel the bus.
• Most of our outings are in the Santa Monica Mountains because the Mountains Education Program subsidizes part of the cost of the buses to the Santa Monica Mountains for schools located in the City of Los Angeles.
• If your school or agency is outside the City of Los Angeles, the agency may furnish its own transportation or sometimes the City Council members or County Supervisors donate a bus. A bus can also be rented from the city.

Where Trips Go

• ICO schedules hikes in these parks most frequently:

-Malibu Creek State Park
-Topanga State Park
-Solstice Canyon
-Temescal Canyon
-Will Rogers State Historical Park

• Occasionally hiking or overnight camping trips to the San Gabriel Mountains are scheduled, with snow trips in winter. Prior to being eligible for a camping trip, an agency must participate in at least two ICO hiking trips so ICO leaders, children, and adult participants get to know one another.

Pre-Trip Preparation

• Schools and agencies are responsible for getting waivers and permission slips from the parents.
• Teachers are encouraged to prepare the children about local natural history, geography, and plant and animal life so the hike will be more meaningful and supplemental to their studies. The goal is to get the children interested in nature, rather than being just an extra exercise period.
• If possible, the ICO hike leader(s) will visit the school a few days before the trip to prepare the children by setting expectations and initiating thoughtful discussion.
• Teachers also should review the Hiker Reminder form (English or Spanish) with the participants (which includes Planning for Your Trip and Rules on the Trail) a few days before the trip, the day before the trip, and the morning of the trip. Special attention should be paid to wearing sturdy shoes and bringing plenty of water. Consult the trip leader about specific needs.
• Teachers should be mindful that the hikes are easy for some but strenuous for others. Family members and other adults accompanying the children should be in as good shape as the children themselves. Strollers cannot be accommodated on a trail and most people are not capable of carrying little children for several miles up and down trails.

The Day of the Hike

• ICO requires at least one adult from the agency for each ten children.
• Before boarding the bus, make sure that the children have remembered the items they were supposed to bring. Although the ICO leaders may have some spare items, they will not have enough for the whole group. The children should come prepared. Only adults with waivers and students with waivers and permissions slips will be allowed to hike.
• Unless otherwise arranged, the ICO leaders and volunteers for the hike will meet the school bus (or agency vehicles) at the trailhead or the hike's starting point.
• Leaders will conduct an orientation for the group.
• Adults should have fun, talk with the children, share their knowledge of nature, assist in maintaining order, and otherwise help the leaders as requested.

Contact ICO
View the About ICO page for contact information.

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