Helen Putnam Regional Park

This week was a wonderfully rainy week in these parts, and my visits to parks were squeezed into breaks in the rain.  I primarily re-visited parks that I have already written about, including:

Riverfront Regional Park:  If you are going to visit now, wear shoes that you are ok getting a little muddy.

Doran Regional Park: I visited here twice this week, and the waves were outrageous! Sadly, there were two dead sea lions on the beach as well.

Bird walk Coastal Access Trail: I went here with a friend after trying to go to Doran Beach during high tide, and the tides are SO HIGH right now, that there was no beach.  The waves came all the way up to the dunes!  We walked the loop 3 1/2 times, and we observed an abundance of birds feeding.

Bodega Head / Sonoma Coast State Park: I went on an early morning walk here on the day where we were supposed to get the most rain, and there was no one else there!  The ocean was rough, the air was crisp, the sea lions were loud, there were lots of deer and birds.

Finally on Friday, my youngest and I ventured out to a new park:  Helen Putnam Regional Park,  This is located West of Petaluma.   Its namesake, Helen Putnam, was an inspiring, local politician whose legacy continues to contribute to our community. The park includes a hilly network of trails that overlooks the Chileno Valley, which is a gorgeous coastal, agricultural valley.

This park is part of the Sonoma County Regional Parks, and there is a $7 parking fee unless you have an annual pass.  It has a nice parking lot, bathrooms, gazebo/picnic area and lots of benches throughout.   In order to get the great view in the photo above, you have to walk up the steep Panorama Trail, which is essentially a steep staircase pictured below:

Once at the top, you can enjoy the views and catch your breath!

I definitely think that winter and spring are the best seasons to visit this park and take in the vibrant, green landscape.   I imagine that during the summer and fall, it is pretty brown and crunchy and even hot.  We continued to hike one of the smaller loops, and I fully intend to return to do a longer hike (without the girl who doesn't like long hikes).

The trails weave up and down hills, along ridge lines and through oak woodlands all while providing lovely views of the rolling hills of Sonoma County.