Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail

Laguna De Santa Rosa Trail is a stunning freshwater wetland walk and the largest wetland in Sonoma County. I’ve explored this trail in both winter and spring, and each season offers its own appeal. In spring, be prepared for muddy paths and puddles, so bring shoes you don’t mind getting dirty in. Even the parking lot has its share of potholes. Despite that, the trail is alive with vibrant green grasslands, open skies, and the fresh, clean scent of nature. Winter transforms the landscape into something more darkly calm yet equally beautiful. It's a season of brisk icy air yet refreshing. The trail is a mix of grasslands with scattered oak and eucalyptus trees. On clear days, you can spot Mount Saint Helena from the Highway 12 entrance and vineyards if you enter through Occidental Road. It stretches 1.8 miles and eventually leads to Kelly Pond, a perfect spot for bird watchers. There are two access points: one at 5420 Occidental Road, which has 8 parking spaces, bike racks, and a portable restroom, and another at 6303 Highway 12, which features 12 parking spaces, bike racks, three spaces for horse trailers, and trash/recycling bins. Both entrances are wheelchair-accessible, and the trail itself is mostly flat with gentle slopes, making it easy and enjoyable for walkers of all ages. Dogs are welcome except on the pedestrian-only segment, and there are picnic tables for families, although there’s no playground. This trail is perfect for a leisurely walk, whether you’re starting or ending your day. It offers enough time to soak in the scenery without being too strenuous. To the beautiful people of Sonoma County and visitors abroad if you’re looking for a new trail or just passing through, I recommend exploring the Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail. It’s a beautiful slice of nature waiting to be discovered.

A unique walking trail in marshlands that changes scenery throughout the year. During the winter it floods and it's hard to imagine people were once walking on the trail before. The trail goes through the Laguna and marsh and grassland and you can catch some birds and backdrops of vineyards and unique views of changing landscapes. Wear good hiking boots (preferably ones you don't mind getting dirty) as depending on the time of year it can get wet. My dog loves zippin' along this trail and of course doesn't mind getting dirty :) It's mainly flat with twists and turns and great for daily strolls or a fun adventure. Easy parking on both ends of the trail (either accessed off Hwy 12 or Occidental Road). Catch the Strawberry Man just a quick drive up Hwy 12 for an amazing basket of strawberries on your way out! These pictures were taken on the Fall Solstice during sunset.

Even though I have driven past this trail just outside Sebastopol, California hundreds of times, I had never once stopped to explore the 1.8 mile trail running between Highway 12 and Occidental Road. As I walked the trail in the hot afternoon sun, I was amazed with the scenery that I have missed out on. I will definitely be back. I’m especially looking forward to exploring it this winter when it will transform into a flooded, marshy landscape

Such a special place. Testament to the power of restoration. Path fir people w dogs. And separate path no dogs, ecologically sensitive.

Great walk it’s very mild but with beautiful scenery during this time of year.

Nice park but flat and not much variety of things to see. Good birding and people float kayaks in the Laguna in the winter.

Nice walking/biking trail.not too long.

It's simply a quiet, open space which includes shaded lanes and paths. Really a quiet place that feels very private even with others sharing the landscape.

Trail Bonding 1.8 miles (one way) of trails that border the Laguna Wetlands Preserve and is located just a short drive from Downtown Sebastopol. We honestly weren't expecting much, and just needed a place to kill a few hours while we waited for our lunch reservation, but walked away kinda impressed with the place. The Good: *Free *Fairly large dirt parking lot *Port-o-potty in the parking lot *Leashed dog-friendly (on certain trails) *Trails are flat and should be easy enough for almost anyone of any age. *Lots of wildlife *There's a few other offshoot trails to mix things up if you want to stray off the main one. The Meh: *Not the biggest park The Ugly: *Trails can get quite muddy after a rain Conclusion: Swell, easy trail with tons of nature and easy parking. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit, but if you happen to be in the area and want to get your nature on then it's highly recommended.

This is a well maintained and lovely trail. The boys were able to scooter without bothering other walkers/bike riders/dogs because the lane is so wide. It was nice to have a paved trail to use with all the rain we've had.

Perhaps I entered the wrong entrance but this loop trail is mowed down and wide. Many placards for children to read along the way. Big and beautiful trees. Overall, hot and the fields were a little brown this summer. There was a honey pot in the large dirt parking lot. Not much shade aside from the huge trees. Picnic tables dot the trail.

