Local Sonoma County Parks

Sonoma County, Napa and Marin offer some of the most beautiful park and recreation areas in all of California. Enjoy the magnificence any time of year.

Annadel State Park
6201 Channel Drive
Santa Rosa California 95409
(707) 539-3911
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=480

Annadel State Park has rolling hills, woodlands, grassy meadows and Douglas fir covering 5,000 acres. The site is also known for its wildflowers (including buttercups, poppies, and mule ears.) The park is the most outstanding example of world-class quality northern oak woodland in existence. Lake Ilsanjo offers black bass and scrappy bluegill. Ledson Marsh features 130 species of birds, such as Cooper's hawks, great blue herons and the pileated woodpecker. The park is popular with hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. There are 35 miles of trails and fire roads, providing easy to moderate hikes. Cobblestone quarries in the area once supplied paving material for San Francisco; the abandoned quarries can still be found along several trails. Camping is not allowed in the park.

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Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve
17000 Armstrong Woods Road
Guerneville, California 95446
(707) 869-2015
Open: 8:00 AM until 1 hour after Sunset
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450

Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve contains a primeval forest that was saved from lumber harvesting in the 1870s by Colonel James Armstrong. A quiet road leads through the 500-acre grove. Short trails lead to two trees, each over 300 feet tall. The park also is home to gray foxes, bobcats, wood ducks and the 1,400-year old Colonel Armstrong Tree. The park is popular with hikers and equestrians. Austin Creek State Recreation Area is adjacent to the park. The park is wheelchair accessible.

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Austin Creek State Recreation Area
(707) 869-2015
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=452

Austin Creek State Recreation Area features open woodlands and hillsides adjacent to the dark, primeval redwood forests of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve. The reserve nurtures a variety of wildlife, including many bird species such as ducks, great blue herons and black-shouldered kites. With 22 miles of scenic trails, the park is popular with hikers and backpackers as well as equestrians.

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Doran Regional Park
Located near Bodega Bay, Doran Regional Park is accessible from Doran Park Road off Highway 1. Westside Regional Park is reached from Bay Flat Road off Highway 1
(707) 875-3540
http://www.sonoma-county.org/parks/pk_doran.htm

Doran Beach is a 2-mile stretch of sandy beach and is a popular place for visitors to picnic, build sand castles, fly kites, surf, fish and stroll. A rock jetty at the harbor mouth provides access for fishing, crabbing and exploring sea life. Boat launch facility located at Doran Regional Park, Doran Park Road, Bodega Bay. The launch can accommodate up to 20-foot boats. A parking lot is located adjacent to the launch and can handle 30 vehicles with trailers. A fish-cleaning station is located at the facility. This popular site is open throughout the year from sunup to sunset. Contact Doran Park for additional information. Doran Regional Park offers a variety of other facilities for visitor use. See Boat launch facility located at Doran Regional Park, Doran Park Road, Bodega Bay. The launch can accommodate up to 20-foot boats. A parking lot is located adjacent to the launch and can handle 30 vehicles with trailers. A fish-cleaning station is located at the facility. This popular site is open throughout the year from sunup to sunset. Contact Doran Park for additional information.

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Fort Ross State Historic Park
22455 Highway 1
Jenner, California 95450
(707) 847-3286
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=449

Fort Ross is located on a narrow, flat, coastal terrace between the ocean to the west and the high, forest-covered hills to the east. The San Andreas Fault runs along the base of the hills. The southern portion of the park is characterized by steep bluffs that drop several hundred feet into the sea. Fort Ross Cove, on the other hand, includes a protected, quiet beach and still water. Four distinct types of vegetation occur in the unit: coniferous forest, grassland, scrub, and coastal strand. Open grasslands predominate on the coastal shelf, while Bishop pine and Douglas-fir occupy the upland slopes. Stands of second-growth redwood can be found in the protected hollows and ravines. The wildlife of Fort Ross consists of a wide spectrum of land animals, birds, and marine life. Land animals common to the area include the bobcat, gray fox, raccoon, black-tailed deer, brush rabbit, ground squirrel, pocket gopher, broad handed mole, and black-tailed hare. Many kinds of birds visit or inhabit the area.

