I've made my resolutions too, and I think there's a lot like us out there, so here's an invitation to everyone...
I have a book with 101 S.F. Bay area hikes, and my plan is to do one hike every weekend. Each hike will start at noon on Saturday at the hike location. Details on the first hike are as follows (and since I'm taking this right from the book I should at least give them a plug, it's 101 Great Hikes of the S.F. Bay Area by Ann Marie Brown by Foghorn Outdoors).
1 POMO CANYON TRAIL
� �
Sonoma Coast State Beach
Distance: 5.8 miles round-trip/3 hours Level: Moderate
Elevation Change: 1,000 feet
Directions: From Highway 1 in Bodega Bay, drive north for seven miles to the Shell Beach parking lot on the west side of the road. Park in the lot, then walk across Highway 1 to access the trail on its east side, signed as Dr. David Joseph Memorial Pomo Canyon Trail.
If the wind is howling on the Sonoma Coast or the fog has smothered the beaches in a cool, white-gray blanket, you don't have to pack up your car and head inland. A first-rate hiking trip is possible on the Pomo Canyon Trail from Shell Beach, where wind and fog can't ruin the trip.
Pomo Canyon Trail heads northeast from the coast, meanders over coastal grasslands covered with spring wildflowers, then visits a secluded grove of second-growth redwoods in a wind-protected canyon. Although the trail presents great views of the ocean and the Russian River when the weather is clear, it also leads to a destination that doesn't need sunshine to be enjoyable. In fact, a hike to Pomo Canyon's redwood groves in dense fog or light rain may be the most romantic walk you've ever taken.
Wildflower lovers take note: The coastal hills and grasslands along Pomo Canyon Trail are well known for erupting in blooms during April, May, and June. During the peak of the bloom, more than 100 different species may flower at one time. Although the grasslands don't exhibit vast, showy carpets of individual species, the great diversity of blossoms draws flower worshippers every year.
Start your trip at the Shell Beach parking lot north of Bodega Bay. You'll have to cross Highway 1 to access the Pomo Canyon trailhead; do so with care. The trail begins on an old paved road that has eroded into part gravel, part pavement, and part grasses. It makes easy walking as you head uphill away from the coast. Although the noise of the highway stays with you for the first half mile, it will soon disappear. Unfortunately, with it goes the expansive ocean views. Turn around occasionally to gaze at the wide blue Pacific while you can.
At a junction at .7 mile, where the path reaches a grassy plateau punctuated by a few large rock formations, bear right, then bear left shortly afterward.
You'll leave the worn pavement behind and follow grassy double-track, which soon narrows to single-track. Bright blue and pale white Douglas iris dot the grasslands in early spring; blue gentian and tar-weed follow later in summer.
The path rolls along the ridge top, heading generally downhill toward Willow Creek's canyon. Heading north, you'll gain fine views of the Russian River's graceful curves and Goat Rock Beach beyond. Watch for a short spur trail on the left, about on mile from the start, that leads to a grassy knoll topped with a picnic table. There you gain a more open view of the 110-mile-long river at its junction with the sea.
You'll hike past dense blackberry vines and coastal chaparral that is sometimes taller than you are. The trail crosses several seeps and springs that provide year-round water for lichen-covered Douglas firs and Mon-terey pines, then enters the first redwood grove at 1.6 miles. The redwoods surprise you: Their bark is not the usual reddish-brown color. Their trunks are completely covered with a gray-green lichen, making the trees appear ghostlike. You might expect a leprechaun to pop out of this mysterious forest at any moment.
Pomo Canyon Trail wanders along the edge of the grove, then opens out to more grasslands with wide views of the deep green Willow Creek drainage and Russian River canyon. In another half mile, you enter a second stand of redwoods and begin a steep descent to the trail's end. The narrow second- and third-growth trees have laid a soft carpet of needles under your feet. Ferns of many varieties line the woodland floor.
The path ends anticlimactically at Porno Campground, a walk-in or environmental camp. Less than two dozen sites are scattered among the trees; campers must walk in a few hundred feet from the parking lot. If the campground is empty, you might choose a picnic table for a rest stop. Otherwise, just turn around and head back over the ridge. The beauty of this trail is worth seeing all over again.
Trip Notes
There is no fee. Dogs and bikes are not allowed. A trail map is available for $1 at park headquarters at Salmon Creek or at the kiosk at Wright's Beach. For more information, contact Sonoma Coast State Beach, Bodega Bay, CA 94923, 707/875-3483 or 707/865-2391, website: www.parks.sonoma.net