A Press Democrat Blog

Trailhead

A blog about Bay Area hiking…. mostly

Fundraiser that includes a Taylor Mountain hike

Friday, at 9:44 by

From Sonoma County Regional Parks:   “Pasta & Parks Fundraiser Supports Regional Parks June 13, 2013 – Santa Rosa, CA – The Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation will host “Pasta and Parks before The Big Q,” a fundraiser to support Sonoma County Regional Parks, on Friday, July 12 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The family-friendly event will take place at the football field at Sonoma Academy (next to Taylor Mountain Regional Park), 2500 Farmers Lane. The evening will include… Read More »

Windy as ever at Bodega Head

Thursday, at 5:06 by

It was 95 degrees last weekend at home so a coastal trip seemed like a good idea. With not a lot of time but a desire to be cool and see the open water, I went to Bodega Head. Hadn’t been there in years and figured it would be a change. Strong winds and 55 degrees made for a cool outing. The hiking isn’t an all-day affair, but there’s a three-mile-long trail that is monumentally scenic with virtually no elevation.… Read More »

Taylor Mountain, aka Sonoma County’s newest park, is open

Friday, at 10:17 by

So Taylor Mountain Regional Park has been open for all of three months. It came into public ownership quite a while earlier but it has taken some time and money to develop some trails, a parking area, and the other minimal trappings of a public-access county park. The 1,100-acre open space and nature preserve is a fairly small park in terms of trails. You can circumnavigate the park in a couple of hours and still be leisurely as it has… Read More »

Hike, bike and eat

Friday, at 4:30 by

Not really a hiking thing, but a worthy outdoors/parks program to share (and one that I personally partake in several times during the summer):   From Sonoma County Regional Parks: “Local food trucks, those mobile vendors of delicious street food, return to Santa Rosa’s Spring Lake Regional Park on Tuesday, May 28, and roll into Sebastopol’s Ragle Ranch Regional Park on Thursday, May 30. The trucks will be at Spring Lake from 4 p.m. to dusk each Tuesday and at… Read More »

Two ways to explore Pepperwood Preserve

Wednesday, at 8:59 by

Sharing news about two upcoming hiking events at Pepperwood Preserve, the 3,120-acre nature preserve just northeast of Santa Rosa. It’s home to literally hundreds of plant and animal species and is worth exploring. From the Pepperwood folks: June 1 (9am to 3pm) $25 – Newcomers: Exploring Pepperwood’s Homestead History – Arthur Dawson, historical ecologist and authority on the landscape history of eastern Sonoma County, will lead us on a journey through time exploring Pepperwood for clues about the people who… Read More »

Arch Rock at Point Reyes

Monday, at 12:23 by

Here comes the annual spate of trips to Point Reyes and elsewhere along the coast, following the plan of finding good hikes that are don’t leave me dripping with sweat. I’ll be back in my usual haunts and the challenging peaks of Mount Diablo and Calistoga in the winter, but now it’s time to transition to cooler spots. I was with a relative hiking newcomer this weekend who hadn’t experienced much of Point Reyes. Where to start? The most popular… Read More »

Woods to waves, to aid hospital camp stays for kids

Thursday, at 10:30 by

I see a lot of charity runs and bike rides but not a lot of charity hikes, so here’s one. Plus, since I just did a Woods-to-Waves hike last weekend, I like the scope of this one. It’s a trek from St. Dorothy’s Rest, an Episcopal camp and retreat center in Camp Meeker, to the Pacific Ocean. Participants can choose whether to go for 2, 12.5 or 14.6 miles. The ending point is the Shell Beach parking lot. Your choice… Read More »

Willow Creek to Pomo Canyon to Shell Beach

Monday, at 10:08 by

After approximately 200 hikes in the past four years, I get very excited at the prospect of a new one, especially one right here in Sonoma County. Sometimes a new hike can be a combination of some well-known hikes stitched together a different way, or can include a new segment tacked on to an existing one. My setting last weekend was a point-to-point hike taking me from Willow Creek, located at Duncans Mills, all the way to the Pacific Ocean,… Read More »

Spring Hike and Picnic at Buckeye Knob, Sonoma Mountain

Saturday, at 4:08 by

News from the Sonoma Ecology Center:   “The public is invited to attend a Spring Hike and Picnic at Buckeye Knob, located near the top of Sonoma Mountain, on Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Buckeye Knob (also known as the Eliot property) is a privately owned property protected in perpetuity through a conservation easement purchased by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (the District) in 2004. The 71- acre property is located… Read More »

Earth Day hikes and more

Monday, at 2:06 by

Plenty of chances to hike on this ‘Earth Day’ weekend (the day is technically Monday, April 22, but that may not be an ideal outdoors day for your schedule): – Pepperwood Preserve, Sunday, April 21.  Guided and self-guided hikes. All-day festival (9 am to 4 pm.) In their words: “Take in 360° views of Sonoma County on a driving tour of Pepperwood or enjoy a wildflower walk with local botanists. View artist Pamela Glasscock’s spectacular watercolor renditions of wildflowers featured… Read More »

Asian flora at Glen Ellen’s Quarryhill Botanical Gardens

Wednesday, at 5:47 by

Did you know that one of the top 10 botanical gardens in the world for magnolias and maple trees is in Glen Ellen? Or that it is in the worldwide Rose Hall of Fame for its collection of Asian roses? Just celebrating its 25th birthday last year, Quarryhill Botanical Gardens is a nice spot for an easy hike and/or picnic if you’re traveling between Santa Rosa and Sonoma, which is a frequent occurrence for me these days. I stopped there… Read More »

The bluffs of Mendocino

Friday, at 10:31 by

Visitors to Mendocino know that it’s more than just a quaint town. It also is right in the middle of excellent hiking opportunities. For the most part, the nearby parks (over a dozen in Mendocino County alone) aren’t overly strenuous workouts, but they are scenic, largely coastal and diverse enough to provide plenty for all types of trailheaders. On a recent visit to the area, among the parks I checked out was Mendocino Headlands State Park, which is the collection… Read More »