UPDATE 4/10, 4:30 pm: The 4/21 hike is sold out.
Join Certified California Naturalist John Lynch on his wondrous wildflower walks.
On 3/2, we’ll follow Pony Gate Trail’s grassy slope, into the Oak woodland and through a mixed evergreen forest, along Canyon Trail’s shady riparian corridor lined with redwoods, to the 25-foot dramatic plunge of Sonoma Creek and back to the our starting point at the Visitor Center.
Departing from the Visitor Center, the 3/23 route takes us on the Creekside and Hillside trails returning via Meadow.
On 4/6, from the White Barn, we’ll scout Hillside to Brushy Peaks turning around at the Neptune picnic table and back on Meadow Trail.
We’ll celebrate Earth Day on 4/21 on Vista Trail via Lower Bald Mtn (from the White Barn) and returning on Meadow Trail.
Wear hiking shoes, layers appropriate for weather, bring at least a quart of water, a camera, and wildflower guides if you have one. Tickets are $10-$15 sliding scale for general audiences, $5 for students, youth (12-17 year olds; must be accompanied by an adult), Sugarloaf members and volunteers, and free for children under 12. Parking fees apply. Heavy rain or wind cancels and will be announced by 9:00am the day of the hike.
Ease of access: The Pony Gate-Canyon loop is approximately 2 miles with an elevation of 595 ft. Both trails are single-track dirt trails with steps that descend into a canyon. There is a seasonal water crossing (creek bed) on Pony Gate without a bridge.
The Creekside-Hillside-Meadow loop is ADA-compliant for approximately 0.35mi. From there, Hillside is a single-track dirt trail for 0.1mi that widens into a 2-mile fire road loop with two 100-foot hills and a small stream crossing with a wooden plank for a bridge. Meadow is passable by strollers or wheelchair up to the bridge, about a mile in, but is not officially an ADA-compliant trail.
Hillside Trail is a single-track dirt trail for 0.1mi that widens into a 2-mile fire road loop with two 100-foot hills and a small stream crossing with a wooden plank for a bridge. Brushy Peaks Trail is a rugged single-track dirt trail with 650 feet of elevation and a short section of steps.
Lower Bald Mtn Trail is a single-track gravel and dirt trail with at times, rough terrain and steps. It connects to Bald Mtn Trail, a steep, paved fire road. Vista Trail is a single-track dirt trail with at least three stretches of steep steps and at least two small seasonal water crossings without a bridge. Gray Pine, the connecting trail between Vista and Meadow Trails, has a year-round stream crossing with a board for a bridge.
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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar.
CA Naturalist Carolyn Greene leads this wildflower hike along Lower Bald Mountain Trail through mixed evergreen forest and chaparral. Enjoy the warming spring sun, the variety of colors, shapes, scents, and arrangements peeking through the vegetation, as well as the added bonus of whatever birds cross our path.
Tickets are $5-$10 sliding scale for adults and free for children under 18. Meet at the White Barn. Wear hiking shoes, layers appropriate for weather, bring at least a quart of water, sun protection, a camera, and a wildflower guide if you have it. Parking fees apply. Heavy rain cancels.
The 2024 City Nature Challenge runs from April 26 to 29. It’s a bioblitz-style friendly competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people. Learn more about City Nature Challenge or view the Sugarloaf Project here!
Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, record, and/or identify life in the park. Smartphones with the iNaturalist app will be our main tool, but those lacking phones are also welcome to participate. If you haven’t used iNaturalist, or haven’t made an observation for a while, this is your chance – just make sure to load the iNaturalist app on your phone before you arrive. This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from April 26-29. View the rest of our City Nature Challenge activities here!
