Newport Wilderness Days Show off Exceptional Park

Get out to enjoy Newport State Park — you’ll be glad you did. Submitted.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, Newport State Park will host Newport Wilderness Days (newportwildernesssociety.org): an event that started in 1992 as a way for the Newport Wilderness Society – the park’s official friends group – to showcase its beautiful park. Volunteers will lead hikes and programs that cover many areas of interest.

Activities on Aug. 31 will include coffee on the beach at 8:30 am, a mushroom hike with Charlotte Lukes at 10 am, and a bug walk with entomologist Dick Smythe at 1 pm.

Events on Sept. 1 include a program about trees and shrubs with arborist and horticulturist Tom Wolfe at 11:30 am, an herb hike with Dave LaLuzerne at 1 pm, and star gazing in the state’s only International Dark-Sky Park with park naturalists James Krumenacher and Maury Brandcamp at 9 pm.

All programs are free, but a state-park admission sticker is required. Some programs are weather-related; check with the park if you have questions.