Featured hike: Tolay Lake's big sky
December weather makes our skies extra big and beautiful. And for a big view of big sky — not to mention big landscapes, and the big waters of the San Pablo Bay — you can’t do better than Tolay Lake Regional Park southeast of Petaluma. This park’s unique seasonal lake, marshlands, grasslands and ridges give unobstructed views for miles, so it’s exceptionally good for bird-watching and vista-gazing.
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One of its best views is from Three Bridges Vista Point, making this an ideal destination for an out-and-back hike with oodles of sky, land and water to look at. Strike out onto Causeway Trail, taking it directly across the lake — a great place to stop and admire the swallows, blackbirds, raptors and other marshland wonders. Turn onto East Ridge Trail, which weaves uphill. Past a stand of old growth oaks, the bald knoll of Three Bridges Vista Point offers views so sweeping that on clear days you can see three Bay Area bridges (hence the name).
This hike is 5 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 500 feet, and is considered moderate to strenuous. Cattle graze in this park, so please give them room and keep dogs on leash. Don’t forget to bring your water — and binoculars.
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Share the outdoors with someone you love
Support the health and happiness of family and friends this holiday season with Regional Parks gift memberships. When you give a parks membership, you are giving a year of free parking at more than 55 parks, trails and beaches, one night of camping and endless opportunities to get outdoors in 2022.
Gift memberships are available now at Oliver’s Markets, REI, Sebastopol Hardware, Garrett Ace Hardware in Healdsburg and Windsor, Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, Trek Bicycle Santa Rosa, Fleet Feet and Guerneville Fulton Ace Hardware.
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Newts on the loose at Mark West
Have you seen any of these little critters on the trails after recent rains? We have! When wet weather arrives, newts begin to forage for food, which is why we see them in many of our parks this time of year.
Red-bellied newts are amazing amphibians. For example, they can live for up to 30 years. If that newt-fact makes you want to go see some in person, we have an option: “It’s Raining Newts and Logs,” a 3-mile hike at Mark West where participants can see these favorite amphibians on their annual migration from forest to water, where they will mate and lay their eggs.
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Cows return to Taylor Mountain
With the return of the cows, we're re-sharing this blog post offering tips on how to hike (or bike) with grazers around. We also have an important message for visitors to Taylor Mountain, where fence-cutting has been a problem in the past: Please help us put a stop to the vandalism of cattle fences. Grazing is important because it reduces fuels and helps keep communities safe from wildfire. If you see any fence-cutting or broken fencing, please report it to 707-539-8092.
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An urgent problem calls for urgent action
Regional Parks and the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation are tackling climate change — as well as its destructive effects such as flooding and wildfire — head-on. That begins with developing a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to achieve net carbon neutrality, change our infrastructure to become more climate resilient, and meet other crucial climate-related goals.
Such an ambitious plan will need support from all sides. To help in that effort, the nonprofit Foundation has launched a Climate Action fundraiser, with the first $10,000 in donations matched dollar-for-dollar — money that will help Regional Parks make much-needed changes for a better tomorrow.
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Choose your adventure
The early bird catches the sunrise — plus morning mists, fresh air, birdsong, and all of nature’s glory at dawn — during this month’s Sunrise Salutation gathering on Saturday, Dec. 11 at Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail. Held monthly in some of Sonoma County’s most scenic parks, the Sunrise Salutation series includes an easy hike, stretching, and morning mindfulness exercises led by Regional Parks staff. No registration is required.
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Sonoma County Regional Parks
(707) 565-2041
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