Idyllic Annadel - Annadel State Park, Santa Rose, California - Brief Article

Sunset, April, 2001 by Harriot Manley

* With popular trails in some Bay Area parks looking more like busy sidewalks than quiet nature escapes, it's good to know there's still plenty of seclusion at Annadel State Park, in Sonoma County on the east side of Santa Rosa.

At this 5,000-acre swath of rugged, oak- and fircloaked hills, punctuated by a pretty lake, it's still easy to find a private picnic spot surrounded by wildflowers. Instead of chatter from other hikers, you're likely to hear the thrum of bullfrogs and occasional gobbles from the park's burgeoning population of wild turkeys--flocks of 50 or more have been spotted feeding in meadows.

The former ranchland used to be a tangle of rutted dirt roads, but a major effort to control erosion and limit human impact has brought about improvements to the park's multiuse trails.

Pick up a free trail map at park headquarters on Channel Drive, then go 1 mile to the Warren Richardson trailhead. Bring water; there's none in the park.

Start by winding up through densely shaded fir forest. In about 1/2 mile, the route crosses a small meadow with broad bands of deep purple vetch, then slips back among Douglas firs and coast redwoods. Watch for the glint of an obsidian arrowhead, a reminder that Pomo Indians once lived and hunted here.

Along the trail, look for signs marking more recent quarries found within Annadel's boundaries. From the 1870s to the 1920s, basalt for street payers was mined here. Following the 1906 earthquake, these payers were used to rebuild streets and buildings in San Francisco.

You've climbed about 500 feet now, so take a breather on the ridge. Wildflowers abound: Look for blue dicks nodding on slender stems and California buttercups specking the grass. The trail then descends gently to a broad valley cradling Lake Ilsanjo. The 26-acre lake, open to fishing, gets its name from two of the land's previous owners, Ilsa and Joe Coney, who raised hops, livestock, and birds nearby in the 1930s and '40s.

Along the lake are picnic tables, a gazebo, and more wildflowers. Retrace your route or try Steve's S Trail, which heads north from the lake and eventually rejoins Richardson before leading back to the parking lot.

Forest, meadow, lake, and solitude--not bad for a 5-mile loop.