Shiloh
Ranch Regional Park,
Sonoma County Regional Parks,
Sonoma County
In brief:
3.7 mile loop through oaks and grassland at a park on the edge of wine country.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Windsor (Sonoma County), exit Shiloh Road. Drive east on Shiloh
about 1.3 miles, then turn right onto Faught. Drive about 0.1 mile, and turn left
into the parking lot.
Trailhead details:
$5 entrance fee (self-register near the entrance gate). Plenty of parking in one
paved and one gravel lot, and a few spots on the the side of the road across from
the park entrance. There's a map under glass at the trailhead, but none to take
with you. There are two designated handicapped parking spots, and wheelchair accessible
toilets on site. Trails are not well-suited to wheelchairs, but the picnic area
is. Pay phone and drinking water at trailhead. There is no direct public transportation
to the park, although Sonoma County Transit bus #66 stops at Old Redwood Highway
and Shiloh, about 1 mile from the park.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, and restaurant back off of Shiloh near 101; more choices a few miles
south around Santa Rosa. No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 3.7 mile loop hike is easy, with about 600 feet in elevation
change. Park elevation ranges from about 275 to 715 feet. Although none of the
trails are flat, the park is small.
Rules:
Park is open from sunrise to sunset. All trails are multi-use. Dogs are not permitted
on the trails, but they are allowed in the picnic area.
The Official Story:
Sonoma
County's Shiloh page
Park info: 707-433-1625
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's Mendocino and Sonoma Coast map to get there.
• Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a great map and descriptions of a Shiloh Ranch
hike.
• North Bay Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a decent map and trail descriptions.
• View photos from this hike.
When I visited Shiloh Ranch
Regional Park on the last day of summer, autumn was impatiently waiting
for its cue, like a 4th grade kid behind the curtain at a school play. Black oaks
and big leaf maples, their leaves tinged with vibrant red and orange, were conspicuous
throughout the park, both in dry grassland and along the creeks. Conditions were
perfect for a stroll; trails were cool and breezy, yet bathed in autumn's warm
glow. Indian summer is a great time of year to explore Sonoma's little-known county
parks. Although they are overshadowed the large, sprawling wine country wilderness
destinations (Sugarloaf, Mount St. Helena, and Annadel),
a handful of small parks scattered on both sides of Highway 101 provide alternate
recreation opportunities. Many of the parks boast picnic areas, restrooms, and
easy access, making them ideal for families with small children, equestrians,
local runners, and folks employed along the Santa Rosa Highway 101 corridor. Shiloh
Ranch, although one of the larger parks,
offers only a few trails throughout 845 acres of grassland, oak savannah, and
mixed creekside woodland. The sparse yet effective trail network allows
for three loop possibilities (two short and one medium length) through the different
regions of the park. For a thorough tour of Shiloh, make the full
3.7 mile circuit on Bigleaf, Ridge, Pond, and Creekside Trails. Two shorter
loops use Ridge Trail and either Creekside and Pond or Bigleaf Trails. You can
also hike out and back on Creekside Trail to a picnic area near a small pond,
a 2.4 mile roundtrip walk that makes a nice lunchtime stroll. Since the seasons
are so dramatically different at Shiloh, you may want to design a hike based on
the weather. Summer sun bakes the exposed stretches of Ridge Trail, but Creekside
is well-shaded. Winter rains swell streams and (helped by horse traffic) create
muddy conditions on narrow Creekside, while wider Ridge Trail stays more dry.
Autumn and spring are mild, encouraging hikers to take the longest loop.
Start at the information board on the edge
of the equestrian (gravel) parking lot. Begin walking south on a broad
nearly level path, parallel to Faught Road (the trail is unsigned, but obvious).
Coast live oak are dominant on the left side of the trail, but on the right you
might notice poison oak, coyote brush, fennel, yellow star thistle, and even a
few madrone and manzanita. At 0.13 mile, the trail veers left and reaches an unsigned
junction. Bear right onto Bigleaf Trail.
Multi-use Bigleaf Trail maintains an easy pace as
it sweeps through grassland lined with coast live oaks, but soon the grade picks
up near the park boundary and a vineyard. Douglas fir, madrone, California bay,
manzanita, black oak, and coast live oak shade the trail. A few bigleaf maples
are incorporated into the mixed woodland, with hazelnut and creambush thriving
in the understory. As Bigleaf Trail continues to climb at an easy pace, there
are a 
few
really large maples that will probably stop you in your tracks when their leaves
reach full orange glory in autumn. The trail turns sharply right, ascends, then
straightens out. The maples fade away, replaced with a pretty woodland of blue,
black, Oregon, and coast live oaks. At 0.68 mile, you'll reach the end of Bigleaf
Trail at a signed junction and bench. The trail to the right heads out of the
park, so stay to the left on Ridge Trail.
