Native plants are the best bird feeders! If California had a state shrub, Manzanita ("Little Apple") would be an excellent choice. Join Sugarloaf docent, Dana Glei, in a 2-mile hike along the Meadow-Hillside loop (250 ft elevation change) where we will see Manzanitas growing in the wild, talk about their recovery after heavy losses during the 2017 and 2020 fires that collectively burned 99% of the park, and discuss some of the many birds and other critters that use Manzanitas for food, shelter, and nesting sites.
We will also highlight the benefits of including it in your own landscape and explain what it needs to be grown successfully (don't put it on drip!). If we're lucky, the hummingbirds will be taking advantage of the nectar on the Manzanita flowers. At the end of the hike, Dana will offer tastings of Manzanita *juice* made from fruit grown in her own yard and produced following a method like that used by indigenous peoples. The fruit has no juice; in fact it has the texture of sawdust. The juice is more like tea that draws out the flavor and sweetness from the berry-like fruits.
Meet at the White Barn. Tickets are $10 for general audiences, $5 for youth (12-17 year olds must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian), students, Sugarloaf members, Sugarloaf volunteers, RFO volunteers, and free for children under 12 years old. Wear appropriate footwear for dirt trails with gravel (and perhaps some mud) and layers of clothing. Bring at least one quart of water, a snack (if you'd like), and hiking poles (if you use them). 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 for the hike. Heavy rains reschedule to Sunday, January 18. Parking fees apply.
Ease of Access: The White Barn parking area has one van-designed parking spot, one accessible porta-potty, and a potable water spigot. From the White Barn lot, there is a flat, paved road of 0.25 miles to the Meadow trailhead. Meadow Trail is an unpaved fire road that is mostly flat although not ADA-compliant, and about 85% exposed. In the dry season, it is passable by stroller or wheelchair with off-road capability tires up to the bridge, about a mile in. It turns into Hillside Trail after the Gray Pine junction. Hillside Trail is a shadier gravel fire road most of the way, but has a single-track portion that crosses a narrow bridge near the end. Hillside has a few hills for an elevation gain/descent of approximately 250ft.
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For more events at Sugarloaf, visit sugarloafpark.org/events
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