Return from the Wildfires

Post Fire Hikes in Sonoma with the Ecology Center

02.01.2018

Last October one of the worst wildfires in California’s history ripped through Sonoma and Napa Valley, burning some of the area’s precious open space and state and regional parks. Yet along with the New Year comes new growth, new greenery, basically a renewed beauty all across wine country. See for yourself on one of the free Fire Recovery guided hikes led by the good folks at Sonoma Ecology Center. Check their calendar for upcoming dates and get registered (these popular hikes book up!).

Hiking at various locations in Sonoma Valley, enjoy the trails and mountain-to-lake scenery while discovering how the land behaves after fires. Turns out, it behaves pretty well! Redwoods display their usual resiliency, madrones with singed leaves are resprouting new ones, and burned land is already starting to see a resurgence of grasses coming up strong as wildflowers bloom anew thanks to carbon adding nutrients to the soil (currently you’re likely to see hounds tongue and milkmaids making their marks on trailside hills). Learn which dead and dying trees are not deemed hazardous and are still valuable habitat for birds and other animals. If “hope springs eternal,” then Sonoma County is poetry in motion.

NEXT FIRE RECOVER WALK DATE: The next Fire Recovery Walk is Saturday, February 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sonoma Valley Regional Park. There’s no cost to hike, though donations to the Sonoma Valley Ecological Fire Relief Fund are gratefully accepted. Get tickets (free) for a 2018 Fire Recovery Walk with the Sonoma Ecology Center.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

Napa's Wild Side
It’s wine country’s Amazon. The gentle Napa River is an ecological—and recreational—delight. And Napa Valley Paddle sets you up for maximum enjoyment of this experience.
View
Been There, Dome That
Surrounded by granite domes, craggy peaks, and miles of hiking trails, the High Sierra landscape of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is famous for good reason. For a truly grand view, take a short hike to bold—and bald (except for snow at times)—Lembert Dome.
View
Wapama Wows
Hetch Hetchy can be overlooked in Yosemite National Park because of its more remote location and limited facilities. But this is where you’ll also find one of the best day hikes in the park: Wapama Falls.
View
Muir Woods Through the Backdoor
A backdoor entrance into Muir Woods? Hike a tranquil trail that starts in Mount Tamalpais State Park and quietly leads into Muir Woods, letting you avoid the busyness of the main parking area.
View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

Inn-spiration Point!
For more than a century, people have been hiking or mountain biking to West Point Inn for good reason. Perched at 1,785 feet on the southern slope of Mount Tamalpais, the historic inn has sweeping views from the Marin Headlands to the San Francisco skyline.
View
A Thousand Steps to Paradise
A picture is worth a thousand words, but is a gorgeous beach in Laguna worth a thousand steps? The answer is yes, though the question is moot, because it’s only 223 steep steps down to the 400-yard stretch of sand known as 1000 Steps Beach.
View
Sponsored
Take the Exit to the Best of the San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is proof that some of Northern California’s greatest surprises are hiding just off Highway 101. All you have to do is take the exit.
View
Lookout for This View!
Sierra Buttes Lookout, at a lofty 8,591 feet, is a memory maker for its pucker-worthy stairway to the tower’s balcony. It's a 5-mile (round-trip) hike to reach it. And the reward? Epic!
View