Events

Community scientists John Hibbard and Alex Weishaar lead this easy-to-moderate 2-mile butterfly walk as part of 2023’s City Nature Challenge. We will encourage butterfly and bug photography; cameras, binoculars, hand lenses, and field guides are recommended. Stop by the greenhouse (across from the White Barn) between 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. prior to the walk for everything butterfly-related. Meet at the White Barn for the walk.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, 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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan on Friday, 4/28, prior to attending this event. Meet at the White Barn. Bring water, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and layers. Parking fees apply; rain cancels the event.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. It’s a bioblitz-style 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of access: the White Barn parking area has one van-designated parking spot and multiple regular parking spots that can easily be used by accessible vans. There is an accessible porta-potty a few feet from the van-designated parking spot. The Creekside Nature Trail is Sugarloaf’s ADA-compliant trail although not in its entirety. The hike will venture on the part of the Creekside Nature Trail that is not ADA-compliant: a single-track footpath with a few feet of elevation, across a narrow, fixed beam bridge to Hillside Trail. From this junction, the group may hike up Hillside, a rocky, steep fire road to the old boy scout camp, or down the rocky, steep hill to the Rattlesnake Creek crossing and continue into the campground.

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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park needs our help to catalog the thousands of plants, animals, and fungi that can be seen in the Park. Sonoma Ecology Center’s Dr. Dan Levitis will provide an introduction to the iNaturalist app and a chance to use it during an accessible bioblitz around the Sugarloaf Visitor Center as part of 2023’s City Nature Challenge.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, 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. Free event. Meet outside the Visitor Center. Bring water, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and layers. We’ll have a digital microscope set up on the back deck so that we can capture wildlife from the macroscopic to the microscopic. Parking fees apply; rain cancels the event.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. 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 participants. Learn more about City Nature Challenge or view the Sugarloaf Project here!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of access: Sugarloaf’s Visitor Center is surrounded by an accessible wooden deck. There is one van-designated parking space in front of the ramp/deck, and an acessible porta-potty a few feet away from the parking spot. Additional accessible accommodations can be made if contacted in advance at alma@sonomaecologycenter.org.
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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.

Acompaña a John Hibbard y Alex Weishaar, científicos comunitarios, y Alma Shaw y Arsel Perez, empleados de Sonoma Ecology Center, en una caminata en busca de mariposas. La caminata será de nivel principiante, y como parte del Reto NaturaLista Urbano 2023, animamos a que la comunidad capture fotografías de mariposas y otros insectos durante este evento para publicar en la aplicación móvil iNaturalist. Visita el invernadero (ubicado delante del Granero Blanco) antes de la caminata, entre las 11:00 a.m. y 12:00 p.m., para aprender todo lo relacionado con mariposas.

La caminata empezará fuera del Granero Blanco. La admisión es $5 por adulto y gratis para niños. Si no estás familiarizado con iNaturalist, o no posees un dispositivo móvil, te invitamos a traer tu cámara, binoculares, lupas, o guías de campo de mariposas, si las tienes. Igualmente, trae al menos un litro de agua, calzado y vestido adecuado, protección solar, y por favor cerciórate de que descargar la aplicación en tu teléfono u otro dispositivo móvil antes de venir al parque y de que la batería en tu dispositivo esté 100% cargada. Lluvias cancelan el evento.

El Reto Naturalista Urbano (City Nature Challenge) abarca del 28 de abril al 1 de mayo del 2023. Es una competición amigable entre ciudades para ver quién remite la mayoría de observaciones naturistas, quién encuentra la mayor diversidad de especies, y quién captó el mayor número de participantes. Lée acerca del Reto NaturaLista Urbano (puedes leer la página en español al navegar al fin de la página web y selecionar ‘Spanish’ en el menú) o mira las futuras estadísticas en el Proyecto NaturaLista de Sugarloaf!

Este evento es parte del Reto Naturalista Urbano en adición a otros eventos entre el 28 de abril y el 1 de mayo.

