Cool trail I found just above the main town square of Sonoma. Like less than a half mile going…read moretowards the hills. I actually found where to park from now on if trying to roam this touristy part of town, instead of trying to find a space near the park and all the retail businesses. Much more room back there without the traffic due to parking sharks stalling traffic. This is pretty much an up and back so not a loop. It goes about a little over a mile up in a gradual fashion about 600 feet in elevation gain. Nothing strenuous but will get your cardio revving. About 50/50 shade/sun ratio but once up top it is all exposed. Up top there is a great view of the valley below. It is worth the trek. Went on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty popular. Probably saw over 30 peeps either coming or going. I bet it is much more relaxed on the weekdays, which will be my next op. Trust. Great workout, picturesque views, clean air, and lots of entertainment just minutes below this trailhead. So glad I found this, only took me 20 years of visiting this town to find it. As they say 'better late than never'.

One of the best hikes for me. I respect and admire historical cemeteries and I was able to…read morebeautifully and admirably mix the two. Instead of entering the trailhead parking entrance, I entered through the sleek veterans memorial and entered the meandering cemetery way. The more higher one got, the more historical it got. Follow the arrows to continue to the trailhead. No I returned where the arrows lead you back and then continued up and right. What another beautiful hike and view passing even older markers. I enjoyed this part the best. I will definitely want to visit and admire the history of it's families, again.

This hike is not for the faint of heart, lol. We went up to the summit and back down towards…read morePythian road. Great loop, today was a little over 7 miles. This park was badly burned when we went years ago and with the most recent closure, it is finally open (2024) but it is still a bit like a tree graveyard. Unfortunately. Challenging hike, beautiful views, I love that it can connect to Gunsight rock, which is an awesome spot to picnic and have a break. On a clear day you can see all of the bay! You can park off Pythian as mentioned or get to it by Sugar Loaf. Parking off Pythian is part of the regional parks but if you access by Sugarloaf you'll need to park via their pass or a state pass for parking.

I finally made this hike up Hood Mountain to Gunsight Rock. The climbing gets quite steep towards…read morethe end, but the spectacular views make it worth it. The scenery was beautiful the entire hike. After the rains we've had recently, it was nice to see a few waterfalls along the way. Make sure to bring water & snacks as it's almost 9 miles of hiking with over 2000 feet of climbing.

Came today of the first time. great space with lots of short trails, the longest loop is only about…read more4K. beautiful oaks and rolling hills with wildflowers. parking available for about 20+ cars with a $8 day pass. water and bathrooms on site. wide paths with loose dirt. A easy trip west from Petaluma.

A great place to hike. A small pond and a lot of short trails. A lot of green grass and hills…read more Best to hike when it's cool because there is little shade. Wear a hat as well.

This is a lovely and dog-friendly hiking area that is adjacent to Laguna Wetlands Preserve. We saw…read morepeople running, walking, and riding bikes on the trail. We did not see a lot of wildlife on our visit.

Flat accessible trails but not much to see this time of year. A lot of parking spots and apparently…read moresome of the trail are horse friendly, dogs are also allowed on leash. Maybe give it another try in the Spring.

Well maintained hiking preserved trail close by with a lovely pond! Parking is limited we parked by…read morethe residential area !

My daughter and I went here for a hike, We've never been before. We were pleasantly surprised at…read morethe nice trails and some beautiful views.

Wide dirt path. It's like getting to eat dessert first! Great view when you start with a moderate…read moredownhill grade the whole way. No help for it, you have to eat your veggies some time! All uphill on the way back. Also, a fairly tick rich environment. We even came away with ticks in early January. Use of the area is by permit only. See photo below. However, I have a feeling most people using the area do not have permits. Contact: www.landpaths.org, (707)524-9381. Dogs are permitted on leash. My observation is that most people politely adhere to on leash protocols. I'd recommend first time visitors park at signage which indicates "no turn around beyond this point." The road does continue for another 1/4 mile but it's extremely narrow and really meant for the few residents who live down there. Better to park at the sign and walk that last 1/4 mile the first time to get the lay of the land. So how do you find this place? It's really just a stone's throw up the hill from the town of Occidental. It's easier to just put in these GPS coordinates: 38.422560, -122.996500. Want even more information? We found the AllTrails app really helpful.

Pretty cool place for a little hike! Decent dirt road for a 6.8 there and back hike. Downhill there…read moreand uphill back. Filled with towering green trees, bright fungi, flowing creek, grassy hills and beautiful views!

