Enjoy your yoga experience in the beautiful setting of our park! Susan Topf’s Yoga Hike balances a mix of easy hiking and gentle yoga postures, breath work and guided meditation, no mat necessary.
Please wear weather-appropriate clothing to feel comfortable being in a natural setting and bring water (as needed) and your mask.
Route varies on weather conditions and group interest that typically covers 2-3 miles of varied terrain.
Tickets are $30 and include parking if registered in advance online.
All levels and ages welcome. Meet at the Visitor’s Center unless otherwise noted in confirmation email prior to the hike. Limited to 12 participants.
Sábados 3 ó 17 de abril, 10AM- mediodía
Venga a disfrutar de una caminata llena de flores silvestres. Un guía nos acompañará en un recorrido de aproximadamente tres millas donde aprenderemos acerca de las flores silvestres en el parque durante la primavera, incluyendo algunas que solamente brotan después de incendios forestales.
En preparación para el Reto Naturalista Urbano (City Nature Challenge, CNC), utilizaremos la aplicación iNaturalist para documentar lo que veamos en el recorrido.
Nos reuniremos afuera del centro de visitantes diez minutos antes de las diez de la mañana. El evento y estacionamiento son gratuitos pero por favor regístrese aquí ya que el evento es limitado a 12 participantes.
Por favor vista calzado adecuado, capas, y traiga suficiente agua. También le invitamos traer una taza para que sus pequeños disfruten de chocolate caliente después de la caminata. Si tiene alguna pregunta contacte a alma@sonomaecologycenter.org Lluvias fuertes cancelan el evento. Observaremos órdenes de salud del Condado como el uso de cubrebocas y el distanciamiento personal.
Este evento es respaldado por Route to Parks, una beca de Parks California.
English: Wildflower Walk
Saturday 4/3 or 4/17, 10am-noon
Come enjoy a walk amongst the wildflowers. A guide will take us on a walk of about 3 miles where we’ll learn about the spring wildflowers in the park, including ones that only spring up after wildfires. In preparation for this year’s City Nature Challenge, we will utilize iNaturalist to document what we find during our walk.
We will meet behind the Visitor Center ten minutes prior to the event start time. This is a free event planned around a primarily Spanish speaking audience of up to 12. Families from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. Registration is required. Please wear appropriate clothing and bring a reusable container so your little ones can enjoy hot cocoa after the walk. Email alma@sonomaecologycenter.org with your questions. Heavy rains cancel. We will observe personal distancing and mask-wearing in compliance with County Health orders.
Senderos Naturales is supported by Route to Parks, a grant of Parks California.
Join Team Sugarloaf Docents for a spring wildflower walk in the post-fire environment of Sugarloaf.
These are leisurely 1-3 miles long along the Meadow/Hillside loop and Creekside Trail. This is a beginning to intermediate level hike. All trails contain small elevation gains with the exception of Meadow Trail. Wear appropriate footwear, bring water and dress in layers. Meet outside the Visitor Center.
The walk is $10, and an entry fee or park pass is required for vehicles. Participants are required to comply with County Health orders, including wearing a mask and observing at least a 6-foot distance from others outside their household.
Join Sonoma Ecology Center naturalists at Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve for one of the most spectacular wildflower displays in all of Sonoma County. Experience a pristine spring grassland with numerous species in full bloom. The 162-acre property in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain is protected by a Sonoma County Ag + Open Space conservation easement and the California Wildlife Conservation Board. The property is managed under a partnership with the landowner and Sonoma Ecology Center to protect the Preserve’s unique plants, thriving streams, and wildlife habitat.
This outing is a beginning-level walk over a gently sloped land. Most of the walk is through grassland, generally not on trails, so the footing can be uneven. The walk crosses a few small creek channels, which sometimes have shallow water with stepping stones. There is no charge for this outing, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.
Please note that these popular walks fill to capacity on a first-come, first-served basis every year, so early registration is encouraged! Walks will go on in light rain, but heavy rains will cancel the walk.
REGISTER TODAY! Registration is required, no later than 5pm the day before the walk. Directions and day-of-contact information will be emailed upon registration. For additional information or questions about the outing, please contact Tony Passantino at tony@sonomaecologycenter.org.
Join Certified California Naturalist John Lynch on his Wednesday wondrous wildflower walks.
The 3/31 route takes you on the Creekside and Hillside trails returning via Meadow.
On 4/7, we’ll explore Pony Gate to Canyon and back on the upper section of Pony Gate for our only views and anything we might have missed.
On 4/14, we’ll climb up Lower Bald to enjoy Vista and Meadow on the way back.
