September 2026 Newsletter
Into the redwoods
September brings longer shadows, cooler mornings and a good excuse to stretch your hikes out a little farther, even as warm afternoons linger. Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve, one of the newest additions to your regional park system, is especially inviting this time of year, with morning fog settling among the redwoods and a shady forest canopy that keeps the trails cool as the day warms.
One of our favorite routes in the park is a moderately challenging 2.4-mile partial loop on the Monte Rio Redwoods and River Mountain trails. The route climbs steadily through redwood and mixed evergreen forest to scenic Hiker Haven, with an up-close look at some of the diverse habitat protected within the 2,030-acre park.
Beach access expands at Doran
Exploring the shoreline at Doran Regional Park is now easier for wheelchair users. Following a successful summer pilot program, Freedom Trax are available for free by reservation on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The motorized track system allows visitors to travel independently across the sand while staying in their own manual wheelchairs. The equipment is available through Nov. 15 and will return in the spring after the winter storm season.
Doran also offers beach wheelchairs and all-terrain walkers available for free use on a first-come, first-served basis year-round.
Accessibility equipment and programs are made possible, in part, by funding from Parks for All — Measure M and the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation.
Preview Mark West Creek Regional Park and Open Space Preserve
Get a sneak peek at the future Mark West Creek Regional Park and Open Space Preserve before opens to the public. Join us on Saturday, Oct. 24, or Saturday, Nov. 21, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., for a self-guided hike of up to 8 miles through meadows and redwoods forests, along year-round creeks to ridgelines with views of the northern Santa Rosa Plain. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the property and share updates on plans to open the park permanently. Free; registration required.
See prescribed fire at work
Each year, we use prescribed fire to care for hundreds of acres across the park system. These carefully planned, low-intensity burns reduce grasses, brush and other vegetation that can fuel wildfires. They also support native habitats by controlling invasive species and restoring natural processes.
Now you can get a closer look at this work through our new online StoryMap. The interactive map shows where we’ve used prescribed fire in recent years, how each burn was conducted and what we aimed to accomplish.
Explore the StoryMap by park to see individual prescribed burns, project details and before-and-after photos. Learn more about how prescribed fire protects parklands and nearby communities at SoCoParks.org/Fire.
Dog days of summer
Get your tickets to Water Bark, Spring Lake's most beloved doggie destination! This popular annual event, which opens the fenced-in swimming lagoon for dogs to romp and splash off leash, runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 4.
The Water Bark is a fundraiser for the Sonoma County Parks Foundation, and proceeds benefit our more than 50 dog-friendly parks and trails.
Advance tickets are $12 for free for Regional Parks members; $15 for non-members. Season passes are $50 and include an extra Friday afternoon Water Bark date. Parking is free for Regional Park members.
Help keep the river clean
If you spent time at the Russian River this summer, you may have spotted a crew in bright orange shirts helping visitors enjoy the river safely and responsibly.
This summer, we partnered with nonprofit Russian Riverkeeper to pilot the River Ambassadors, an expansion of its Clean Team. Beginning Fourth of July weekend, River Ambassadors patrolled some of our busiest beaches (and the river between them), sharing water safety and Leave No Trace information with hundreds of tubers, boaters and other visitors while collecting more than 600 bags of litter from the water and other hard-to-reach places along the river.
Swim season is winding down, but you can help, too: Remember to pack out everything you bring to the river, including tubes, fishing line and hooks. Respect nearby neighborhoods and private property, use public restrooms and pack out pet waste.
Thru-hike with the Sugar Shuttle
Challenge yourself to a thru-hike this fall and let the Sugar Shuttle handle the driving. The free, seasonal shuttle helps hikers complete one-way routes between Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve or North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve and Jack London State Historic Park without parking a car at both ends.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11, the shuttle will run between Sugarloaf and Hood Mountain's Los Alamos Road entrance, 8 a.m.-11:55 a.m.
Operated by Sonoma Ecology Center/Team Sugarloaf, the shuttle runs every 30 to 60 minutes (depending on route). Reservations are $10, refundable on site and each trip is limited to five riders. Online reservations are required.
Lend a hand on Coastal Cleanup Day
Join us on Saturday, Sept. 19, for California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state's largest annual volunteer event to protect ocean and inland waterways.
We're leading cleanups from 9 a.m. to noon at Maxwell Farms Regional Park and Larson Park in Sonoma Valley to keep trash from reaching Sonoma Creek and San Pablo Bay. All ages are welcome. We provide gloves, grabbers and buckets. Free; registration is required.
These are just three of the many events happening across the region that day. Find another site near you.
Sign up early for Thanksgiving camp
Registration is open now for our two-day kids camp during Thanksgiving week, Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24, at Spring Lake Regional Park's Environmental Discovery Center.
Campers, ages 7-11, will create nature-inspired arts and crafts, enjoy indoor games and hike the trails. Camp runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. each day. Cost is $170 (Sonoma County residents); $172 (out of county); Registration required.
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