Armstrong
Redwoods State Reserve,
California State Parks,
Sonoma County
In brief:
This 3 mile loop up and down hills and through ancient redwoods makes a very good
alternative to Muir Woods, especially in summer.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Sonoma County, exit River Road/Mark West Springs Road. Drive west
on River Road about 16 miles into Guerneville, and turn right onto Armstrong Woods
Road. Drive about 2 miles, to the visitor center parking lot on the right just
before the park's entrance kiosk.
Traihead details:
No entrance or parking fee if you park in the visitor center lot (if you park
inside the park, a $6 fee is charged). Large paved parking lot. Wheelchair-accessible
restrooms on site. There is no designated handicapped parking, but the parking
lot is flat, and there's more parking inside the park. Maps available (for a fee)
at the visitor center. There is no direct public transportation to the park, but
Sonoma County bus line #28 services Guerneville. From Guerneville's River Road
it's about a 2 mile walk to the park.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, restaurants, stores, and pay phone in Guerneville. Bullfrog Pond campground,
in adjacent Austin Creek, is a good staging area for a weekend of hiking at Armstrong
and Austin Creek.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 3 mile loop hike is moderate, due to elevation changes along East
Ridge Trail. Total elevation change is about 300 feet.
Rules:
Some trails are hiking only. Most are open to hikers and equestrians. Cyclists
not allowed on trails, but can ride on paved park roads. Dogs are not permitted
on trails. Park is open from 8 a.m. to one hour after sunset.
The Official Story:
CSP's
Armstrong Redwoods page
Armstron Redwoods entrance kiosk 707-869-2015
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's Mendocino and Sonoma Coast Region map to get to the park.
• Redwood
Hikes has a great map and descriptions of this reserve, with gorgeous photos
• Download the park
map pdf
• Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a great map and descriptions of an Armstrong
Redwoods hike.
• David Weintraub's North Bay Trails has a useful map, and trail descriptions
(order
this book from Amazon.com).
• View 41 photos from the featured
hike.
When bay area hikers host tourists
in the summer, and they beg to see "the" redwoods, most of us grit our
teeth and truck them out to Muir Woods. The bay area's most popular natural history
spot, Muir Woods is always pretty busy, but it is crazy in the summer. Impressive
redwoods can be found at a few other places around San Francisco (such as Redwood
Regional Park in the east bay and Portola
Redwoods in the south bay), but the park that comes closest to capturing that
Muir Woods magic might be Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, outside Guerneville
in Sonoma County. Driving to Guerneville for a day hike means a lot of time on
the road, so consider making a weekend out of it. Combine Armstrong Redwoods with
wine tasting in Napa or Sonoma County, a visit to Jack London State Park, or a
canoe trip on the Russian River, for a memorable wine country experience, one
that active out-of-town guests should appreciate. If you care to camp, Austin
Creek State Recreation Area sprawls just north of Armstrong Redwoods, and features
23 car camping sites, and 4 back country hike-in sites (one only 3.2 miles from
parking).
Armstrong Redwoods is a small reserve, with just
over 800 acres, and features only a handful of trails. The Discovery and Pioneer
Trails wander levelly along the canyon floor through the largest remaining old-growth
redwood forest in Sonoma County, much in the manner of Muir Woods. Pool Ridge
Trail and East Ridge Trail climb from an elevation around 150 feet, through the
forest, and then leave the reserve to climb some more in the hills of Austin
Creek. A loop combining East Ridge and
Pool Ridge is a manageable length, but involves a lot of elevation change and
some steep grades.
For the featured hike, start at the eastern (hill)
side of the visitor center parking lot and look for the signed start of the East
Ridge Trail. This dirt path, open to equestrians and hikers only, is signed
"Steep Trail," which may be a bit of an exaggeration, but probably scares
most visitors back to the canyon floor. East Ridge Trail climbs almost completely
under cover of redwood, Douglas fir, tanoak, madrone, and California bay. In the
spring, you may see starflower, redwood sorrel, hound's tongue, and in early summer,
trillium. The grade is mostly bearable, with a few steep stretches, and heart-sinking
descents followed by inevitable ascents. The trail is eroded in places and tree
roots are easy to trip over. A couple of benches are convenient when you need
a rest, although there are no views to speak of, just snatches of the west ridge
occasionally glimpsed through the thick forest. Some shrubs, such as huckleberry,
creambush, wood rose, and hazelnut, flourish in the deep shade. Monkeyflower is
about the latest blooming plant; look for orange flowers that persist into summer.
Beware of a few spots that look like junctions. This is a long 1.2 mile stretch,
but you'll know the junction when you see it. Deer are common, 
and
you may see turkeys, which scratch their way through fallen leaves looking for
insects. At 1.2 miles (as promised), you reach the signed junction with a trail
that descends to the canyon floor. (If you want to extend this hike, continue
straight on East Ridge, then take Pool Ridge back to the Discovery Trail. This
option has a lot more climbing.) Turn left (toward the ranger station)
and begin a descent.
