August 2026 Newsletter
Looking for a cool coastal trail?
If your idea of the Sonoma Coast is all sandy beaches and dramatic sea cliffs, Chanslor Ranch might surprise you.
Just north of Bodega Bay, this scenic park offers miles of trails that wind from a working horse ranch into rolling grasslands and tidal wetlands. One outing can take you from windswept ridgelines with wide views of Bodega Bay, Bodega Head and the Pacific Ocean down to the quiet shoreline of Salmon Creek, with plenty of opportunities for birdwatching along the way.
Late summer: Keep on splashin'
Summer may be winding down, but swim season isn't over yet! You can still beat the late-summer heat at one of our lifeguarded swim beaches at Spring Lake Regional Park and Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach through Labor Day.
At Spring Lake, the Water Park, swimming lagoon and rentals remain open through the end of the season, with reduced late-summer hours (see link below). Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach on the Russian River remains open daily from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. through Labor Day.
Free loaner life jackets are also available at both locations. After Labor Day, free life jackets will continue to be available through mid-October at Del Rio Woods, Steelhead Beach, Forestville River Access and Sunset Beach. These river beaches don't have lifeguards on duty.
Find hours, parking, water safety information and everything you need to plan your visit at SoCoParks.org/Swim.
Ride the River Shuttle
There’s still time to ride Regional Parks River Shuttle to the Russian River this summer, operating weekends through Labor Day. Parking lots can fill early, but the shuttle gives you an easy way to get to the river.
The shuttle runs every 30 minutes, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m., from El Molino High School in Forestville to Steelhead and Sunset beaches. All-day tickets are only $5, and kids and teens 18 and younger ride free. Parking at El Molino is free.
Know someone who wants to explore parks?
Your Regional Parks membership already has you covered for parking, but friends and family can try out the parks for free with a Sonoma County Library card. Sonoma County Library cardholders can check out a Regional Parks day-use parking pass, and thanks to a recent expansion of the popular program, the wait is much shorter. Before the expansion, cardholders were waiting up to six months for a pass. Now, the wait is a few weeks. Know someone who’s been meaning to explore the parks? Pass it along.
Ragle Ranch resilience
The healthier, more wildfire-resilient landscape you see when you visit Ragle Ranch Regional Park is the result of year-round stewardship.
At Ragle Ranch and other parks, that work starts with targeted grazing by sheep, goats or cattle to reduce invasive grasses and other plants that can become wildfire fuel. Next, we prune up fire-resilient native trees, such as oaks, to remove excess vegetation that can carry fire into the canopy. Finally, carefully managed prescribed fire leaves behind nutrient rich soil that we reseed with native plants.
This integrated approach — funded in part by Parks for All — Measure M — reduces wildfire fuels, restores native ecosystems and helps parks better withstand future fires. Watch this video to see how it all comes together. Learn more at SoCoParks.org/Fire.
You answered. We listened.
Thank you to everyone who shared feedback in our spring parks survey. More than 2,000 residents told us what they value most about Sonoma County's parks and where they'd like to see improvements. The responses paint a clear picture of what matters most: maintaining parks and trails, protecting natural resources, improving public access and expanding recreation opportunities.
Your feedback will help guide park improvements, service priorities and long-term planning as we look to the future. Read the survey highlights at SoCoParks.org/ParksSurvey.
Dog days of summer
Tickets are on sale for Spring Lake's most famous doggie event: Water Bark! This popular annual event, which opens the fenced-in swimming lagoon for dogs to romp and splash off leash, returns on Saturday, Sept. 19, and runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 4.
The Water Bark is a fundraiser for the Sonoma County Parks Foundation, and proceeds benefit our more than 50 dog-friendly parks and trails.
Advance tickets are $8 for Regional Parks members; $12 for non-members. Season passes are $50 and include an extra Friday afternoon Water Bark date. Tickets purchased after Sept. 18 (or at the gate) are $10 for members; $15 for non-members. Parking for Water Bark is free for Regional Parks members; non-members will need to pay the day-use parking fee.
Thru-hike with the Sugar Shuttle
Challenge yourself to a thru-hike this fall and let the Sugar Shuttle handle the driving. The free, seasonal shuttle helps hikers complete one-way routes between Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve or North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve and Jack London State Historic Park without parking a car at both ends.
Operated by Sonoma Ecology Center/Team Sugarloaf, the shuttle runs every 30 to 60 minutes (depending on route) on select Saturdays and Sundays. The first shuttle weekend this season is Sept. 5-6, with additional dates in October and November. Reservations are $10, refundable on site and each trip is limited to five riders. Online reservations are required.
Lend a hand on Coastal Cleanup Day
Join us on Saturday, Sept. 19, for California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state's largest annual volunteer event to protect ocean and inland waterways.
We're leading cleanups at Maxwell Farms Regional Park and Larson Park in Sonoma Valley to keep trash from reaching Sonoma Creek and San Pablo Bay, and at Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay, 9 a.m. to noon. All ages are welcome, we provide gloves, grabbers and buckets. Free; registration is required.
These are just three of the many events happening across the region that day. Find another site near you.
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