Monthly Hike: Sonoma Overlook Trail

For all its beauty and tourist appeal, Sonoma has an embarrasingly small number of public hiking trails (especially when compared to Marin County). Most of the land is privarely owned by vinyards, and the mountains that surround the valley are closed off to hikers. Sonoma Overlook Trail is one of the few trails that isn’t only open to the public, but is well maintained and advertised in various brochures. It’s a relatively short hike up Schocken Hill, close to the town square. The town graveyard is adjacent, and there’s an alternative way that leads through the old cemetery. The hiking is nice, and once you get to the top, you get a good 270 degree view of the town of Sonoma and the San Pablo Bay.

Victoria and I haven’t found much time to go hiking in recent weeks, and the month of February was completely rained out. So even though we’d hiked the Overlook Trail many times before, I decided to use the beautiful weather last Sunday for another visit, trusty iPhone in hand (which means crappy pictures). Here’s a few impressions from the trip.