Ease of access: The main parking lot has one van-accessible parking space and an accessible vault toilet. There is no running water in this area. The Lower Bald Mountain trailhead beginning from the main parking lot is a single-track dirt and gravel trail of approximately one mile in length and 500 ft of elevation gain. It has narrow sections with steps and switchbacks, as well as some wider sections in full sun exposure. Stern Trail is a roughly-paved fireroad with a few steep areas of loose gravel. It is about a mile in length, with the second half of the mile being flatter and sunny.
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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.
Join wildflower poet and Sugarloaf docent Phil Weil on this wildflower walk along Lower Bald Mountain and Meadow Trail.
Meet at the main parking lot, about 1/4 past the entrance kiosk. Tickets are $5-$10 sliding scale for adults and free for children under 18. Wear comfortable shoes, sun protection, bring at least a quart of water, a fully-charged battery on your mobile device, butterfly identification guides (if you have them), and if desired, a snack. Parking fees apply; rains cancel.
The 2024 City Nature Challenge runs from April 26 to 29. It’s a bioblitz-style friendly competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people. Learn more about City Nature Challenge or view the Sugarloaf Project here!
Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, record, and/or identify life in the park. Smartphones with the iNaturalist app will be our main tool, but those lacking phones are also welcome to participate. If you haven’t used iNaturalist, or haven’t made an observation for a while, this is your chance – just make sure to load the iNaturalist app on your phone before you arrive. This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from April 26-29. View the rest of our City Nature Challenge activities here!
Ease of access: The main parking lot has one van-accessible parking space and an accessible vault toilet. There is no running water in this area. The Lower Bald Mountain trailhead beginning from the main parking lot is a single-track dirt and gravel trail with narrow sections, steps, and switchbacks, and elevation gain of at least 100ft. The Meadow Trail is a mostly-flat, unpaved fireroad of approximately one mile in length with some sections in full sun exposure.
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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.
Do you enjoy slow walks in a valley, breezes, wildflowers, the sounds of songbirds, the taste of a Douglas Fir needle or a California Bay leaf, the aroma of tarweed, or watching wild turkeys and California Quail hunt for seeds and insects in the grass? Join California Certified Naturalists Marie-Kay Hansen and Judy Armstrong for this series of meandering explorations. Each month (weather-permitting) we will explore one or two of our accessible trails– the Creekside Nature Trail, or the Meadow Trail. Suitable for all levels and a range of mobility, these Sunday afternoon adventures will accommodate young children, parents with babies in strollers, and people using walkers or wheelchairs as well as those who just enjoy slow walks in nature that stimulate the five senses.
Our May program will focus on the serpentine grassland along Meadow Trail, chaparral along Hillside Trail, the riparian area and oak woodlands adjacent to Creekside Trail, and the fir forests on Sugarloaf Ridge above the campground. There will be frequent stops and opportunities for conversation, photography, nature journaling, wildlife viewing, resting, etc., so bring your nature journal, camera, or binoculars, if you have them. We also invite you to bring a small, foldable camping chair, if you think you might need it.
Tickets are $5-$10 sliding scale for adults and free for children under 12. Wear comfortable shoes, a hat, sun protection, bring at least a quart of water and if desired, a snack.
Ease of access: There is one van-designated accessible parking spot at the White Barn, as well as an accessible porta-potty. The Lower Bald Mt Trail trailhead from the Observatory is a rough gravel hiking trail of approximately 671ft in length and 54ft of elevation gain. Meadow Trail is an unpaved fire road that is mostly flat although not technically ADA-compliant. Some wheelchair users with off-road capacity chairs have successfully travelled this trail, which during the dry season is relatively accessible for viewing different habitats including a large meadow. Hillside has three trailheads; the northernmost one that connects the Meadow Trail with the White Barn is relatively flat and compacted gravel. The Creekside Nature Trail is a 0.49-mi (one way) ADA-compliant trail. The path from Creekside to the amphitheater is a 433ft unpaved road with a maximum running slope of 13%. The path from the amphitheater center to the campground is 77ft, concrete paved, with a narrow bridge with tall side rails.
For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar.