Sonoma State Historic Park
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
65 acres0.5 mi of trail
Holstein Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Cullen328 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sonoma
10% of Sonoma’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 5.2 miles of mapped trail cross Sonoma, 1.9 per square mile of land. 10% of Sonoma’s land is conserved, about 185 acres.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #126 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
185 acres · of 2.7 sq mi of land
Trails
5.2 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
183 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
4.0 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Sonoma?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild10% of the land is conserved; a typical California town, 4%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 93% of U.S. towns.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sonoma have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sonoma is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #126 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sonoma’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (183 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 85%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Sonoma State Historic Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Montini Open Space Preserve
Park
27 acres0.3 mi of trail
Holstein Hill TrailService Road Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 16 parks & preserves
Sonoma State Historic Park65 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSonoma Plaza7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMontini Open Space Preserve27 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNathanson Creek Preserve Demonstration Garden1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDepot Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOlsen Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Field Of Dreams10 acres
DirectionsMadera Park5 acres
DirectionsNathanson Creek Park5 acres
DirectionsEraldi Park4 acres
DirectionsK.T. Carter Park2 acres
Armstrong Park1 acres
Sonoma Valley Oaks1 acres
El Prado Common1 acres
Macarthur Park1 acres
Hertenstein Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
185 conserved acres
10% of Sonoma’s land. Who manages Sonoma’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city98 ac
State parks66 ac
Regional agency42 ac
County12 ac
Regional Water Districts6 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3 ac
Local Park · 70 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 66 acLocal Other or Unknown · 45 acRanch Easement · 35 acUnknown Easement · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma State Historic Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 66 | Open |
| Montini Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Arnold Park Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Depot Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| The Plaza Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Carter Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Sonoma Garden Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Scwa Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 6 | Restricted |
| Eraldi Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Sonoma
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sonoma
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Sonoma
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
6 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.3 mi
Sonona Overlook Trail1.1 mi
Holstein Hill Trail0.3 mi
Sonona Overlook Trail - Meadow Loop0.3 mi
Toyon Trail0.2 mi
Rattlesnake Cutoff0.1 mi
Service Road Path0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Basketball
6Tennis
5Baseball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Vallejo EstateBuilding · listed 1972
About itSonoma DepotBuilding · listed 1975
About itSonoma Grammar SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itBuena Vista Vineyards-Buena Vista Vinicultural SocietyBuilding · listed 1986
About itOrange LawnBuilding · listed 2008
About itSonoma Valley Woman's ClubBuilding · listed 2015
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Sonoma: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 61 | 65 | 69 | 73 | 80 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 76 | 65 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 5.3 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 5.5 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Sonoma →
Next door
Sonoma and its neighbors
Sonoma has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma | 10% | 1.9 | 17 | 99%+ | A |
| El Verano | 3% | 0.2 | 7 | 92% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sonoma
Where can I hike in Sonoma?
The longest trail networks: Sonoma State Historic Park, 0.5 miles; Sonoma Plaza, 0.4 miles; Montini Open Space Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sonoma is conserved land?
10% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Sonoma’s trails?
Sonoma State Historic Park and Sonoma Plaza don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sonoma?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sonoma?
21,514 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sonoma or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 183 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Sonoma have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #126 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Sonoma neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →