The sun is setting later and later this time of year (8:12 p.m. tonight, woo-hoo!), meaning those post-work and long weekend hikes can easily stretch into evenings. But while no one expects to be caught after dark and lost and stuck for a bit, it does happen. I speak from experience – not personal experience, mind you, but the experience of standing at the end of a trailhead in the middle of the night wondering whatever happened to some of… Read More »
From the good folks at Pepperwood Preserve: ______________________ Celebrate the delights of our native wildflowers and the majesty of the Mayacamas Mountains at Pepperwood’s annual Wildflower Festival to be held Sunday, April 29, 2012 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Pepperwood Preserve. The festival is free and families are welcome. The festival is sponsored by the Sonoma Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. This year’s festival will include an array of activities for the whole family. Participants will have… Read More »
I’m surprised that it took me this long to check out Samuel P. Taylor State Park. On trips to Point Reyes and elsewhere in Marin County, I would often pass signs for it and wonder if it’s worth a hike. It is. On a recent day that was not too hot but not too cold, I headed up to Barnabe Peak for a six-plus-mile hike that was a true joy. The park is a small one, and for awhile, it… Read More »
Now is a great time to do that trail trifecta that starts and ends at Stinson Beach. Judging from the crowds on two of the trails, you – or someone you know – has likely done it. Of course I’m referring to the loop of Steep Ravine, Dipsea and Matt Davis trails. I’ve done it a few times, always starting on Matt Davis, doing the long, difficult uphill first – maybe 3-4 miles worth of serious climbing – and then… Read More »
For a park that is only six months old, Mount Konocti has quite a history. Go way back to the active days of the Clear Lake volcanic field when the 4,300-feet-high mountain was probably formed. The result was a series of hills that surround Clear Lake in Lake County and provide a scenic, natural setting for all types of outdoors fun. I’ve been told that it is still an ‘active’ volcano, although the last eruption was probably more than 10,000… Read More »
Wineries can be terrific spots for hikes, but the challenge is knowing which ones to go to and where the trails are. And preparing for the wine or food that is surely to accompany, or cap, the hike. Some are overrated, but some are literally diamonds in the rough. The Bartholomew Park Winery in Sonoma stands out for me, but I’ve heard of a few others that are worth noting. Here are just a couple with upcoming scheduled dates for… Read More »
Wildflowers abound this time of year, and so do free, guided hikes by area groups that are aimed at identifying and exploring cool wildflowers. Below is information from the Sonoma County Regional Parks and from the Sonoma Land Trust, each of which is sponsoring a series of walks in the next few weeks. See all the details below. UPDATE: This Saturday’s hike at Sonoma Valley Regional Park has been canceled due to the threat of rain. From the Sonoma County… Read More »
Years ago, someone told me that one of the best short hikes in Sonoma County was the trek to Pomo Canyon. I had forgotten about that insight until this past weekend when I ventured there for the first time. That person, and I can’t remember the source (sorry!), wasn’t kidding. The trip to and from the Jenner campground is truly a terrific multi-faceted experience crammed into a very manageable hike. Pomo Canyon, which may not have been a Pomo Indian… Read More »
Many people around here, myself included, equate ‘Lagunitas’ with one thing: that amazing brewery in Petaluma that actually started out in west Marin County. I didn’t know that there was a Lake Lagunitas until I hiked by it last weekend as part of a trek around three Marin lakes that serve as some of the reservoirs for the drinking water supply in Marin County. Now I do. It’s actually a lake that matches the beer in being memorable, with plenty… Read More »
There are lots of fundraisers happening this winter and spring, all in support of area parks, but this one may be the most picturesque: A Santa Rosa gallery this Saturday night will be the spot for a art show to benefit the effort to keep Annadel State Park open. The juried exhibition will be at Gallery 300 on South A Street this month. There’s an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. on March 3 and then the show runs through March… Read More »
Right now, Tolay Lake looks more like a shallow stream. And the park seems to be a collection of a few old agricultural buildings. On both counts, looks can be deceiving. Welcome to Sonoma County’s second largest regional park, and one that could one day even be much larger when an adjacent tract of open-space land in the southern Sonoma County region is folded into the park. Named for an Indian chief, Tolay Lake itself would be about 400 acres… Read More »
Sharing this news from the ever-active Sonoma County Regional Parks: RAINDROP EXHIBIT, FAMILY HIKES AT SPRING LAKE’S ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOVERY CENTER “Down the Drain: A Raindrop’s Journey from Cloud to Creek” opens today (Feb. 15) at the Environmental Discovery Center at Spring Lake Regional Park. This exhibit offers families a fun, hands-on introduction to the water cycle. Children can pretend to be a raindrop by climbing the “cloud stairs” and then crawling through a model of a storm drain. They can… Read More »