Great bird watching spot! I'd give it five stars but it's not accessible year-round unless you're wearing waterproof boots or are walking around on stilts. They call them wetlands for a reason! Weather permitting, though, this is a great spot to visit! The trail is a back and forth trail with plenty of loops in it. While you might have to turn around once you meet the end, the loops on either side or the trail otherwise allow you to have a different experience when walking in each direction. The spot is fairly trafficked, so I'd recommend visiting earlier in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the crowd. Allow yourself an hour and a half or so if you want to walk through every trail. The pros are definitely the wildlife. Lots of birds can be found here! Parking is also free which is awesome! Bathroom options are limited, so you might consider going before you arrive. Otherwise, try to avoid the rainy season. This is a great spot to visit early fall or late spring - plan for then to avoid walking through muddy water and the heat!

The trail was fine but when we got back to our car we noticed the car next to ours had the passenger front window broken out. This place doesn't seem safe for parked cars. We felt so bad for them and so fortunate it didn't happen to us. Such a bummer. We were going to do some more walking around but left because we no longer felt safe there.

I really like this trail to go for a walk on a beautiful day. There is absolutely no tree cover though so on a hot day, it's hot! You can park on either the side accessible from Highway 12 or Occidental Road. I have heard people I know say they have had their cars broken into so don't leave any valuable while on the trail! This is becoming an all too common occurrence. I've never had any issues though and my dog loves coming along on the walk. You have views of vineyards, the Laguna and I think there's a pond with some birds hanging around. The trail is an out and back trail and I believe it's a couple miles long. There are a couple benches you can stop and hang out on to take in a nice day.

Took my dog here today and walked along the path for the full trail. It's important to note that he was leashed the entire time and was not running through any tall grass, and he is up-to-date on his flea and tick medication. For the rest of the day I spent hours pulling about 40 ticks off of him. A trip to the emergency vet found eight more. I bathed him with Sentry tonight and more ticks have been falling off around my house. My poor little cocker spaniel. We won't be returning here.

The Sunday stroll. We were exploring the west county today, and after breakfast we decided to stop by, and check out this extremely popular trail. I'm glad we did! It was so beautiful, and breath taking! It had just rained for the past 2 weeks off, and on and the Laguna De Santa Rosa was nice, and full. The trail is very nice, and well kept with decomposed granite. The trail was very level, and rather flat, so it did not pose much of a challenge for us. But it was a very nice place to get outside with our dogs, and enjoy nature! The large oak trees, vineyards with the fall colors, and the reflections on the water all made for an AMAZING experience! We saw some beautiful birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I was surprised at how active, vibrant, and beautiful this place was for late fall / early winter!!! One thing that really pissed me off, and it has nothing to do with the park itself, but rather the patrons who come here is that OTHER dog owners are not cleaning up after their dogs! THIS IS B.S. !!!!! Come on people, clean up after your damn dogs! Or else stay at home, and they can crap all over your house, and yard, and you guys can enjoy living in your own filth! Don't do that SH*T here!!! This is nature!!! Your dogs sh*t does not belong here!!! So pick it up... So besides the laziness of dog owners, other than myself, this is an amazing park, and I had a great time exploring it... Hopefully the dog owners who are not cleaning up after their dogs don't ruin it for everyone, and get dogs banned from the park!!! But if the Sh*t continues, I think that might be the best option to keep this place nice!!!! I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting, or even locals. This is a great place, this is our roots! This is what Sonoma County is all about!!! Keep Sonoma Country Green People!!!! :)

I love the Laguna. It is one of my favorite places to get outside and get a good, long fitness walk. Trails are well-maintained. There are different surfaces, either crushed limestone trail on the main areas or dirt road around the perimeter. I've seen the park maintenance people laying irrigation piping, so more plantings are coming. Bird life is plentiful and i love hearing it as I chug away trying to lose my butt. Most people are friendly and happy to be out there too. Some people bring dogs and police their pooches fairly well. Don't like when they leave their little baggies on the trailside for maintenance people to get. Port-a-potty is only available on the Hwy 12 side, and it is pretty nasty. Sometimes nature calls but it's phone booth is pretty wrecked. If you can make it anywhere else, Do. Other than that, it is a wonderful place to commune with nature or get your fit on.

This is undoubtedly a gorgeous trail! So many birds and things to look at. That being said why in the hell were there so many large groups with no masks on!!!?? I just don't get it... so many people walked by with no mask that I just got in my car and left.

Ended up here after a search for dog friendly places to hike - that was relatively close. And well, that's about the only two pros for this place. Was hoping for more of a beautiful nature sort of hike but this place doesn't offer too much. Don't come here if that's what you're wanting! We walked around the loop and whatever which was just over three miles, easy walk which was all flat. There were some moments where it was pretty but those lasted seconds until you were surrounded by dog crap bags littered in the brush and trees in the waters. It literally looked like the trees were decorated with bags of crap! People. Please be mindful and respectful! It was a disgusting disgrace. I really couldn't believe it! I had this place bookmarked and was looking forward to checking this place out for the reason it's so close and seemed like a nice quick getaway BUT I would rather drive whatever the distance to somewhere else and don't plan on coming back here, sadly.

