Volunteers play a crucial role at keeping Sugarloaf Ridge State Park open and accessible to all! Help Sugarloaf with trail restoration work by coming to our every-other-Thursday Volunteer Trail Crew. Activities include 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. Long sleeves are suggested as poison oak is present. 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 Sugarloaf volunteer, log onto Better Impact to sign up. First-time volunteers are welcomed and encouraged to formally join our volunteer program if they’d like to support us more frequently. Start here to become a volunteer.

Bring a flashlight and your sense of wonder as you explore the park after dark. This hike begins at the White Barn and heads up to the viewpoint on Vista Trail, where we will see the moon rise over the Mayacamas and the sun set over Sonoma Valley.

This is a moderate-to-strenuous, 4.2-mile hike with 700ft of elevation not recommended for children under 7.

Tickets are $10 general, and $5 for students, youth (12-17 year olds), Sugarloaf members, Sugarloaf volunteers, and free for children 7-12 years old. All minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Be at the meeting location at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the hike for a prompt departure. Bring water, snacks, and extra layers for the evening. Parking fees apply.

Ease of access: the White Barn parking area has one van-designed parking spot and one accessible porta-potty. The Lower Bald Mountain Trail has two trailheads; one starting from the main parking lot and one starting from the group camp. It is a single-track dirt and gravel trail with multiple narrow switchbacks and inclines for an elevation gain of approximately 500ft. Vista Trail is a narrow, single-track dirt trail with steep, rocky, slippery sections and multiple sections of stairs. Grey Pine connects Vista Trail to Meadow Trail. The section between Vista and Meadow is a double-track dirt trail with a creek crossing. Hikers cross a plank to continue onto the trail. Meadow Trail is a mostly flat composite trail manageable by strollers and wheelchairs from the trailhead to about a mile in, although officially not an ADA-compliant trail. 

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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar.

Fall is a wonderful time to check out migrant and resident birds in Sugarloaf’s diverse habitats. Join Carolyn Greene, bird-nerd and Certified California Naturalist on an easy 2-mile walk along Creekside and Lower Bald Mountain trails. Emphasis will be on ear-birding and recognizing multiple ID characteristics in the field. No prior birding experience needed; just bring a curiosity and appreciation for birds.

Tickets are $10 for general audiences, $5 for students, youth (12-17 year olds; must be accompanied by an adult), Sugarloaf members, Sugarloaf volunteers, and free for children under 12 years old. Meet at the White Barn. Wear layers, comfortable footwear, sun protection, water, and if desired, a snack. If you have them, we recommend bringing binoculars, scope, camera, and/or bird identification guides. Parking fees apply.

Ease of access: The White Barn parking area has one van-designed parking spot. The western side of Creekside Nature Trail is a composite dirt and gravel trail of 0.45 miles that is ADA-compliant. Its western trailhead is across from the main parking lot. Lower Bald Mtn Trail starts at the main parking lot. It is a single-track dirt and gravel trail with multiple narrow switchbacks and inclines for an elevation gain of approximately 500ft.

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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar.

Join Desi Harp, Sugarloaf staff and member of the Mishewal-Wappo, in this walk of storytelling and reflection to honor Indigenous Peoples Day.

Tickets are $15-$5 sliding scale and free for children under 12. Meet at the White Barn. Wear appropriate clothing and comfortable footwear for two miles of leisurely walking and chatting. Heavy rains cancel; parking fees apply.

Ease of access:  The White Barn parking area has one van-accessible designated parking spot and one accessible porta-potty. Although the rest of the parking area is not designated as accessible, it is an open dirt lot that can accommodate up to 40 vehicles. There is a flat, paved 1/4 road from the parking area to the Meadow trailhead. Meadow Trail is an unpaved fire road that is mostly flat although not ADA-compliant. In the dry season, it is passable by stroller or wheelchair with off-road capability tires up to the bridge, about a mile in.

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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar.

Join Sugarloaf docent Dana Glei in a 2-mile hike (250 ft elevation change) focusing on some of the most social birds at Sugarloaf: woodpeckers. Learn how to identify them by sight, sound, flight pattern, and/or behavior. We are almost certain to see acorn woodpeckers, and might be able to spot Northern flickers, pileated woodpeckers, Nuttall’s woodpeckers, Downy woodpeckers, Hairy woodpeckers, or Red-breasted sapsuckers. We’ll meet at the White Barn. From there, we’ll start off hiking toward the Observatory, continue on Lower Bald Mt. to Creekside Trail, and then up Hillside Trail, where we will stop at the lookout vista. We’ll make our return to the White Barn via Hillside.

Tickets are $10 general, $5 for students, youth (12-17 year olds; must be accompanied by an adult), Sugarloaf members, Sugarloaf volunteers, and free for children under 12 years old. Bring at least a quart of water, wear layers, comfortable shoes, and sun protection. If you have them, we recommend bringing binoculars, scope, camera, bird identification guides, and if you’d like, a snack. If you use iNaturalist or would like to learn how to use it, make sure it’s already installed on your phone before you arrive to the park. Parking fees apply.

Ease of access: The White Barn parking area has one van-designed parking spot. Lower Bald Mt Trail is a single track trail not accessible by wheelchair or stroller. Creekside Nature Trail is flat and ADA-compliant for 0.4 miles, but its path splits, with the Southern side of the trail being a single-track trail with a small incline. Hillside Trail is a gravel fire road with a hill of approximately 100 feet up to the former boy scout camp.

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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar.