John Muir National Historic Site Hosts Full Moon Walk

Date: August 27, 2014
Contact: Jim MacDonald, 925-228-8860 Ext. 6621

"Full moon lights all the groves and rocks and casts splendid masses of shade on meadow and wall." –John Muir, Letters to a Friend: Written to Mrs. Ezra S. Carr

Join National Park Service rangers for a full moon walk on Tuesday September 9, 2014 on Mt. Wanda, part of the John Muir National Historic Site (NHS) in Martinez, CA. This free, two-hour program begins at 6:30 PM with a one-mile, moderately strenuous hike to watch the full moon rise over nearby Mt. Diablo. Atop Mt. Wanda's 640-foot summit, visitors can use spotting scopes to view more detailed features of the moon. Visitors can also listen to the chorus of night sounds and keep an eye out for the nocturnal native grey fox.

Visitors should meet at the parking lot on the corner of Alhambra Avenue and Franklin Canyon Road, Martinez (at the Alhambra Ave. exit off Highway 4). Bring water, a flashlight, warm clothes, and binoculars (if you have them). Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the trail is steep. If it rains heavily, the walk will be canceled.

Reservations are not required. Please call the John Muir NHS visitor center at [phone] if you have questions. For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/jomu.

Created in 1964, John Muir NHS preserves the home, landscapes, and gravesite of conservationist and national park advocate John Muir. Mt. Wanda preserves 326 acres of grasslands and oak woodlands that were part of the original Muir/Strentzel ranch in the Alhambra Valley more than a century ago. Muir named Mt. Wanda after his eldest daughter, Annie Wanda Muir, and he often strolled among these hills with his two daughters. Visitors can follow in Muir's footsteps by enjoying Mt. Wanda seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.

The John Muir NHS, located at 4202 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553, is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from10 AM to 5 PM. Admission to the site is free of charge. For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/jomu or call [phone].