Blauert on Outdoors: Wildflower Day at Pacheco State Park

This is one of the best times of year to enjoy our local outdoors, and during the next few weeks there are some fun and educational interpretive activities at local parks and refuges.

Pacheco State Park is holding its 13th annual Wildflower Day this Saturday. Lasting from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the event includes guided nature hikes, crafts for kids and experts who can answer questions about the flowers. You can also hike and enjoy the flowers on your own.

If you can’t make it Saturday, ranger-led wildflower hikes will be held every Saturday and Sunday in April. These 2-mile hikes will include a sampling of the parks’ best wildflowers and an overlook of the San Luis Reservoir. The ranger guides will focus their presentations on wildflowers and other native plants, especially on how they were used by Native Americans and pioneers. They will also explain the history of the Pacheco Pass area.

If we continue to get rain, the wildflower display will last through the end of the month. If we don’t, I recommend visiting during the first half of the month. The only cost for Wildflower Day and for the April wildflower hikes is the park’s $10 per car day-use fee.

If you go, pack water, because none is available at Pacheco State Park. If you pack a lunch, there are picnic tables with shade. You can use the receipt from your day-use fee for entry to the San Luis Creek Picnic Area at nearby San Luis Reservoir.

For more information about Pacheco State Park, go to http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=560. You can also call 209-826-1197 if you have questions about these special events.

Pacheco State Park is located at 38787 Dinosaur Point Road in Hollister, about 60 miles from Merced.

Saturday also is the day of a wildflower and vernal pool tour at the Arena Plains Unit of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. The vernal pool wildflowers are especially spectacular this year, and Saturday’s event is a unique opportunity to see a beautiful area of the refuge that is normally inaccessible to the public.

John Muir described the vernal pools of our Valley as the “floweriest part of the world.” The wildflower show at Arena Plains is well-worth seeing.

The tour will begin at 9 a.m. and last two to three hours. Participants must register in advance because the tour is limited to 40 people. Registration is first-come, first-served, and participants will caravan in their personal vehicles into the interior of the Arena Plains Unit.

The tour will consist of walking on firm but slightly uneven terrain. Refuge employees will explain the vernal pool environment and its creatures during the walk.

To register, call the refuge at 209-826-3508. Because of the rough nature of the roads at this section of the refuge, only high-clearance SUVs and trucks will be allowed on the tour. Participants will consolidate into as few vehicles as possible at the meetings site.

To find the meeting site, drive west on Highway 140 from the Highway 140/Applegate Road intersection. Look for a small sign that says “Snobird Lane” and turn left. It’s a narrow road with a dirt/sand surface, and the meeting area will be at the refuge gate, a half-mile down this road.

If you are coming from the opposite direction, Snobird Lane is 6.5 miles east of Highway 165. The refuge recommends setting your odometer at 165 or Applegate Road to help identify the road since the “Snobird Lane” sign is small.

The refuge will also hold two nature walks in the coming months. They do not require advance registration. They are:

▪ April 23 at 8:30 a.m. – San Joaquin River NWR, meet at the Pelican Nature Trail parking lot, 2714 Dairy Road., Vernalis, 95385. Website: www.fws.gov/refuge/san_joaquin_river

▪ May 21 at 8:30 a.m. – San Luis NWR, meet at the Visitor Center, 7376 S. Wolfsen Road, Los Banos, 93635. Website: www.fws.gov/refuge/san_luis

For all of these refuge events, insect repellent is recommended as there are already mosquitos out.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Blauert on Outdoors: Wildflower Day at Pacheco State Park."