We walked a 1.1 mile counterclockwise loop on the Skyline Nature Trail.

We saw lots of sedimentary rock and there were informational signs for us to read.

We saw lots of interesting flowers and plants including the Sticky Monkey Flower.

The trail had a nice loop, and was fairly easy to hike.

We saw lots of pretty views and saw (thought not in this picture) a lot of the ocean.

Another cool tree we saw was the Monterey Pine.

This was a nice view on a hill.

In sum, this trail had nice views, informational signs, and a cool plant variety. And, be sure to read our Fun Things To Do With Kids in Monterey.

We hiked a total of 2.1 miles with an elevation range of 300 feet.

We started with a 1.4 mile counterclockwise hike around the Franciscan Loop trail.

After a few hundred feet, the trail dropped down into a dense forest canopy and, thus, it was very well shaded with only limited views of a nearby ridge.

We saw an abundance of Poison Oak near the edge of the trail.

The trails were mostly smooth, clearly marked, and well maintained.

The diversity of trees was fun to see, especially since some of them showed effects of earthquakes and lightning strikes.
The next picture features one of the few sections with an open landscape.

Near the end the Franciscan Loop we turned right onto the San Andreas Fault trail; which was a 0.7 mile loop.

It featured interpretive stations, detailed in a brochure, that described the geological history of the area and its earthquakes. Our children enjoyed learning about the past earthquakes and the fault line.

We completed the last stretch of the Franciscan loop and headed back to the parking lot.

In sum, we found this preserve to be peaceful because we didn’t see anyone else on the trail. The only thing it lacked was views of the surrounding area.

We hiked one mile from the 4th Street trailhead to the 1st Street trailhead; after which we walked on the Sonoma bike path to return to our car. We experienced a gradual gain in elevation of 175 feet.

The beginning of the Holstein trail was smooth and flat.

It was a beautiful day but not too hot so we enjoyed the sun.

There were a few sections that featured steps but the rest of it was smooth and narrow.

There was a pleasant mix of open landscape and forest canopy.

It was very quiet considering that it was a Sunday afternoon and how close it was to downtown.

We followed signs to the 1st Street West trailhead and made a right turn onto the Spotted Fawn trail. Had we turned left at that intersection, we could have connected to the Valley of the Moon and Sonoma Overlook trails, but decided to keep our adventure short and simple.

We had fun spotting two lizards basking in the sun.

We walked back to our car using the Sonoma Bike path and a made quick stop at General Vallejo’s home.

In sum, we enjoyed a very easy, short hike on a beautiful Spring day in Sonoma. We’ve also had fun at Jack London State Park and, for dogs, recommend the Sonoma Valley Regional Park.

We hiked 2.5 miles with a gradual gain in elevation of 400 feet.

The first segment of the Lower trail was mostly smooth and shaded.

However, most of the rest of it was rocky and rugged.

It was quiet as we only saw a few other hikers.

It featured several signs that identified the plants and trees that were growing near the trail. The first of which was a Pacific Madrone with its interesting bark that naturally peels away.

The Sticky Monkey Flower, also known as orange bush monkey-flower, was not flowering but can be expected to have petals with colors ranging from white to red.

The higher we climbed the more open the landscape became.

We followed signs for the Upper Meadow Loop and on our way passed a marked intersection which connected this trail system to the Montini trail.

California Bay Laurel was another marked tree.

The next intersection we passed was for the Toyon trail, which started from the upper trailhead. It offered a shorter approach to the Upper Meadow loop.

The Upper Meadow loop sat atop a hill and was narrower and short in length.

There were several stone memorial benches throughout the park; the last of which featured an expansive view that spanned from San Francisco to Mount Tamalpais to Sonoma Mountain.

We also saw some California Holly which we first learned about on the Seven Springs Loop trail in Cupertino.

In sum, we had a pleasant experience on this quiet and gently sloping trail. In addition, we appreciated how easy it was to get to it from downtown. We’ve also had fun at the nearby Jack London State Park and Sonoma Valley Regional Park.

Before the hike, we visited the Depot Park Museum which had seasonal hours of operation.
Admission was free and it featured wirelessly controlled trains that entertained our kids for almost a hour.

We hiked 2.2 miles one way from the Slacker Hill parking area on the west side of the ridge to the Golden Gate Bridge parking area on the east side of the ridge. We climbed 350 feet to the top of Slacker Hill and then descended 700 feet en route to the bridge.

On the Coastal trail, we walked a short distance and then crossed McCullough Rd.

The trail was wide, steep, and smooth. Our older children, ages eight and five, did well while our youngest, age two, needed to be carried most of the way.

After a short distance, we were able to see the Pacific ocean and grateful to have clear blue skies.

At the intersection featured below, we took the Slacker Ridge trail on the right. Notably, dogs were not allowed past this point. Later, we returned to this intersection and used the path on the left to head towards the bridge.

The top of Slacker Hill was a large, flat area with a 360 degree view of the bay area.

At the top, it was windy and the following video captured the intensity.

At this point, we had only hiked 0.4 miles and were itching for more adventure so devised a plan to hike down to the Golden Gate Bridge and which included two of the adults in our group volunteering to hike from the bridge back to the Slacker Hill parking area. We hiked down to the aforementioned intersection and then headed east on the Coastal trail.

From there, we descended 700 feet over 1.4 miles. Our children did well with the descent but probably would have struggled had we done this in the reverse direction, which would have had a total ascent over 1,000 feet. The picture below shows the right turn our group made onto the SCA trail.

The trails on the east side of the ridge were mostly smooth but narrower. And, there was little shade on either side.

With Highway 101 and the Vista Point bustling below, we had a peaceful experience and only saw a couple of other hikers. The limited parking on both sides of the ridge explained why we saw so few people on the trail but also means we were probably lucky to have found parking for two cars.

We crossed Conzelman Rd near the end of our descent.

From there, we had one last switchback.

After reaching the small parking area on the west side of Highway 101, two of our adults hiked back to our cars near Slacker Hill while the rest of us walked under the highway to the Vista Point and then walked a third of a mile onto the bridge.

In sum, our group of four adults and three kids had a blast on this one way hike. Notably, the west to east path we took was significantly easier than if we had gone east to west. Another nearby hike we had a lot of fun on was Muir Woods.