California's Lofty Park Hidden In The Mayacamas Mountains Is Crisscrossed With Trails And Quiet Campsites

Sonoma County, California, has a wealth of natural beauty, from the miles of bluffs and beaches at Sonoma Coast State Park to inland destinations like Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in the Mayacamas Mountains that separate the Napa and Sonoma valleys. This uncrowded park offers miles of trails through a mix of canyons, meadows, and woodlands, including areas of redwood forest. It also features camping and well-regarded stargazing.

Indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years before European settlers and ranchers began moving in during the mid to late 1800s. In the 19th century, sugar was sold in cone shapes known as sugarloaves, and the conical peaks along the ridge inspired the park's name. After some water rights disputes in the early 1900s, the land later became a Scout camp. It was designated as a state park in the 1960s.

Visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to hiking. The headwaters of Sonoma Creek are located within Sugarloaf Ridge State Park,  and one of the most popular destinations is Sonoma Creek Falls. The creek and waterfall are seasonal and are most likely to flow in late winter and into early spring, depending on rainfall. This 25-foot-tall waterfall is accessible via three different routes. The Lower Canyon Trail is the easiest option, at just under half a mile round-trip with little elevation change. The Upper Canyon Trail is steeper, at 0.8 miles total. The Pony Gate-Canyon Loop, a popular 2-mile route, offers a nice mix of some of the different landscapes you can find here.

The highest point in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is Bald Mountain, which rises to 2,729 feet. Reaching the summit requires a challenging 5.5-mile out-and-back hike from near the Robert Ferguson Observatory, with over 1,500 feet of elevation gain. On clear days, views from the top can stretch all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and across Napa Valley, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains sometimes visible to the east. Along the Hillside Trail, you can still see remnants of the former Scout camp that once operated here.

The park also features a PlanetWalk designed to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the distance between the planets in the solar system, with roughly every step representing almost a million miles. The walk spans about 4.5 miles round-trip to the orbit of Pluto, starting at a model of the sun located in the parking lot of Robert Ferguson Observatory. Along the way, signs mark each planet and show its scaled size, offering a fun way to combine exploring the park and learning about the solar system.

The observatory itself is well worth a visit, especially if you're into astronomy. Focused on public education, it houses a 40-inch telescope and hosts monthly public programs that teach visitors about stars and planets. Special sessions are also held for celestial events, such as meteor showers. Book your spot online in advance, bring a red light (no white lights allowed), and be prepared to be dazzled by the night sky.

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. For those planning to stay overnight outside of observatory events, the park offers 47 campsites for tents and RVs. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit, and a central bathhouse provides flush toilets and showers. You can book online through Reserve California, with campsites starting at $35. Sites are available to book up to six months in advance, and typically fill quickly on weekends and during the summer. A number of first-come, first-served sites may also be reserved by phone. If you don't have your own tent, you can rent one and even have it set up for you. HipCamp has glamping-style tents on platforms with prices that start at $125 for a two-night stay during the summer.

While the weather is mild enough to enjoy Sugarloaf year-round, spring is particularly beautiful with wildflowers in bloom. The park sits in the heart of wine country, about 90 minutes from San Francisco. It's just under a 30-minute drive north of the immaculate city of Sonoma, and about the same distance east from Santa Rosa, the rising beer capital of California. Another notable outdoor destination nearby is Jack London State Historic Park, on the site of the author's former ranch, about 20 minutes from Sugarloaf.

Day-use parking at Sugarloaf costs $8, as of this writing. If you live in the area, you may consider getting the annual pass covering both Sugarloaf Ridge and Jack London, which is less than half the price of the California state park passes, which exceed $100.