Sugarloaf Ridge State Park

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (2605 Adobe Canyon Rd., Kenwood, 707/833-5712) is perfect for either a quick fix of shady redwood forests or for hikes to some of the best views, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, in the valley. It’s about a 10-minute drive up Adobe Canyon Road from Landmark Vineyards (it’s not called Landmark for nothing). The park is open from sunrise until about two hours after sunset, but hours change depending on the time of year. Call to check times. It also has the only campground in the valley.

The somewhat barren hillside near the entrance is deceiving. From winter to early summer, a 25-foot waterfall tumbles just a few hundred yards from the parking lot along the Canyon Trail, and the three-quarter-mile long, shady Creekside Nature Trail runs from the picnic area.

The big hiking draw is the seven-mile roundtrip slog up to the summit of 2,729-foot Bald Mountain, rewarded by spectacular 360-degree views of the North Bay. It starts off on paved fire roads, but the paving soon ends as the trail climbs 1,500 feet in about three miles with no shade at all, so take a hat and plenty of water in the summer. From the summit, the Grey Pine Trail offers an alternative route downhill, and on the way up there’s a short detour to the peak of neighboring Red Mountain.

To get 12 inches closer to the sun there’s an equally long and hot hike from the parking lot to the 2,730-foot summit of Hood Mountain, which actually lies in neighboring Hood Mountain Regional Park. The dirt parking lot for the Goodspeed Trailhead is on the left of Adobe Canyon Road next to a stand of redwood trees just before the road starts climbing steeply.

From the lot, the trail crosses and follows Bear Creek through the forest, eventually crossing the creek again and steepening for the next three miles into exposed grass and scrubland. Eventually it reaches a ridge where you can bear left for the sweeping views west from the Gunsight Rock Overlook or turn right and trek the remaining half mile up to the Hood Mountain summit. Allow at least five hours round-trip. During fire season (June–Oct.) the trail is closed about halfway up but is still a good place to go for a picnic.

Sugarloaf is also home to the Robert Ferguson Observatory ($2 for night viewing, under 18 free, daytime solar viewing free, 707/833-6979, www.rfo.org), the largest observatory open to the general public on the West Coast. It’s just a short walk from the main parking lot. Check the website or call for a schedule of daytime solar viewing and regular stargazing through 8-, 14-, and 24-inch telescopes. There are usually at least two public day- and night-viewing sessions a month, plus regular astronomy classes throughout the year. A huge, 40-inch refractor telescope is scheduled to open sometime in 2005.