Announcing the Traveling The Cannabis Trail Series, A Cultural Journey in collaboration with Beard Bros. With the advancement of legal cannabis around the world, the modern-day leisure travel experience is evolving with a quickness. Similar to the bootlegger tunnels and moonshine tales of alcohol’s past, cannabis stories and experiences that were once underground now exist in mainstream travel.
‘Place of Source’ legacy cannabis regions are increasingly compelling, as they evolve to meet the moment and find their footing as a modern-day cannabis travel destination that doubles as a cultural capital of the legalization movement. Simply put, today’s cannabis travel niche is shaping up to be as wonderfully abundant with culture and craft as it is with heady local settings and destination activities experienced in flow state.
Enter The Cannabis Trail. A one-of-a-kind cultural travel adventure that is a colorful tapestry of inspiring and brave…and sometimes heart-wrenching and shocking…cannabis and hemp stories and experiences. There are Twenty-Five (25) Points of Interest that make up The Cannabis Trail of Northern California. Some of them are officially recognized as Cultural Landmarks and bestowed with beautiful wall art plaques bearing a Cannabis Trail flag emblem, which are often proudly on display for visitors.
When these twenty-five (25) Cannabis Trail stops are stitched together in story and experience, they collectively create a celebration of the cannabis legalization movement and remind us WHY we have the safe and legal access to cannabis that many enjoy today. The featured stops along The Cannabis Trail are stories of human rights, off-the-grid living, resilience, compassion, regeneration, community and more.
The Cannabis Trail travels from Santa Cruz to The Emerald Triangle and is a third pillar of the Northern California experience alongside the Marin Cheese Trail and the Sonoma County Wine Road. The California Cannabis Trail honors the pioneers, places and significant historical moments that paved the way for legal cannabis access.
The Cannabis Trail is an immersive adventure for cannabis enthusiasts, history buffs, and culture seekers craving a rare and extraordinary travel experience.
Join me in the coming weeks, as we virtually travel The Cannabis Trail together. Each of the following installments will spotlight a specific Point of Interest along the nine-country Cannabis Trail of Northern California.
Enjoy the journey as we shine a light on the pioneers, places, and significant moments of the cannabis legalization movement.
BRIAN APPLEGARTH is a travel writer and innovator with a passion for cannabis travel experiences and cultural heritage preservation.
He has written for San Francisco Travel, Visit Oakland, Local Getaways, Skunk Magazine, Green State, Pineapple Express, Visit Greater Palm Springs, Visit Mendocino County and others. Brian was the sole advisor on the first ever national research on the cannabis-motivated travel audience in the United States.
He has been quoted in Forbes, The Washington Post, Smart Meetings, Travel Weekly and elsewhere, and his award-winning work has been featured on NPR, CBS, NBC, and The New York Times.
Brian is the founder of the Cannabis Travel Association International and the co-founder and co-creator of the CA State Fair Cannabis Awards & Exhibit. He leads the Cannabis & Hemp Task Force for the California Travel Association and Destinations International and is a certified cannabis sommelier Ganjier and a certified cannabis therapy consultant.
He recently published The Ganja Traveler’s Guide to the Emerald Triangle, a first-of-its-kind travel guide to California’s legacy craft cannabis region. Follow Brian on Instagram @thecannabistrail and @theganjatraveler or learn more at www.brianapplegarth.com.
