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Here's a question worth asking before you book another offsite: does your team actually remember the last one?
Most retreats blur together. Same hotel conference room. Same catering trays. Same slide deck about "alignment." People fly home tired instead of recharged.
We built something different. Usal Redwood Forest is a 50,000-acre working conservation property on California's Mendocino Coast, about four hours north of San Francisco. Redwood Forest Foundation runs a two-day corporate retreat here for teams of up to ten people. No conference room. Old-growth trees. A field forester. Actual quiet.
Why Does a Redwood Forest Setting Help Teams Reset?
A redwood forest setting helps teams reset because old-growth trees, spotty cell service, and slow-paced walking sessions remove the usual office distractions. Standing beneath 300-foot trees naturally slows people down, so conversations turn more honest and ideas surface faster than they do in a hotel conference room.
Nobody needs convincing to slow down standing under a 300-foot tree. That's the part a hotel can't replicate.
Cell service drops out fast in Usal. The agenda has room to breathe. People walk instead of sit in rows. Somewhere around the second morning, conversations change. They get slower. Less performative. People say what they actually think instead of what sounds good in a meeting.
That shift is the whole point. A team that feels calm thinks better. Ideas come easier when nobody's checking Slack under the table. Research on time spent in nature backs this up, linking it to lower stress and clearer thinking.
What Does a Two-Day Corporate Retreat Itinerary Include?
A two-day corporate retreat at Usal Redwood Forest follows a set itinerary: day one covers arrival and a forest walk, and day two adds breathwork, a guided restoration-site tour, a hands-on tree planting, and a facilitated leadership session before the group heads back to San Francisco.
The retreat runs two days, one night. Small group, ten people max, so nothing feels rushed or staged.
- Day 1: Arrival and a guided introduction walk into the redwood forest, followed by a shared dinner with no phones at the table.
- Day 2, morning: Optional breathwork and guided meditation, then a walk through an active restoration site with Steve, RFF's field forester.
- Day 2, midday: A hands-on redwood planting before lunch, tied to the same reforestation work RFF runs across Usal Redwood Forest.
- Day 2, afternoon: A facilitated leadership session built around clarity and focus, before the group heads back toward San Francisco.
Day One starts with arrival and a slow walk into the forest. No orientation deck, just an introduction to the land and a first look at the canopy. The evening winds down over a shared dinner, no phones on the table.
Day Two opens early with optional breathwork and a guided meditation outdoors, then breakfast. Mid-morning, the group meets Steve, our field forester, for a walk through an active restoration site. Real work happens there. Stream restoration, wildlife monitoring, the actual process of bringing a forest back to health.
Everyone plants a redwood by hand before lunch. Small task. Permanent result. That tree keeps growing long after the retreat ends.
The afternoon holds the facilitated leadership session, built around clarity and focus, before the group heads back toward San Francisco.
What Does a Team Take Home From a Corporate Retreat at Usal?
A team leaves a Usal Redwood Forest retreat with more than a group photo: one honest conversation the group might not have had in an office, a newly planted redwood tied to the trip, and direct support for the same restoration work they walked through firsthand.
Lodging, meals, and transportation from San Francisco are included. The package runs $25,000 for up to ten people.
But the real return isn't logistical. It's a team that had one honest conversation they wouldn't have had in a conference room, and a tree in the ground that outlives the fiscal year. Some offsites end in a group photo. This one ends in a place people actually go back to, at least in conversation, for months afterward.
There's a longer story your team steps into as well. Redwood Forest Foundation funds forest protection through sustainable forestry, not donations alone. The retreat fee goes straight into the same restoration work the group walks through during the trip. Not a side activity. The mission, moving, while the team stands inside it.
How Do You Book a Corporate Retreat at Usal Redwood Forest?
If your team needs two days away from screens to think clearly and reconnect, get in touch with Alex about dates and availability. Retreats cost $25,000 for up to ten people, with dates confirmed directly through Alex.
📧 alex@redwoodforests.org | 📞 201-498-6017
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Redwood Forest Foundation corporate retreat?
A two-day, one-night retreat for up to ten people, held on a 50,000-acre working redwood forest on the Mendocino Coast. It includes guided forest walks, hands-on restoration work, and a facilitated leadership session.
How much does the corporate retreat cost?
A two-day, one-night corporate retreat costs $25,000 for up to ten people. That price includes lodging, meals, and transportation from San Francisco, plus guided forest walks, a hands-on redwood-planting activity, and a facilitated leadership session.
Where does the retreat take place?
At Usal Redwood Forest, about four hours north of San Francisco on California's Mendocino Coast, with lodging at a nearby coastal property.
How many people can attend a retreat?
Each retreat is capped at ten people so the experience stays personal and unhurried. A smaller group means more direct time with Steve, RFF's field forester, during the restoration walk, and more room for candid conversation during the leadership session.
Is this a wellness retreat or a leadership retreat?
Both. Mornings open with optional breathwork and quiet forest immersion, and afternoons hold a structured leadership session focused on clarity and focus. It's built to do the job of a corporate offsite without ever feeling like one.
