In one hike you can get it all: redwood groves, wildflower-filled meadows, rocky outcroppings, cascading creeks and sweeping views. This is Sonoma County at its best, the Pomo Canyon Trail, a 4.5-mile stretch between a wooded campground and Shell Beach. Naturally, unless you bring two cars, enjoying the entire trail would cause you to rack up nine miles.
If you start at the Pomo Canyon Campground, you might have to add another mile, as when I hiked it, the campground was closed, and I do not know if it is permanent or seasonal. This caused me to park outside the gate and walk the pleasant half mile to the campground along Willow Creek.
As soon as you enter the campground, located in a redwood canyon, the trail goes steeply up on the right. It winds through the redwood forest before changing to a mixed forest and finally opens up into hillside meadows, near the top of the trail. There …show more content…
As the trail starts to level off along an open meadow, there is a junction with the Red Hill Trail. There is another junction coming from the campground side, so you can and should make a loop. Take the Pomo Canyon one way, the Red Hill the other.
I did not hike the entire trail both ways on the same day. Rather, I hiked from the campground to the top of Red Hill one day and from the beach to the top on another day. I do not think it matters which direction you take.
From the campground, the trail climbs until the canopy opens up before dropping to a saddle and crossing a short bridge. Then it climbs again to the Red Hill trail junction. I continued up the Red Hill trail, through a small forest and out again for a final climb to the top, where I could look down on the Sonoma coast. Also, along the way there are some nice views of the mouth of the Russian River and the charming little town of
If you start at the Pomo Canyon Campground, you might have to add another mile, as when I hiked it, the campground was closed, and I do not know if it is permanent or seasonal. This caused me to park outside the gate and walk the pleasant half mile to the campground along Willow Creek.
As soon as you enter the campground, located in a redwood canyon, the trail goes steeply up on the right. It winds through the redwood forest before changing to a mixed forest and finally opens up into hillside meadows, near the top of the trail. There …show more content…
As the trail starts to level off along an open meadow, there is a junction with the Red Hill Trail. There is another junction coming from the campground side, so you can and should make a loop. Take the Pomo Canyon one way, the Red Hill the other.
I did not hike the entire trail both ways on the same day. Rather, I hiked from the campground to the top of Red Hill one day and from the beach to the top on another day. I do not think it matters which direction you take.
From the campground, the trail climbs until the canopy opens up before dropping to a saddle and crossing a short bridge. Then it climbs again to the Red Hill trail junction. I continued up the Red Hill trail, through a small forest and out again for a final climb to the top, where I could look down on the Sonoma coast. Also, along the way there are some nice views of the mouth of the Russian River and the charming little town of