On 4/21 we’ll scout Hillside to Brushy Peaks turning around at the Neptune picnic table and back on Meadow.
Meet outside the Visitor Center. Wear hiking shoes, layers appropriate for weather, bring water, your mask, a camera, and wildflower guides if you have one. Tickets are $10 plus parking fee. Heavy rain or wind cancels and will be announced by 9AM the day of the hike.
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For more (socially distanced) events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.
Help Sugarloaf with trail restoration work. Work includes bridge and step construction, installing signs, clearing, lifting, carrying and hiking. Bring gloves, hat, and water that you can carry hands-free (i.e. bring a backpack). Wear long pants, boots or sturdy shoes and sunscreen. Poison oak is present, so long sleeves are suggested. We have tools and trained crew leaders with tasks for all. Minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult. We will provide tools, and if allowed, lunch.
If you are a current State Parks volunteer, signup in Volgistics.
Otherwise, sign up here.
The practice of Forest Therapy has been shown to improve health and well-being.
Have you heard about Shinrin-yoku or Forest bathing? Here is an opportunity to take a walk and experience the practice for yourself. Learn techniques to maximize the health benefits and stress reducing qualities of this walking practice. Shinrin-yoku originated in Japan and is gaining popularity in the United States for its documented health benefits.
This practice takes a walk in the woods to another level. A centering and calming restorative practice, it promotes balance and restored vitality through a quality of presence and heightened sensory awareness. Recent articles have been written up in Oprah, Time Magazine, and National Geographic, as well as numerous other publications. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park hosts a Forest Therapy Series as part of its ParkRx Program the 4th Saturday of each month. These walks are led by certified ANFT (Association of Nature and Forest Therapy) practitioners. Visit natureandforesttherapy.org for more info about this practice.
Tickets are $20 or free with a 2021 ParkRx from a Sonoma County Medical Provider (click here for more info).
Sonoma Ecology Center’s “Earthling” Teen Volunteer Group is hosting a COVID-safe Earth Day celebration and creek cleanup at Nathanson Creek Preserve on Saturday, April 24, 9-10:30, 10:45-12:15, in honor of Earth Day and SEC’s 31st Anniversary! The event is open to people of all ages and there will be a variety of activities to safely participate in; from the scavenger hunt and seed planting (take home a pollinator sprouting cup) to cleaning up trash along the creek. In order to guarantee participants’ safety and to comply with Sonoma County’s health order governing outdoor activities, mask-wearing and other social distancing protocols will be in effect in all areas. The main activities, and the start of the creek cleanup, will be at the Nathanson Preserve Demonstration Garden at the corner of 2nd Street West and East MacArthur Street. (Please do not park in the MacArthur Place lot.). RSVPs are required
For questions or to register, please contact Tony Passantino, SEC education program manager, at tony@sonomaecologycenter.org.
Cleanup Event Details
Volunteers will clean up the restored section of Nathanson Creek behind Sonoma Valley High School and Adele Harrison Middle School.
A maximum of 12 volunteers per shift are allowed and RSVPs are required. Please arrive as close to the start time as possible for a brief safety talk beforehand.
Volunteers are asked to bring their own water and to wear comfortable shoes and layered clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Organizers will provide litter grabbers, garbage bags, buckets, and gloves; volunteers may bring their own work gloves and plastic bags if they have them.
After each cleanup event, recyclables will be separated from trash and the trash weighed and recorded.
Join Team Sugarloaf Docents for a spring wildflower walk in the post-fire environment of Sugarloaf.
These are leisurely 1-3 miles long along the Meadow/Hillside loop and Creekside Trail. This is a beginning to intermediate level hike. All trails contain small elevation gains with the exception of Meadow Trail. Wear appropriate footwear, bring water and dress in layers. Meet outside the Visitor Center.
The walk is $10, and an entry fee or park pass is required for vehicles. Participants are required to comply with County Health orders, including wearing a mask and observing at least a 6-foot distance from others outside their household.
Join Team Sugarloaf Docents for a spring wildflower walk in the post-fire environment of Sugarloaf.
These are leisurely 1-3 miles long along the Meadow/Hillside loop and Creekside Trail. This is a beginning to intermediate level hike. All trails contain small elevation gains with the exception of Meadow Trail. Wear appropriate footwear, bring water and dress in layers. Meet outside the Visitor Center.
The walk is $10, and an entry fee or park pass is required for vehicles. Participants are required to comply with County Health orders, including wearing a mask and observing at least a 6-foot distance from others outside their household.
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