Scenes of Sonoma
Sonoma County has an abundance of natural spaces to enjoy. Here are a few of our favorites! All of these lands have been protected by Sonoma Land Trust and are available to public use daily.
Pole Mountain / Jenner Headlands Preserve
Located north of the town of Jenner is a stunning landscape of coastal prairie, redwood forests, and oak woodlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In spring, these hills are blanketed with wildflowers, such as the California goldfield, and in fall, raptors utilize ocean updrafts as they migrate south. At 2,204 feet, Pole Mountain is the highest point along the Sonoma Coast, and its vistas offer 360-degree views, including the Farallon islands, Mount Diablo, and the Snow Mountain Wilderness.
Sea to Sky Trail – 15-mile roundtrip hike with more than 3,600 feet of elevation gain
Jeanne Schulz Wildflower Meadow – follow the Raptor Ridge trail for 1.5 miles to the .75-mile Wildflower Loop (download the wildflower guide)
ADA accessible trail available.
Dogs on leash: Allowed on Jenner Headlands; not allowed on Pole Mountain.
Sonoma Developmental Center
Bordered by Jack London State Park and Sonoma Valley Regional Park, the 900+ acre campus of the former Sonoma Developmental Center contains a wide variety of trails, from flat, paved paths, to steep hillside climbs. Take a stroll around the old campus, walk the loop around Suttonfield Lake, or take the Eldridge Trail up to Fern Lake for amazing vistas of the Sonoma Valley below. Slated to become parklands, these 750-acres of undeveloped wildlands are an integral part of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor.
Link to Map of SDC trails
Eldridge Campus Walk – easy 1.8-mile loop. 2.7-mile double loop if you walk the east side
Suttonfield Lake Loop – easy 2.5-mile loop trail
Fern Lake Trail – moderate to hard 3.7-mile double loop
ADA accessible trail available.
Dogs on leash: Allowed
San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Stroll along the edge of the San Pablo Bay and enjoy the ever-changing scenery as the rise and fall of the tides reveal dramatic variations in the marsh landscape. This wetland ecosystem supports an abundance of birds and endangered species, while also providing a natural buffer against wave erosion from storms and sea-level rise. The flat trails provide expansive vistas with wide open views of Mt. Tamalpais and Bay Area cities across the water.
All trails can be accessed from the parking lot at 7699 Reclamation Road
Sears Point Trail – easy 1.3 miles
Elliot Trail – easy 2.5 miles
Dickson Trail – easy 1.9 out and back
Sonoma Baylands Trail – easy 1.4 miles
All trails ADA accessible.
Dogs on leash: Allowed north of the railroad tracks, not on the bay side trails.