Junior Ranger Program: Animal Olympics

The Summer Olympics have arrived at China Camp — Squirrels take the lead in arboreal gymnastics, grasshoppers beat out the competition at the grassland long jump, cormorants get a 10 out of 10 at the high dive, and woodpeckers nab acorns and dodge interceptions at forest rugby.  Who’ll come out... Read more »

Trees of China Camp

Join us on a walk through China Camp’s upland forest to learn about the park’s diverse woodland ecosystem. Learn about the unique adaptations of majestic buckeyes, elegant willows, hardy manzanitas, and grand coastal and valley oaks; some of these species serve as critical keystone species, nurturing the landscape’s rich tapestry... Read more »

Midsummer Night’s Dream wildlife walk

Owl’s hoo-hoot. Hares hop out from the shadows. Raccoons prowl. Frogs sing to the stars. There’s magic in the park on soft summer evenings. On this easy, flat walk we will stop, look, and listen for all the life that unfolds in the park as day turns to night. Guide... Read more »

Give-Back Morning at China Camp

China Camp Ranger Station 101 Peacock Gap Trail, San Rafael, CA, United States

Join us for a morning of making the park look beautiful. There’s always plenty to do—trail grooming, fence mending, log splitting, litter pickup, and so much more. Join us and make a difference! No previous experience needed. Difficulty ranges from easy to a good work out. No long-term commitment required—but... Read more »

Full Moon Hike

July’s full moon is named the “Buck Moon,” commemorating the time of year when male deer, who shed their antlers in early spring, start to show off a new velvety rack. We hope to see some dashing stags on our 3-mile round-trip hike that follows a winding trail to a... Read more »

Give-back morning at China Camp

China Camp Ranger Station 101 Peacock Gap Trail, San Rafael, CA, United States

Enjoy a morning making a difference in the park. Our weekly maintenance days tackle a host of jobs large and small, so there’s something for everyone. You don’t need to be a weightlifter or a construction worker to help out, in fact we’ve got men and women of all shapes,... Read more »

Free

Naturalist Book Club

This month, we discuss Natural History, an engaging compilation of historical fiction short stories by Andrea Barrett, winner of the National Book Award.  Excerpt from publisher’s website: “A masterful collection of…six exquisite stories…set largely in a small community in central New York state… spanning the decades between the Civil War... Read more »

Give-back morning at China Camp

China Camp Ranger Station 101 Peacock Gap Trail, San Rafael, CA, United States

Enjoy a morning making a difference in the park. Our weekly maintenance days tackle a host of jobs large and small, so there’s something for everyone. You don’t need to be a weightlifter or a construction worker to help out, in fact we’ve got men and women of all shapes,... Read more »

Give-back morning at China Camp

China Camp Ranger Station 101 Peacock Gap Trail, San Rafael, CA, United States

Enjoy a morning making a difference in the park. Our weekly maintenance days tackle a host of jobs large and small, so there’s something for everyone. You don’t need to be a weightlifter or a construction worker to help out, in fact we’ve got men and women of all shapes,... Read more »

Give-back morning at China Camp

China Camp Ranger Station 101 Peacock Gap Trail, San Rafael, CA, United States

Enjoy a morning making a difference in the park. Our weekly maintenance days tackle a host of jobs large and small, so there’s something for everyone. You don’t need to be a weightlifter or a construction worker to help out, in fact we’ve got men and women of all shapes,... Read more »

Birding Walk

Pileated Woodpecker (female) Move over Ozzy Ozborne. Nature’s ultimate headbangers—woodpeckers—are taking center stage at China Camp this month. These dedicated rockers hammer out rhythms that echo throughout our oak woodlands. How can these super-cool birds pound their beaks into a tree without injury? Find out about woodpeckers’ amazing morphology during... Read more »

Full Moon Hike

August’s full moon, known as the “sturgeon moon,” gets its name because it rises during the peak season for lake sturgeon, a large fish that lives in East Coast watersheds. Here at China Camp, we too have sturgeon—the white sturgeon thrives in the murky waters of San Pablo Bay. Growing... Read more »