Very popular, easy 2 mile loop around a reservoir in nature, located right in the heart of Santa…read moreRosa. Easy access, well maintained trails and paved pathways for all levels of athleticism. Bathrooms are clean and located at two points on the loop. Fun for the whole family and pets. Always forget how serene it is. It's considered a state park so entry fee may apply.

Pretty nice and relaxing stroll/jog with a water feature if one doesn't want anything too strenuous…read morewith incline. It is basically several trails that go around a reservoir (Spring Lake). The circumference of the lake is about a 2 mile flat loop. Upon entering the park felt very bizarre. You leave a nice neighborhood with nice homes then in a blink of an eye, you are surrounded by bare trees covered in moss surrounded by tons of small flat boulders. It was so bare and quiet that it felt like this portion of the earth had died. Very bizarre. You'll eventually find the parking lots which all connect together in some form. There's an $8 fee here. You can't see the lake from much of the parking lot, maybe in a few spots like where a boat ramp might be. I had to use a map in my hiking app to find which direction the lake was at. Once at the lake there are pretty much 2 trails that go around the same lake. 1 is at lake level and is a dirt trail. So it has a more hiking feel as the trail is rough with lots of heavy brush on the sides. Even tho lake level you'll only get a glimpse of the lake in only a few spots. That's because the brush is so thick and over grown that it'll block views to the water since you are at lake level. The second trail is a paved trail that is above lake level, so from most spots you are looking down on the lake. This is the trail to take if you want to take pics or just admire the water views. Also the trail to take if you want to bike or jog as it is a wider and smoother trail than the dirt one at lake level. I saw a separate swimming lagoon on one of the corners. It wasn't in operation in October when I went but looks like it could be a popular spot during the warm summer Santa Rosa months. This area of the lake is also the most landscaped as I saw lawn areas with picnic benches and nicer trees alongside the lake, even some very pretty small redwoods. I enjoyed my views most on this side of the lake. You can also add length to your route by connecting this loop with other trails. There's even a loop that connects this loop that goes to another smaller lake, which would make your route now closer to 4 miles. Nice spot may even have to bring a group here someday for a picnic day if ever back in the area.

Preemptive Hike A…read more±5k-acre park located in the heart of Santa Rosa that offers visitors a myriad of diverse landscapes, all the way from woodlands and marshes to meadows and lakes. The Good: * Several parking lots, with the big one at the end of Channel Dr. * Over 45 miles of trails! * Visitor Center (check hours) * Tons of picnic benches along the trails (check map) * Trails are mostly shaded from what we saw, so this would be a great place to hike in the summer. * Mountain biking on certain trails (check map and trail signage) * Horseback riding on certain trails (check map and trail signage) * Dog-friendly trails (check signage) * No e-bikes * Fishing at the lakes (need permit) The Meh: * $8/vehicle fee that can either be collected via cash, or they actually have a QR Code to pay via your phone. * No camping The Ugly: * Unfortunately, we didn't have much time here as we barely squeezed in a short 2.5-mile hike. I wish this place was closer so we could explore it more, but there is always next time, Gadget! Next tiiiime!!! Conclusion: Fantastic state park with lots of great trails and something for everyone.

Another huge State Park in the vicinity-in Santa Rosa. We have done a couple of medium to hard…read moretrails and yet prefer the easy straight walk along the creek. There are houses too along that path. Lots of space for one to walk comfortably at one's own pace. We usually do 3.0 miles back and forth at a quick pace and feel well worked out. Enough tree cover, so good to walk on a sunny day too.

Hiked the Oat Hill Mine Road from the Silverado Trail, Calistoga on Sun 12/12/10. We hiked w/ the…read moreNapa Land Trust starting at 9am, I got up really early to do this hike. Parking - across from the pizza place La Prima (Lake St & Lincoln Ave) or next to the Trailhead. No Bathrooms - just gotta pee in the off to the side of the trail or find a bush. We did the Lower Oat Hill Mine Trail & lunch at Holms Place. Then we went off trail cross country to Point Duff & had great views of Mt St Helena w/ fog under it. Pretty cool. We didn't go to Duff cave w/ platform, but saw a cave - I didn't go up to get a close look, others did. Started 9am, finished 3:40pm with lots of breaks. We did about 11 miles round trip. Advice: Go on a clear day or when there's 10% chance of rain or less. There were a bunch of crazy mountain bikers that don't tell you they are coming up or down so be careful. Didn't see ticks Sun 12/12/10, but saw them 5/13/07.

Outdoor lovely views great gradual hike with shade sun and views…read more... I would rather hike here than write about it so go hike it. It's so worth it especially rocky outcroppings. It's 8.3 miles. Take a hike and enjoy this destination in the Napa Valley

Great park! Easy to park for a reasonable fee. Clean bathrooms and great areas to BBQ all not too…read morefar from the beach side. We will definitely be back with our families soon! Also really close to their downtown where we enjoyed ice cream and fries!!

