Best Pedestrian Zone Santa Rosa Near Me

4worldlovers: This 1.8-mile multi-use trail lets visitors experience some of the biologically diverse landscape of Sonoma County's largest freshwater wetland.

Dry in the summer and fall, the Laguna de Santa Rosa transforms into a flooded, marshy landscape during winter rains. Its vernal pools, riparian woodland, and valley oak savannah are rich habitats for wildlife, birds, and plants, including several special-status species.

The trail runs the east side of Laguna's main channel between Highway 12 and Occidental Road, with parking areas and trailheads along both roads.

The trail mostly passes through grasslands dotted with oaks and eucalyptus. Visitors walking north on the trail from the Highway 12 entrance will enjoy distant views of Mount Saint Helena and adjacent vineyards. The trail loops around Kelly Pond, which offers an overlook for great bird-watching.

An additional 0.6-mile pedestrian-only segment loops off the trail toward the riparian cover along the channel and connects with Sebastopol's Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland Preserve Trail.

The Highway 12 entrance has 12 parking spaces, bike racks, three spaces for horse trailers, a chemical toilet, and trash and recycling bins. The Occidental Road entrance has eight parking spaces and bike racks.

Due to the environmental sensitivity of the area, dogs are not permitted on the pedestrian-only trail segment.

Features a 1.8 mile compacted gravel trail that connects the Occidental Road Trailhead to the Highway 12 Trailhead. The majority of the trail has gentle slopes, but there are two areas where the slope exceeds trail slope standards of 5% for a distance of approximately 70 feet due to the location of the trail easement on the property. Accessible parking is provided at both trailheads.