A good place to hike when its cool & cloudy, since there's no shade, & not enough parking when it's busy on weekends & holidays. There's also no drinking fountains anywhere either. There's a nice view here too, & the hikers that come here don't bother you. All bikes should be Banned here, since pedestrians should have priority. When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. That's just one of sebastopole's many major problems, which seems to get worse yearly.

This is a really nice place, and there's usually not many people. Only complaint is there seems to be quite a few ticks-typical of Sonoma County with all it's tall grass though. Just be sure to check yourself and pups after hikes. Otherwise though you'll love it

I always feel at peace when I am here...being able to watch the sun rise over the foggy vineyards calms and soothes me. There are plenty of trails and places to explore near the laguna...it doesn't feel like exercise when I'm jogging or walking here. I'm glad they are fixing the cracks in the trail so I can start biking. I look forward to spending more time here!

A great trail for a nice afternoon walk and the free parking is nice. Views are nice, nothing spectacular. The trail is flat but can be muddy after rains. When we went there were a number of other people on the trail but it wasn't too busy.

Great park but be warned. TICKS! Of course with all the rain we had this year who know. Still a great place for a walk but check yourself and dogs closely afterwards just incase. I'd be lying if I said I didn't turn into a little girl when I found a tick on me. :-)

Great trails while enjoying some fresh air. Plenty of people around to make you feel comfortable.

beautiful hiking trail with great view of hills and vineyards.

This short trail is a lovely walk. It's free to park there, and easy to access by bike too. I really enjoyed walking on this relatively flat path and seeing the pond in the middle. I was amazed there is still water in it at this time of year! Also, you get a lovely view of a vineyard next door too. The air here is super fresh, and there was a nice breeze when I went. If you walk up to the end of the trail and back it's about 2 miles total. This also seems like a great place to bring a dog.

I love this park. No charge to park or walk the trails, easy access to all the trail heads and a beautiful view along all of the paths. I really love this park because you feel like you're in the middle of no where even though you're right off of the highway! I love that the trails are clearly marked for pedestrians or horses, I love that it's not a guessing game. Definitely watch for ticks though because we left and took one home with us. Other than that this is a great place!

Very easy and mostly paved trail with almost no elevation gain. When you begin you have a view of Balletto vineyards to your right (starting at Occidental Road) which vanishes and is replaced with low vegetation. After an hour or so hike, you are in Sebastopol and close to the Barlow! I thought that was pretty neat. I walked over to Taylor Maid Farms and grabbed an iced coffee before returning to the trail. The only thing is the parking lot at Occidental Road is small. Maybe roam for a handful of cars but there is no parking fee. This is a park that I will definitely be back.

Conservation of our beautiful native homeland is so important! Enjoy the beauty of the Santa Rosa Laguna and appreciate how lucky we are to live here.

TICK SEASON! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!Walked our dogs yesterday, on leash, on the trail. Between the two dogs we have pulled off near to 50 TICKS and still finding them. It would help to have the grass next to the trail mowed!

Nice little walk - some wildlife but not too much when it's hot. Did see a kite and some song birds and a hawk or two flying over. There is a man made pond a the end but you cannot reach the water but can see down on the water and birds

Complete shit. Don't go here. I went for a walk here and it was a nice walk BUT when I got back my window was smashed in and had lots of things including my phone stolen. I then heard that it happens a lot only at this place. So it's a nice place to walk but if you go here then leave everything at your house to avoid things being stolen.

I gave this one star just to get your attention: The walk is great, the trail is nice, but after seeing so much glass from smashed car windows over the many years walking here, and then having my car window smashed and car broken into yesterday, I wanted to warn folks against parking at the Occidental Rd.lot. The thieves didn't take anything (guess they didn't like my choice of cd's), nothing was there to take, they just smashed the window, rummaged through and split. There were other cars in the lot when I went for my 1 hour walk, it's not like my car was a lone, obvious target....called the rangers, they said the other lot on Hwy 12 also has lots of break ins, they also said I could report it to sheriff's dept online, but they also have tons of reports from there, not much they'll be able to do except add it to the list. Too bad, been walking the trail for 10 years at least, now will not go back.

Be warned this place is infested with ticks. Even if your dog sticks to the middle of the hard dirt trail they will be covered. I removed about 40 ticks from my Frontlined dog and I am still find them.