Outdoor recreation doesn’t have to stop when the sun goes down.

During the evening of Friday, July 27, when the sun sets and makes way for the moon, people can head to Red Rock State Park to partake in a leisurely, interpretive moonlight hike.

As the moonlight forges the way, a few Red Rock State Park volunteer naturalists will serve as hike leaders to help participants navigate the 2-mile hike.

“Our volunteer naturalists, most of them are very competent, and they come from very diverse backgrounds,” said Eric Buzonas, assistant manager at Red Rock State Park. “They are very well-versed in all aspects of the park.”

Along the way, as participants enjoy the sunset and moonrise from an overlook at the park, hike leaders will give a history lesson of the land. Topics will include American Indian culture, archaeology, riparian wildlife and everything in between, with some talks of astronomy, depending on the naturalists guiding the hike.

“It can be a lot of different topics: Flora and fauna, geology, history and answering different questions along those lines,” Buzonas said. “… From park history to geology, to significance of the riparian area and the environmental preserve in which we maintain and different aspects of park history from the ancient [American] Indians all the way to more recent times.”

Come nightfall on Friday, participants are asked to convene at the park 30 minutes before the moonlight hike to ensure participation. The hike will start at 6:15 p.m. and will take two to two and a half hours round trip. The moonlight hike, like a majority of the hikes at the Red Rock State Park, is rated easy to moderate, making it inclusive for participants of all skill levels.

”The biggest elevation gain that you could experience on the hike would be 300 feet,” Buzonas said. “It is probably one of our most popular hikes we have.”

Although unchallenging, Buzonas noted that the hike may not be best for those with restricted health conditions. The park also discourages kids under the age of 12 from participating, and children under the age of 6 are not permitted on the hike, as the terrain can be uneven at some parts.

Upon reaching trail’s end, there will still be more in store for participants — a perk that only happens twice a year. The Verde Valley Astronomy Club will have high-powered telescopes set up on the rooftop of the Red Rock State Park visitor center for participants to view what will be a full moon that evening.

“As the people come back from the hike they will be able to filter in onto the rooftop,” Buzonas said. “[VVAC] only comes twice a year for these, so this is not an ongoing monthly thing. This is like an adjunct to our current hike. They will be available to answer basic question on astronomy, and they are open for any questions and are very informative.”

Registration is open until Thursday, July 26, and a $5 program fee is required, as well as a $7 entry fee upon arrival per adult age 14 and older, and $4 for kids age 7 to 13.

The next moonlight hike will be Saturday, Aug. 25, and will begin at 5:45 p.m. Registration for the hike will be open from July 28 to Aug. 24.

Makenna Lepowsky can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 126, or email mlepowsky@larsonnewspapers.com