Sonoma state, regional parks to remain open for healing hiking

There may be no sport more suitable - indeed conducive - to social distancing than hiking.

Some people like to hike in twos, some in a line, but spreading out is fine, too. The point is the getting out there, into nature. Breathe in, breathe out.

As Richard Dale of the Sonoma Ecology Center put it in a community message, “We’ve learned that one of the most healing and healthy aspects of the natural world... can help in a time of human isolation. The living world, all the biodiversity of plants, animals, and other living things, is made up of an array of connections that we’re hard-wired to enjoy.”

As if to illustrate the point, even after the shelter-in-place directive, most areas parks remain open, if offering limited events. Among them: Sonoma County Regional Parks.

On Wednesday, March 18, Sonoma County Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker announced that “the Regional Parks remain open as a public resource under Sonoma County’s latest health order.” Campgrounds would be closed, however, but fees will be waived.

Regional Parks spokesperson Meda Freeman put it succinctly, “We encourage people to get outside and stay active during times like these.” As of mid-week, the website announced the agency had “suspended all non-essential park services to help slow the community spread of the coronavirus.”

Area regional parks include North Sonoma, Sonoma Valley and Hood Mountain, and they will all remain open for individual hiking or walking. Parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov.

California State Parks also affirms that safety comes first, and while public spaces like their visitors centers and museums are closed, “all outdoor State Park spaces remain open and accessible to the public.” Parks.ca.gov.

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park plans to follow those guidelines, keeping all trails open but offering limited service at its visitors center.

Park manager John Roney said enhanced sanitation measures include disinfecting restrooms and “commonly touched areas” three or four times a day,

They’ve turned the no-personal-contact rule into a strength, making annual as well as day passes available online, and encouraging the use of Apple Pay or credit cards instead of cash. And Roney directed hikers to the website for a downloadable list of five self-guided hikes. Sugarloafpark.org.

Robert Ferguson Observatory (RFO), though, will not be holding any events through the end of March “and possibly beyond,” said RFO officials. But coming soon is the annual global Turn Off Your Lights for “Earth Hour,” on Saturday, March 28, at 8:30 p.m. The situation couldn’t be better – watch the stars above from your own backyard. earthhour.org.

Jack London State Historic Park plans to remain open, too, with its 30 miles of trails available during regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. But the visitors center at the House of Happy Walls and London’s Cottage are now closed, and self-registration is encouraged at the entrance kiosk. As their succinct web message puts it, “Nature and the indomitable London spirit are here for you.”

A March 18 message to supporters and visitors from Jack London Park Partners Board Chair Peter Ferris and Executive Director Matt Leffert noted, “We are painfully aware that there are many who are experiencing serious financial times, and as such the park is open to all regardless of ability to pay,” but it goes on to remind people who can pay to support those who can’t, and calls attention to the donation boxes located at the entrance kiosk.

On Wednesday, the first full day of the shelter-in-place policy, Sonoma Ecology Center announced that the public parks and open space they manage – including Sonoma Garden Park, the Overlook Trail and Montini Open Space Preserve – would remain open. “Please observe social distancing protocols when visiting these places,” Ecology Center officials advised.

But not all such preserves are able to remain accesible. At Quarryhill Botanical Garden outside of Glen Ellen, Crystal Helmer said their initial plans to keep the gardens open for day visitors didn’t pan out. “Sadly, we are closed for all purposes for at least a few weeks, if not longer.” Quarryhill.org.

John Petersen, the current director of Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR) who worked for decades at the Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen, said last week, “While there is still much to learn about coronavirus transmission and severity, we are taking a cautious and conservative approach in order to minimize any detrimental effects to staff, volunteers and program participants.”

But more recently, ACR’s Communications Director Wendy Coy told the Index-Tribune, “We are closed and following instruction from both Sonoma and Marin counties. All employees are working from home if possible and we are waiting to see what April 7 holds,” referring to the end date as proposed in the county’s shelter-in-place order.

History buffs will be disappointed to hear that Sonoma State Historic Park has closed its in-town public sites, including the Sonoma Mission, the Barracks, the Toscano Hotel and General Vallejo’s Home, as well as nearby Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. But Sonoma’s history will remain present, if less well interpreted. parks.ca.gov.SonomaSHP.

Meanwhile, many hiking trails remain open, and Bill Myers of Bill & Dave’s Hikes confirms that their regular outings will continue monthly until May 9, when they hand over the reins of the hiking program to 25-year-old Alexis Puerto-Holmes. Next up is the Saturday, March 28 hike on the North Sonoma Ridge Trail.

Does Myers think they might cancel? “I would only consider canceling it if the parks were to close down,” said the 71-year-old hiking maestro. “It’s sad to see so much panic. It’s strange.

“We’re not used to something like this,” he added, noting that when he was younger polio, yellow fever and other contagions were not uncommon.

He said he goes hiking every day in the Mayacamas just outside his door. “It’s made me an amateur psychologist and amateur philosopher.”

It’s not hard to imagine he’ll be hiking even if all the parks do close, one way or another.

Contact Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.