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Jack London State Historic Park
2400 London Ranch Road
Glen Ellen, California 95442
(707) 938-5216
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=478

Built by Charmian London in 1919-26, this house is similar to Wolf House in some ways - the Spanish-style roof tiles and walls of field stone, for example - but it is much smaller and more formal. Charmian lived here whenever she was not traveling abroad or staying with relatives. After her death in 1955 at the age of 84, her will directed that the house be used as a memorial to Jack London and as a museum that would house the London collection of photographs and exhibits about the life and adventures of the world-famous author. It also contains a park visitor center where you can purchase books by and about Jack London.

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Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve
25050 Coast Highway 1
Jenner, California 95450
(707) 847-3221
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=448

This 317-acre state reserve is located directly adjacent to Salt Point and features a beautiful second-growth redwood forest mixed with Douglas firs, grand firs, tanoaks, and many rhododendrons. Each May the green of the forest is punctuated by patches of pink as these rhododendrons burst into bloom. The wealth of rhododendrons is a direct result of normal plant succession patterns following a severe fire that once occurred here. Today, the regenerated forest is gradually overwhelming the rhododendrons. There are five miles of hiking trails through the quiet forest and a number of picturesque bridges over fern-filled canyons made by the seasonal streams that abound in this region each winter.

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Lake Sonoma Recreational Area
3333 Skaggs Springs Road
Geyserville, CA 95441-9644
(707)433-9483
http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/lakesonoma/

Nestled at the end of Dry Creek, one of the world's most prestigious wine growing regions, Lake Sonoma is one of the prime recreational areas in Northern California which receives well over a million visitors annually. Completed in 1983 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Warm Springs Dam forms Lake Sonoma with over 2,700 surface acres of water for canoes, sailboats, motorboats, fishing and skiing. Forty miles of trails are available to horseback riders and hikers. In addition to developed campgrounds, boat-in campsites and many picnic areas, Lake Sonoma hosts the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, which is the most modern fish hatchery in the State of California.

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Salt Point State Park
25050 Coast Highway 1
Jenner, California 95450
(707) 847-3221
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=453

Salt Point State Park includes six miles of the Sonoma Coast, ranging from sandy beach coves to steep bluffs and sandstone cliffs. At the top of the coastal ridge there is a large prairie and pigmy forest. Wildlife includes the long-tailed weasel, wild pigs, brown pelicans and other water birds, black tail deer, raccoons, coyotes, and a variety of rodents. The park has miles of hiking and horseback trails. The area is also the site of an underwater reserve for divers.

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Sonoma Coast State Beach
Located between Jenner and Bodega
(707) 875-3483
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=451

Sonoma State Beach features coastland with beaches, reefs, coves, tidepools, headlands, and natural arches. With more than ten miles of shoreline and 5,000 acres, this state beach is one of the largest in the state. The park stretches from Bodega Head to the Russian River. There is a five-mile trail system in the dunes. The beach is home to one of California's largest seal rookeries. In the winter, Bodega Head is one of the finest whale-watching sites on the North Coast. The park is also home to many kinds of seabirds. The ocean bay and river frontage offers perch, salmon, steelhead and smelt fishing.

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Sonoma State Historic Park
20 East Spain Street
Sonoma, California 95476
(707) 938-1519
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=479

The items for sale in the Sonoma State Park Book and Gift store are presented by the Sonoma State Historic Park Association. The Association is a non-profit organization which operates the Store on a volunteer bases to generate monies to help the Sonoma State Park.  The Funds resulting from our sales will enable the Park to maintain the authenticity and integrity of the many historic sites in Sonoma.