Facilidad de acceso: el estacionamiento del Granero Blanco cuenta con un espacio designado para estacionar vans que necesitan acceso y aunque no oficialmente, hay mucho estacionamiento que puede ser accesible en esa misma área.  Hay un baño portátil accesible a unos metros del espacio designado como accesible. El invernadero también se ubica a unos metros del espacio. El caminito para entrar al invernadero es inclinado pero no parejo. La puerta es angosta y el interior es pequeño, haciéndo difícil que una silla de ruedas pueda dar la vuelta para salir del invernadero. El piso es de grava, parcialmente cubierta por una carpeta de goma. Parte del sendero Creekside Nature Trail formalmente cumple con los requirimientos de la Ley para Estadounidenses con discapacidades pero este recorrido tomará la parte de Creekside Nature que no es accesible, ya que el camino es un sendero de una sola vía con elevación, un puente angosto al sendero Hillside. De este cruce, el grupo tal vez continúe caminando en Hillside, una empinada carretera de servicio de tierra y grava, hasta la vieja área de acampar de los Boy Scouts, o bajarán la empinada colina a Rattlesnake Creek hasta el área de acampar.

Encuentra más oportunidades recreacionales a través del programa Senderos Naturales en ésta página. 
Para más eventos en Sugarloaf, visita nuestro calendario

ENGLISH: Butterfly Senderos (en español)
Sat, 4/29, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

Community Scientists John Hibbard and Alex Weishaard and Sonoma Ecology Center Staff Alma Shaw and Arsel Perez lead this easy-to-moderate 2-mile butterfly walk as part of 2023’s City Nature Challenge. We will encourage butterfly and bug photography; cameras, binoculars, hand lenses, and field guides are recommended. Stop by the greenhouse (across from the White Barn) between 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. prior to the walk for everything butterfly-related. Meet at the White Barn for the walk. This event is planned around a primarily Spanish-speaking Latino audience. Families from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. Email senderos@sonomaecologycenter.org with your questions. Heavy rains cancel.

Ease of access: the White Barn parking area has one van-designated parking spot and multiple regular parking spots that can easily be used by accessible vans. There is an accessible porta-potty a few feet from the van-designated parking spot. The greenhouse, a few feet away from the van-designated parking spot, has an incline that needs filling leading to its narrow door. The inside is very small, making it difficult for a wheel chair to turn, and the floor is coarse gravel partly covered by a rubber mat. The Creekside Nature Trail is Sugarloaf’s ADA-compliant trail although not in its entirety. The hike will venture on the part of the Creekside Nature Trail that is not ADA-compliant: a single-track footpath with a few feet of elevation, across a narrow, fixed beam bridge to Hillside Trail. From this junction, the group may hike up Hillside, a rocky, steep fire road to the old boy scout camp, or down the rocky, steep hill to the Rattlesnake Creek crossing and continue into the campground.

Join us for a limited-mobility wildflower outing as part of 2023’s City Nature Challenge.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, 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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan prior to attending this event.

Meet at the White Barn. Bring water, sun protection, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and if you have them, close-up binoculars and wildflower-identifying guides. Tickets are $5. Parking fees apply; rain cancels.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. It’s a bioblitz-style 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of Access: The White Barn parking area has one van-designated parking spot and multiple regular parking spots that can easily be used by accessible vans. There is an accessible porta-potty a few feet from the van-designated parking spot. The Creekside Nature Trail is our ADA-compliant trail. It is a flat trail with smooth, compacted decomposed stone surface, toe rails on flat bridges, and two benches along the way for resting. A volunteer rakes the trail of debris every Friday. While dogs and emotional support animals are not allowed on park trails or the backcountry, service animals are welcomed.

Join Team Sugarloaf on a guided birding walk/blitz as part of City Nature Challenge 2023.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, and/or identify life in the park. Smartphones with the iNaturalist app will be our main tool, but we also invite you to download and explore the Merlin app. 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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan on Friday, 4/28, prior to attending this event. Meet at the White Barn. Wear adequate clothing, shoes, and sun protection, bring at least a quart of water, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and if you have them, binoculars and bird-identifying guides. Tickets are $5. Parking fees apply; rain cancels.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Community scientists John Hibbard and Alex Weishaar lead this easy-to-moderate 2-mile butterfly walk as part of 2023’s City Nature Challenge. We will encourage butterfly and bug photography; cameras, binoculars, hand lenses, and field guides are recommended. Stop by the greenhouse (across from the White Barn) between 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. prior to the walk for everything butterfly-related. Meet at the White Barn for the walk.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, 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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan on Friday, 4/28, prior to attending this event. Meet at the White Barn. Bring water, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and layers. Parking fees apply; rain cancels the event.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. It’s a bioblitz-style 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of access: the White Barn parking area has one van-designated parking spot and multiple regular parking spots that can easily be used by accessible vans. There is an accessible porta-potty a few feet from the van-designated parking spot. The Creekside Nature Trail is Sugarloaf’s ADA-compliant trail although not in its entirety. The hike will venture on the part of the Creekside Nature Trail that is not ADA-compliant: a single-track footpath with a few feet of elevation, across a narrow, fixed beam bridge to Hillside Trail. From this junction, the group may hike up Hillside, a rocky, steep fire road to the old boy scout camp, or down the rocky, steep hill to the Rattlesnake Creek crossing and continue into the campground.