There are Sonoma Valley views to the south and west
as Ridge Trail climbs through oak woodland. The broad trail, open to hikers, equestrians,
and cyclists, may be well marked with deer prints; there are lots of deer at Shiloh,
and they seem to prefer this part of the park. Just past a closed trail at 0.74
mile, chamise and monkeyflower suggest a transition to chaparral, but instead
Ridge Trail settles on an 
eclectic
blend of Douglas fir, madrone, hazelnut, California bay, oaks (Oregon, coast live,
and black), manzanita, toyon, coyote brush, buckeye, and ceanothus. A power line,
also headed uphill, follows a discrete distance from the trail. Muted traffic
noise from the highway and nearby ranches is omnipresent. The trail veers left,
skirting a hill, and the grade stiffens. Sparse tree cover on the left permits
views back down to Bigleaf Trail, and further west toward Windsor. At 1.17 miles,
you'll reach a (barely) signed junction. Turn left and walk on an arm of the
ridge to the end of the path and a bench at 1.23 miles. If it's not too hot,
this is a nice spot for a lunch break. There are long unobstructed views west,
north, and even east to Mount St. Helena. When you're ready, retrace your steps
back to the previous junction, at 1.29 miles, and turn left, continuing
on Ridge Trail.
Manzanita, madrone, coast live oak, 
buckeye,
Douglas fir, bigleaf maple, and poison oak comprise the trailside vegetation as
the broad path descends a bit. Ridge Trail curves left and heads back uphill,
at a moderate pace. Rocky stretches may remind seasoned Sonoma County hikers of
similar sections of Annadel Park. It's easy to see why rockcutters chose to quarry
near here. At 1.62 miles, Ridge Trail crests and reaches a signed junction. Turn
right on Pond Trail (if you want to shorten your hike, continue downhill to
the trailhead on Ridge Trail).
Multi-use Pond Trail begins a descent, under a canopy
of bigleaf maples, Douglas fir, and coast live oak. This cool shade fosters creambush,
hazelnut, snowberry, and monkeyflower. Look to the left for a glimpse of Mount
St. Helena where there are breaks in the tree cover. Broad Pond Trail steps out
of the woods into one of park's prettiest sections, a rolling oak Savannah This
area must be stunning in spring, 
but
it's hard to top the autumn black oak foliage displays. Traffic noise fades, replaced
by the twitter of bluejays and shrieks from airborne hawks. A well-worn path breaks
off to the right at 1.95 miles; continue straight on Pond Trail. After
a short somewhat steep downhill, a grassy valley comes into view to the left.
At 2.11 miles, you'll reach an undersigned and easy-to-miss junction (the only
sign is a generic "trail" marker down the path to the left). Turn
left.
The narrow multi-use trail leaves the trees behind
as it descends through grassland. Sweeping left, the trail draws near a damp area
lined with willows, which screen from view a small pond. At 2.32, a path departs
to the right at an undersigned junction. Turn right if you want to spend some
time near the pond (there are a few picnic tables), otherwise continue straight.
Tiny Creekside Trail,
open to hikers, equestrians, and cyclists, follows along a seasonal stream, and
soon seeks shelter under cover of black oak, madrone, Douglas fir, bigleaf maple,
and coast live oak. As the trail easily descends, you might notice more moisture-loving
plants, such as creambush and hazelnut. California bays perfume the air with a
spicy scent, and gnarled buckeyes grace the hillsides. Look for a one-seat bench
carved out of a tree stump on the left. The trail dips down to cross the creekbed,
then climbs a few feet, but for the most part the trail profile remains one of
a steady descent. At 3.49 miles, Creekside Trail ascends a few steps and reaches
another undersigned junction. Turn right.
The wide multi-use trail (hard to tell if it's a
continuation of Creekside or Ridge Trail on the park map) descends steadily under
heavy tree canopy. Ignore a trail curving right at 3.54 miles, and continue
to the left. The trail keeps a mostly level course along the park boundary,
drops down to a creek crossing, then reaches an unsigned junction at 3.66 miles.
Bear right, walk through the edge of a picnic area, and you'll reach the end
of the trail and the parking lot.
