Hiking and other activities for Sonoma Valley explorers

Get a head start on August with a nature hike along Sonoma Creek at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park on Saturday, July 29.|

Get a head start on August with a 1.4-mile nature hike along Sonoma Creek at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, on Saturday, July 29. The hike starts at the visitors center at 10 a.m.; the hike leader will teach about the plants, animals and aquatic life of Sonoma Creek. Similar hikes are on Saturdays throughout August. (The Aug. 19 hike is bi-lingual, Spanish and English.) No fee, but parking charges apply.

Lace up your hiking boots on Saturday, Aug. 5 for a moderately paced, 7.5 mile summertime hike to Fern Lake in Jack London State Park. The route will wind through the historic orchard to the lake (just outside the Park boundary) and then up the Asbury Creek Trail. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water, poles, snacks, cameras, binoculars, sunscreen and bug repellant. Meet in the Ranch parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Admission is $15 per person and includes parking; $10 for those with parking pass and free to park volunteers.

The Sugar-Hood Shuttle will run between Sugarloaf and Hood Mountain Regional Park on Saturday, Aug. 12, and Sunday, Aug. 13, between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Make a reservation and then ride to the other end of the trail, or hike and ride back. The distance is about 7.4 miles with approximately 2,300 foot vertical climb, and should take between 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Suggested donation of $10.

Young learners will enjoy the Aug. 12 “Nature’s Palette” hike, taking a fun look at the roles of color and pattern in the plant and animal kingdoms at Jack London State Historic Park. Trail activities and games will teach science to pre-K to second graders on this nature walk, including discussion on how humans like to use color. The walk leaves at 10 a.m. from the Beauty Ranch Meadow and ends back in the meadow at an outdoor art studio, where kids can create water color paintings from the inspiration they gather along the trail. Park entry fee of $10 per vehicle is due at the gate but participation in events is free.

Take a Twilight Nature Hike on Friday, Aug. 18, leaving from the Vallejo Home at 7:30 p.m. See how nature transforms in the early evening with interpretation focusing on nocturnal animals. This is a 1-mile, slow-paced hike with minor elevation change that should take about an hour. Sturdy shoes and water recommended. All ages, free of charge, no reservation needed. Meet at the parking lot, 363 Third St. W. in Sonoma.

The popular Bill and Dave Hikes will venture out of the Valley this month, with a Saturday, Aug. 19 hike at the Sonoma Coast, from Shell Beach up to the top of Red Hill and then down to the Pomo Campground for lunch, then return via the Pomo Trail.

It’s a moderately strenuous 7-mile hike, with an elevation gain of 1,200 feet, and will last approximately four hours. For details contact Bill Meyers at fmi@sonic.net.

This month’s Star Party on Saturday, Aug. 19 is one of two events at Robert Ferguson Observatory the same weekend. The Star Party is from 8 p.m. until it’s over – usually but not always by midnight. The Observatory’s three main telescopes are open for viewing, and docents set up additional telescopes in front of the building. Cost is $3, under 18 free, plus the parking fee of $8 per vehicle.

The other event? That would be the Solar Eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, for which the observatory will be open for special solar viewing. The eclipse will reach totality in a wide band from Oregon to Georgia, but in the Sonoma area it will be 82 percent eclipsed – still a significant event if short of totality. RFO’s president Steve Smith will be on hand to instruct viewers on safe methods of seeing the eclipse and other scientific information about the phenomenon.

The eclipse lasts from 9:01 to 11:37 a.m., with maximum eclipse at 10:15 a.m. It’s free, except for regular $8 parking fee.

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