Hiking Zen Retreat

Join the Deer Park monks and nuns for mindful hiking and camping in the chaparral mountains surrounding Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA
March 1 - 7

Join the Deer Park monks and nuns for mindful hiking and camping in the chaparral mountains surrounding Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA
March 1 - 7

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DonateWe warmly invite you to join us for our Hiking Zen Retreat at Deer Park Monastery, our third camping trip held in the chaparral mountains of Escondido, CA. Together, we will walk mindfully through the mountains that hold and protect Deer Park, pitching our tents beneath wide skies and resting on the earth as our teacher.
Dates: March 1 - 7, 2026
This retreat is camping only—there are no dorm accommodations—offering a simple and intimate way to practice, breathe, and come home to ourselves through each step. For those who wish, there is the option to hike without carrying a backpack; some of our brothers will lovingly transport your gear ahead to Dixon Lake, allowing you to walk with greater ease and freedom.
In the spirit of togetherness, simplicity, and joy, we invite you to slow down, walk gently, and let the mountains support your practice.



From time to time we offer multi-week courses related to mindfulness, the teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh, and a variety of similar subjects. Please see our schedule of upcoming courses.

Take the Deer Park Monastery and Plum Village community with you wherever you go. The Plum Village app is designed to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and joy through guided meditations, deep relaxations, practice poems, bells of mindfulness, and other practices — all through a mobile device.