Total distance: 3.71 miles
Last hiked: Friday, September 21, 2001
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
Regional Park on the last day of summer, autumn was impatiently waiting
for its cue, like a 4th grade kid behind the curtain at a school play. Black oaks
and big leaf maples, their leaves tinged with vibrant red and orange, were conspicuous
throughout the park, both in dry grassland and along the creeks. Conditions were
perfect for a stroll; trails were cool and breezy, yet bathed in autumn's warm
glow. Indian summer is a great time of year to explore Sonoma's little-known county
parks. Although they are overshadowed the large, sprawling wine country wilderness
destinations (Sugarloaf, Mount St. Helena, and Annadel),
a handful of small parks scattered on both sides of Highway 101 provide alternate
recreation opportunities. Many of the parks boast picnic areas, restrooms, and
easy access, making them ideal for families with small children, equestrians,
local runners, and folks employed along the Santa Rosa Highway 101 corridor. Shiloh
Ranch, although one of the larger parks,
offers only a few trails throughout 845 acres of grassland, oak savannah, and
mixed creekside woodland. The sparse yet effective trail network allows
for three loop possibilities (two short and one medium length) through the different
regions of the park. For a thorough tour of Shiloh, make the full
3.7 mile circuit on Bigleaf, Ridge, Pond, and Creekside Trails. Two shorter
loops use Ridge Trail and either Creekside and Pond or Bigleaf Trails. You can
also hike out and back on Creekside Trail to a picnic area near a small pond,
a 2.4 mile roundtrip walk that makes a nice lunchtime stroll. Since the seasons
are so dramatically different at Shiloh, you may want to design a hike based on
the weather. Summer sun bakes the exposed stretches of Ridge Trail, but Creekside
is well-shaded. Winter rains swell streams and (helped by horse traffic) create
muddy conditions on narrow Creekside, while wider Ridge Trail stays more dry.
Autumn and spring are mild, encouraging hikers to take the longest loop. 
of the equestrian (gravel) parking lot. Begin walking south on a broad
nearly level path, parallel to Faught Road (the trail is unsigned, but obvious).
Coast live oak are dominant on the left side of the trail, but on the right you
might notice poison oak, coyote brush, fennel, yellow star thistle, and even a
few madrone and manzanita. At 0.13 mile, the trail veers left and reaches an unsigned
junction. Bear right onto Bigleaf Trail.
few
really large maples that will probably stop you in your tracks when their leaves
reach full orange glory in autumn. The trail turns sharply right, ascends, then
straightens out. The maples fade away, replaced with a pretty woodland of blue,
black, Oregon, and coast live oaks. At 0.68 mile, you'll reach the end of Bigleaf
Trail at a signed junction and bench. The trail to the right heads out of the
park, so stay to the left on Ridge Trail.
eclectic
blend of Douglas fir, madrone, hazelnut, California bay, oaks (Oregon, coast live,
and black), manzanita, toyon, coyote brush, buckeye, and ceanothus. A power line,
also headed uphill, follows a discrete distance from the trail. Muted traffic
noise from the highway and nearby ranches is omnipresent. The trail veers left,
skirting a hill, and the grade stiffens. Sparse tree cover on the left permits
views back down to Bigleaf Trail, and further west toward Windsor. At 1.17 miles,
you'll reach a (barely) signed junction. Turn left and walk on an arm of the
ridge to the end of the path and a bench at 1.23 miles. If it's not too hot,
this is a nice spot for a lunch break. There are long unobstructed views west,
north, and even east to Mount St. Helena. When you're ready, retrace your steps
back to the previous junction, at 1.29 miles, and turn left, continuing
on Ridge Trail.
buckeye,
Douglas fir, bigleaf maple, and poison oak comprise the trailside vegetation as
the broad path descends a bit. Ridge Trail curves left and heads back uphill,
at a moderate pace. Rocky stretches may remind seasoned Sonoma County hikers of
similar sections of Annadel Park. It's easy to see why rockcutters chose to quarry
near here. At 1.62 miles, Ridge Trail crests and reaches a signed junction. Turn
right on Pond Trail (if you want to shorten your hike, continue downhill to
the trailhead on Ridge Trail).
but
it's hard to top the autumn black oak foliage displays. Traffic noise fades, replaced
by the twitter of bluejays and shrieks from airborne hawks. A well-worn path breaks
off to the right at 1.95 miles; continue straight on Pond Trail. After
a short somewhat steep downhill, a grassy valley comes into view to the left.
At 2.11 miles, you'll reach an undersigned and easy-to-miss junction (the only
sign is a generic "trail" marker down the path to the left). Turn
left.
open to hikers, equestrians, and cyclists, follows along a seasonal stream, and
soon seeks shelter under cover of black oak, madrone, Douglas fir, bigleaf maple,
and coast live oak. As the trail easily descends, you might notice more moisture-loving
plants, such as creambush and hazelnut. California bays perfume the air with a
spicy scent, and gnarled buckeyes grace the hillsides. Look for a one-seat bench
carved out of a tree stump on the left. The trail dips down to cross the creekbed,
then climbs a few feet, but for the most part the trail profile remains one of
a steady descent. At 3.49 miles, Creekside Trail ascends a few steps and reaches
another undersigned junction. Turn right.