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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.

As part of City Nature Challenge 2023, Dr. Dan Levitis leads this underwater exploration of creek insects at Sugarloaf. We’ll start off at the back deck of the Visitor Center and move down to the creekbed after learning about the major groups of insects that can be found in the creek. Creekside, Dr. Levitis will demonstrate a few techniques for finding them, and will have little nets and containers to lend. We’ll have a volunteer help operate a digital microscope connected to a screen, through which we’ll be able to see some of the organisms found.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, 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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan on Friday, 4/28, prior to attending this event. Meet at the back deck of the Visitor Center. Bring water, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and sun protection. Tickets are $5. Parking fees apply; rain cancels.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of access: Sugarloaf’s Visitor Center is surrounded by an accessible wooden deck. There is one van-designated parking space in front of the ramp/deck, and an accessible porta-potty a few feet away from the parking spot. There is no access from the deck to the creekbed; one must walk down a few feet down on a social ‘trail’. However, the deck does have a large section that extends closer to the creek with seating area available. Additional accessible accommodations can be made if contacted in advance at alma@sonomaecologycenter.org.

Community scientists John Hibbard and Alex Weishaar lead this easy-to-moderate 2-mile butterfly walk as part of 2023’s City Nature Challenge. We will encourage butterfly and bug photography; cameras, binoculars, hand lenses, and field guides are recommended. Stop by the greenhouse (across from the White Barn) between 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. prior to the walk for everything butterfly-related. Meet at the White Barn for the walk.

Participants of any level of experience can help find, photograph, 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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan on Friday, 4/28, prior to attending this event. Meet at the White Barn. Bring water, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), and layers. Parking fees apply; rain cancels the event.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. It’s a bioblitz-style 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of access: the White Barn parking area has one van-designated parking spot and multiple regular parking spots that can easily be used by accessible vans. There is an accessible porta-potty a few feet from the van-designated parking spot. The Creekside Nature Trail is Sugarloaf’s ADA-compliant trail although not in its entirety. The hike will venture on the part of the Creekside Nature Trail that is not ADA-compliant: a single-track footpath with a few feet of elevation, across a narrow, fixed beam bridge to Hillside Trail. From this junction, the group may hike up Hillside, a rocky, steep fire road to the old boy scout camp, or down the rocky, steep hill to the Rattlesnake Creek crossing and continue into the campground.

______________________
For more events at Sugarloaf, visit our calendar of events.

2023 City Nature Challenge Weekend ends on a high note with Sonoma Ecology Center’s GIS specialist and soundscape ecologist Jack Hines dusk chorus. No mobility is required, as we will simply pick a spot (or two) to enjoy the last of daylight.

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. Alternatively, you can join our iNaturalist Introduction & BioBlitz with Dr. Dan on Friday, 4/28, prior to attending this event. Meet at the White Barn. Bring water, layers, a full battery on your mobile device (or alternatively, a camera), a flashlight to light the way, and if you desire, a cushion to sit on. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children ages 7 to 18. This event is not recommended for children under 7 years old. Parking fees apply; rain cancels.

City Nature Challenge runs from April 28th to May 1st, 2023. 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!

This event is part of the Challenge along with other events scheduled from 4/28-5/1.

Ease of Access: The White Barn parking area has one van-designated parking spot and multiple regular parking spots that can easily be used by accessible vans. There is an accessible porta-potty a few feet from the van-designated parking spot. The parking area is adjacent to the road that leads to the group camp, outside Robert Ferguson Observatory. The road to the group camp is flat, paved, and about 1/4-mile one-way. There are no lights between the White Barn to the group camp.