Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

This 805-acre reserve is just a few miles up Armstrong Woods Road from the center of Guerneville and is, as its name suggests, home to some neck-twistingly tall redwoods. The shady and damp forest provides welcome relief from the summer heat and is now the largest remaining old-growth redwood forest in Sonoma.

Some of its trees survived the region’s vast 19th-century logging operations and were ironically saved by a lumberman—Colonel James Armstrong—who bought the land in the 1870s to preserve the last tracts of the very same forest he profited from.

Visitors with little time or energy can make a short trek on groomed paths from one of the three parking lots to some fine redwood specimens, including the 308-foot-tall Armstrong Tree, which is believed to be about 1,400 years old. If craning your neck is too strenuous, relax at one of the picnic tables scattered among the trees.

The more adventurous can choose from any number of longer hikes up out of the redwoods to the oak and madrone forests on the ridges higher up and continue on into the Austin Creek State Recreation Area, which is north of the reserve.

One such hike is a relatively quick loop (2.2 miles) that illustrates the wide range of vegetation and microclimates. The East Ridge Trail climbs steeply from just behind the visitor center up to a warm ridge that ducks in and out of the sun before descending back into the redwoods (head down the hill at the first signposted trail junction or the hike will become a half-day ordeal). Once back in the redwoods it’s an easy walk down the road or the Pioneer Trail back to the visitor center.

Another moderate loop is the 2.3-mile Pool Ridge Trail, which climbs 500 feet up a series of switchbacks before looping back down into the forest.

The reserve is open sunrise to sunset and there’s a $4 day-use fee for cars. Alternatively, park at the visitor center (17020 Armstrong Woods Rd., Guerneville, 707/869-2958, open 11 a.m.–3 p.m.) and walk in on the road or a trail to avoid the fee. Dogs and bikes are not allowed on any trails. For more information, call 707/869-2015.