Switchbacks keep the drop through California bay
and redwood manageable. You may hear (or see) water rushing downhill, on the way
to meet Fife Creek in the canyon. The path has been rerouted for habitat restoration,
so be sure to stay on the trail. At 1.6 miles, the trail crosses a bridge and
ends at a parking lot. Walk south (to the left) on the road, pass some
picnic areas and the road leading to Austin Creek, and just before the road crosses
the creek, look for the signed start of the Pioneer Trail on the right side
of the road.
This hiking-only trail definitely brings to mind
Muir Woods, with a flat path through tall redwoods, and a hushed, almost reverent
atmosphere. 
When
I hiked here in July, the trial surface seemed to have been supplemented with
a thick layer of redwood duff, making it by a long shot the softest path I have
ever trod. At 2 miles, Pioneer continues straight while Discovery Trail begins
to the right at a signed junction. Turn right onto Discovery Trail, which
has interpretive stations dispersed among the redwoods. You first encounter "the
icicle tree," a redwood somewhat deformed by unusual burls. Continue past
a huge fallen redwood, then cross through a deeply shaded area and climb a few
stairs. The path levels out again, and reaches a signed junction at 2.3 miles,
under the Armstrong tree. The redwood, estimated to be more than 1,400 years old,
is an awesome sight to visitors unfamiliar with Sequoia sempervirens. Follow
the signs back to the ranger station (if you've walked to the far side of
the Armstrong tree, retrace your steps a few feet to the junction), passing through
a bounty of hazelnut shrubs. The trail crosses a paved road, and feeds back into
the Pioneer Trail, which passes through another lovely redwood grove, and then
crosses another paved road. Just before the Pioneer Trail ends near the entrance
kiosk, be sure to check out a sliced cross section of redwood, with important
dates in history marked among its rings. Reminds me of a scene from the movie
Vertigo, when Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart examine a similar tree. Our lives
really do account for a just few inches of growth to these amazing redwoods. At
the end of the Pioneer Trail, walk past the kiosk and return to the parking
lot.
Total distance: 3 miles
Last hiked: Friday, July 7, 2000
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
in the summer, and they beg to see "the" redwoods, most of us grit our
teeth and truck them out to Muir Woods. The bay area's most popular natural history
spot, Muir Woods is always pretty busy, but it is crazy in the summer. Impressive
redwoods can be found at a few other places around San Francisco (such as Redwood
Regional Park in the east bay and Portola
Redwoods in the south bay), but the park that comes closest to capturing that
Muir Woods magic might be Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, outside Guerneville
in Sonoma County. Driving to Guerneville for a day hike means a lot of time on
the road, so consider making a weekend out of it. Combine Armstrong Redwoods with
wine tasting in Napa or Sonoma County, a visit to Jack London State Park, or a
canoe trip on the Russian River, for a memorable wine country experience, one
that active out-of-town guests should appreciate. If you care to camp, Austin
Creek State Recreation Area sprawls just north of Armstrong Redwoods, and features
23 car camping sites, and 4 back country hike-in sites (one only 3.2 miles from
parking). 
Pool Ridge is a manageable length, but involves a lot of elevation change and
some steep grades. 
and
you may see turkeys, which scratch their way through fallen leaves looking for
insects. At 1.2 miles (as promised), you reach the signed junction with a trail
that descends to the canyon floor. (If you want to extend this hike, continue
straight on East Ridge, then take Pool Ridge back to the Discovery Trail. This
option has a lot more climbing.) Turn left (toward the ranger station)
and begin a descent.
When
I hiked here in July, the trial surface seemed to have been supplemented with
a thick layer of redwood duff, making it by a long shot the softest path I have
ever trod. At 2 miles, Pioneer continues straight while Discovery Trail begins
to the right at a signed junction. Turn right onto Discovery Trail, which
has interpretive stations dispersed among the redwoods. You first encounter "the
icicle tree," a redwood somewhat deformed by unusual burls. Continue past
a huge fallen redwood, then cross through a deeply shaded area and climb a few
stairs. The path levels out again, and reaches a signed junction at 2.3 miles,
under the Armstrong tree. The redwood, estimated to be more than 1,400 years old,
is an awesome sight to visitors unfamiliar with Sequoia sempervirens. Follow
the signs back to the ranger station (if you've walked to the far side of
the Armstrong tree, retrace your steps a few feet to the junction), passing through
a bounty of hazelnut shrubs. The trail crosses a paved road, and feeds back into
the Pioneer Trail, which passes through another lovely redwood grove, and then
crosses another paved road. Just before the Pioneer Trail ends near the entrance
kiosk, be sure to check out a sliced cross section of redwood, with important
dates in history marked among its rings. Reminds me of a scene from the movie
Vertigo, when Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart examine a similar tree. Our lives
really do account for a just few inches of growth to these amazing redwoods. At
the end of the Pioneer Trail, walk past the kiosk and return to the parking
lot.