Sonoma Coast SP is home to some of the best hiking trails in the Bay Area. The California Coastal Trail traverses this via the Kortum Trail. The Pomo Canyon Trail starts from the coast at Shell Beach and continues inland accessing Redhill. Among the incredible spring wildflowers to be found here are: Douglas iris, California poppy, monkey flower and California Indian pink. Docent-led wildflower and plant ID hikes are popular during the spring and fall.

Kortum Trail: A magnificent hike along approximately 10 miles of the California Coastal Trail. The trail starts at Blind Beach (enter the Goat Rock beach entrance just south of Jenner and drive 0.8 miles to the Blind Beach parking lot). The trail crosses multiple State Beach parking lots. We recommend parking one car south at your end destination and carpooling back to Blind Beach.

Pomo Canyon Trail and Red Hill: The Pomo Canyon Trail is part of an ancient Native American trade route. It runs from Hwy. 1 just east of Shell Beach to Pomo Canyon Campground (off Willow Creek Road). Redhill is accessed using a 2-mile leg of the trail, which takes you across open grassy hills (past two hidden redwood groves) to a vantage point atop a rocky ridge. For a longer hike, you can continue to the Pomo Canyon Campground, a beautiful redwood environmental campground.

The Willow Creek area of Sonoma Coast SP also offers excellent hiking opportunities. This area of the park is open for public access through a permit program administered by our partner organization, Landpaths. State Parks docents, supported by Stewards, lead hikes through this diverse wilderness area on the Islands in the Sky loop and other trails in the park. They are knowledgeable in the areas of coastal geology, cultural history, wildflowers, as well as, the local flora and fauna.

Groups can book private naturalist or docent-led hikes (reservations at least 2 weeks in advance are recommended). To do so, simply register online by filling out our Online Reservation Form for Groups. Fees vary and help us continue to provide free docent-led environmental education programs for school groups through our School Group Education Programs. Click here to book School Group Reservations online.

EcoAdventures are also offered: kayaking, birding, tidepooling - special packages for Corporate groups are available.

For more information on scheduling a naturalist-led hike at Sonoma Coast State Park, please contact: Gina Bradley at gbradley@mcn.org or (707) 869-9177 ext. 5#.