Embrace the redwoods, lakes, the river, and shaded paths all within one park…read more Hands down my favorite regional park in Sonoma County. Come here to escape the chaos of the city. Where the water and trees welcome you with serenity. Come walk the dog, ride your horse, bring your kayak, bring your fishing pole, bring a blanket, have a BBQ in the group picnic area and more. A safe place for children but please always watch them around any body of water. Just on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, Riverfront welcomes you with all of its glory. The trails around the lake a extra wide and flat. Easy for a wheelchair to go round. This is one of my regular spots to escape and intake the beauty of nature. I highly recommend just buying a parking pass to support the parks. If you visit a regional park once a month, it pays for itself.

This is a beautiful stop in Sonoma County. It features easy walks that allow you to learn about…read moreJack London and explore his homes, including the House of Happy Walls Museum and the ruins of his Wolf House. The trails are well-maintained and shaded by trees, with some minor uphill and downhill sections, making it a great outdoor activity for all ages. There is a vehicle entry fee to get into the park, but it is covered if you have a California State Parks pass. Highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area or need a break from wine tasting.

Jack London's gravesite and ruins of Wolf House. We came for the abandoned house and were very…read moreimpressed by the scale and size, Jack London must have been very wealthy for the time to have a house like this. The sad thing is it burned down right before completion so they never got to live in the house. The use of stones and rock kept a lot of the walls despite the fire and it reminds me of of an oversized version of a Greene and Greene style Craftsman Bungalow I saw in Pasadena, CA. If you are a fan of abandoned places you will like coming here. It's fenced off for safety so you can't go running around the structures but you can do a full 360 walk around and there is a platform you can walk on that's about in the middle of the house and you get a good view of the pool and different floors from here. The hike from the parking lot to the museum and to the grave sites and house are easy, my senior parents and young kids were able to do it easily. I would stop by the museum on the way back, there are some nice artifacts from Jack London as well as a scale model of what the hosue was supposed to look like.

Hubby and I were looking for a great dog park to take our goldendoodle puppy on our babymoon and…read morecame across this one! They have a large fenced-in play area with lots of picnic benches, chairs and water provided! Although there weren't other dogs that day, Midnight still had a lot of fun running unleashed, back and forth to mommy and daddy! I loved looking at the bright orange poppies and other flowers as we explored, as well as the nice bridge in the distance! I would recommend visiting this regional park and we'll be returning to explore more! The park also has a trail, porta potty and playground I'd love to take our 7 year old and future daughter to! :-) *Song Credit: Walk by @iksonmusic

A good park with a medium sized run. Good facilities for humans and dogs. People are very…read morefriendly.

An amazing network of trails of all levels can be found at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, as well as…read moreinformational trails that are great for kids. You can pick up a list of trails and rough map at the entrance. We meandered creekside, and looped Hillside Trail to meadow trail, all with amazing scenery. Very clean and well-maintained park, with plenty of rangers. Loads of great picnic areas as well. Can't wait to return and try more hikes.

This state park was relatively easy to get to despite the long drive and heavy traffic from…read morePeninsula. However the road leading up to the park was relatively straightforward. We are getting into camping this year and this was our trial run with all the new gears we bought. We rented camper site #1 which is labeled as "premium". Maybe it was a bit bigger than the regular sites but other than that it didn't feel particularly premium. Since #1 and 48 are the first and last sites in the campground loop and closest to the visitor center, they had the best WiFi reception. The downside is we were the farthest to the bathrooms and showers which were located on the opposite site of the loop. This made trekking over at night a bit inconvenient. The bathrooms were somewhat clean and the showers are coin-operated at the cost of 25c per minute. Shampoo and body wash were provided which is nice. All in all this was a nice introductory experience for us. If we were to come back to camp at this park we will opt for site #3 which is nicely tucked into the shaded corner and is fairly close to the bathrooms.

We just spent one night at Bothe-Napa State Park, and it was the perfect first outing with our…read morerooftop tent! we loved it so peaceful. !! The campground is small but charming, nestled between Calistoga and Saint Helena -- a true hidden gem. We've driven by this park so many times on our way to Calistoga. Finally got to check it out and experience it. It's surrounded trees and the soothing sounds of a creek , offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of nearby towns. Trails and even a swimming pool that's open on the weekends. The park is well-maintained, with clean bathrooms and a great atmosphere. It was our first time using the rooftop tent, and this spot couldn't have been more ideal. We're already planning to come back and explore more of the park!

Bothe-Napa is a California State park right outside of St. Helena ($10 day entry) with fern covered…read morehiking paths and a nice campground, with campsites, cabins and yurts to rent, but also, unfortunately with prolific amounts of poison oak everywhere. The hike though the redwoods (Redwood Trail and Richie Canyon) is well shaded and requires that you traverse a bubbling, active creek with wet stones to do the entire loop. The creek was still active in early summer, with small waterfalls and slippery stones in the creek bed. Fine for a regular hiker with great balance (and water shoes), but difficult for those with physical limitations or who can't afford a fall on slippery surfaces. It's a beautiful setting here, but with so much poison oak right off the path, and past experience with the rough side of poison oak, we opted to tread carefully. Come early in the day for a cooler hike, and try to stick to the trail so that you don't accidentally rub up on potential dangers, and leave this park with more than you'd intended.