In the Heart of Sonoma, Some Wild Slopes Not Devoted to the Vine

Some U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects have demonstrated the environmental sensitivity one might expect from advancing troops. But Lake Sonoma, a Northern California reservoir a half-hour drive north of Santa Rosa, shows the corps’ kinder, gentler side.

Warm Springs Dam, built by the corps in the early 1980s, goes easy on the land. Most of the lake’s north side is a refuge for fish, fowl and mammals. The recreation area offers 17,000 acres of oak woodland, sweeping grassland and rolling hills for hikers to roam. More than 40 miles of trails extend to remote areas and offer vistas of the countryside.

The lake is at the north end of Dry Creek Valley, known for its wines, particularly Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. Vineyards carpet thousands of acres and provide grapes for more than two dozen wineries. (Many are along scenic Dry Creek Road and its parallel companion, West Dry Creek Road.)

The hills above Lake Sonoma are open for hiking all year. The temperature in autumn, during and after the grape harvest, is pleasant. Spring brings fine wildflower displays, including blue dicks and California poppies. Summer is hot, making crack-of-dawn excursions the best bet.

The place to start is the Lake Sonoma visitor center, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in winter; hours may be extended in summer. The center has interpretive displays of Dry Creek Valley history, including exhibits on the early inhabitants, the Pomo, and their exquisite basketry.

From January to mid-April, the nearby fish hatchery is open for tours. Steelhead trout are raised for release in the Russian River and other coastal slope waterways.

A good introductory hike is the 11/2-mile Woodland Ridge Loop, which begins at the visitor center and provides a bit of everything: a small redwood grove, wildflower-covered grassland and oak groves. The nature trail has 20 stops keyed to a brochure, which is available at the visitor center.

The route I’m describing in more detail below is Half-a-Canoe Loop Trail. It begins at No Name Trailhead and loops through several paths between the two major arms of Lake Sonoma. Chaparral and gray pine cloak the northern part of this land, while the southerly terrain consists of rolling grassland and forest. Deer and rabbits abound.

This is as much swine country as it is wine country. Feral pigs inhabit the hills above the lake. I spotted more than a dozen little porkers on a recent hike.

Directions to the trail head: From U.S. 101 in Healdsburg, exit onto Dry Creek Road and follow it 101/2 miles to the Lake Sonoma visitor center. For Half-a-Canoe Loop Trail, drive west two miles to an intersection; the road veers left and becomes Skaggs Springs-Stewart Point Road. Don’t veer; go straight, on Rockpile Road, and continue 21/2 miles to the No Name Flat parking area on the left.

The hike: Look for a path that crosses a footbridge, drops into a ravine, then climbs and dips to meet Half-a-Canoe Loop Trail slightly more than half a mile out.

Turn left on this dirt road and climb southeast, high above the lake’s Warm Springs arm. The path yo-yos along a ridge top for more than a mile. Then look for a short connector trail leading to the summit of 1,150-foot Bummer Peak.

The path descends to Bummer Peak Campground and passes another spur trail leading to Lone Pine Campground.

Three miles from your starting point, you pass a trail leading to Madrone Point Campground, and at 41/4 miles you reach Rockpile Road. Cross steep meadows for another three-quarters of a mile to meet the connector trail leading to No Name Flat; retrace your steps to the trail head.

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For more of John McKinney’s tips, visit https://www.thetrailmaster.com.