Grab your hiking shoes and get yourself outside...to Fitch Mountain Open Space! We've been hiking…read morethe 3-ish mile steep Summit Trail loop for years. The large parking lot and entrance into the hike at Villa Chanticleer were recently renovated (as was the nearby dog park), and it's fantastic. Be warned: the Summit Trail hike starts with a quick descent /stairs down from the parking lot, and then a LONG, STEEP UPHILL. And it's all dirt/gravel. It's a wide and well-maintained fire road, but the dirt/gravel can be loose. So wear hiking shoes (leave your less grippy running/tennis shoes at home), and take your time. Bring water and wear sunscreen, although a good amount of the trail has tree coverage. Previously the initial descent into the trail and trail markers weren't clear, but they are now. All except for the end of the trail - there's opportunity for a clearer trail sign at the final turn. So take a mental note as you start so you can remember where to hike down/back to the parking lot. If you end up down by the water tower, you've gone down too far. Leashed dogs are welcome on this trail, and our 2 pups love it - we always bring water and poo bags for them. The only challenge is that they end up covered in spiky hitchhikers...and sometimes we find ticks on them. This park is close to home for us so we've never needed bathrooms. As the other reviewer mentioned, there may be a single porto-potty nearby. So plan accordingly. This is an incredible hike enjoying the natural beauty of Fitch Mountain, right here in Healdsburg. From the summit, if you choose to take the Butterfly Trail offshoot loop, you'll see butterflies all around. It's quite magical. If you're in the area and looking for some meditative time out in nature, highly recommend this hike!

The newly revamped Fitch mountain open space park is fantastic! I heard about this place opening…read morebecause I follow our local senator Mike McGuire on social media and he posted about the ribbon cutting at this magnificently revamped park. Which inspired me to check it out. It features ample parking, some nice picnic areas, a dog park, and a few trails. There is an out and back trail to the summit of fitch Mountain as well as some loops and a few different variations. All trails features this trail, and says the trail is closed. But it is newly reopened I went on 5/6/2024 and the park was fully opened. I choose to hike the summit trail, in an out and back fashion. The trail is a fire road and it is very well maintained. I am an avid hiker, in good shape. I would say this trail is fairly steep, and I agree with the ratings on all trails which states this trail is moderately challenging. The dirt on the trail is a bit loose. I wore running shoes, but I believe hiking boots are more appropriate. There is a lot of poison oak along the sides of the trail. The trail has lots of tall trees which provide nice shade. At the top of the summit, I was pleasantly surprised there are many unique, and artistic benches. Some are designed to accommodate lying down. The benches are unique, and beautiful, but also very functional and comfortable. The hike is approximately 3 miles, with an elevation gain of roughly 787 feet, and the trail takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete. Dogs are allowed on the trail, on leash. I was really impressed by the beauty of this park. My only complaint is the bathrooms at the park are not built yet. So if you have to use the bathroom, there is one, but it currently is a port-o-potty. The dog park looks very nice. Although we did not use it. We went mid week, and there was ample parking and the park was nearly empty. It was very nice to nearly have the whole park to ourselves. I highly recommend this park!

Monte Rio park has been on my list to check out since it newly opened…read more However, there wasn't much to see here. There is NO parking lot and you have to park along side the road. While I was unloading 3 dogs out of my truck, cars were zipping by us at 45-55mph or they had to jump out into poison oak on passenger side. NO BATHROOMS So ya better bring a bucket. I took the trail along the creek and I felt like I was walking through people's backyards and now understand why the home owners are upset about this park. I crossed the street to check out the other trails hoping it would be better. It wasn't and my option was to go straight up on a very narrow trail rittled with poison oak. It just wasn't worth it. So I took the dogs to the beach instead. Nothing here to write home about. No need to come back.

Fun hike that starts with an immediate elevation going up. We came to see redwoods but left seeing…read moretons of banana slugs and some cool stairs near a creek. The parking space is very limited and it's a bit hard to find but worth it to see it like it is now before it gets expanded. We came around 8:30 in the morning and there were just 2 others cars. I'm not sure about the exact rules but there were people going in morning walks with their dogs. It's cooler and wetter in this area than other parts of the Bay Area and we must have came at just the right time because we had continuous sightings of giant banana slugs. There's a cool creek down a valley with stairs forming a V-shape on both sides. Kids loved throwing rocks in and crossing a log that has fallen over the water. Overall hike is shaded and nice, you can go for quite awhile but the scenery looked about the same headed up the mountain and we spent a nice hour and 20 here without needing to hit the summit