Sonoma County Regional Parks hosted a guided hike to Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park that we thought would be a good introduction to a place we had not hiked before.  In all, about 20 participants attended the planned 6.5 mile hike to the West Pole overlook.

Parking can be a bit tricky at Monte Rio, particularly when a group of 20 show up at the same time.  We were lucky to snag the last spot in the small parking lot.  There were plenty of other spaces along the road however.

Monte Rio Redwoods now consists of 2,030 acres, stictched together over time.  The acreage mostly came from former timber operations that have logged the general area as recently as 2022.  This new park's master plan is still under development but operates under provisional rules that allows for hiking and biking activities.

The trails are well maintained and mostly shaded.  There are plenty of Redwoods, oaks and Bay Laurel trees providing ample shade.  Our route featured several steep sections gave a few of us pause to catch our breaths.  A low water crossing in a steep canyon with lots of steps was fine on the first traverse, but was a bit of a knee wobbling challenge on the return leg.

Our goal was to have lunch at the West Pole lookout on the western edge of the park.  The view from this spot was spectacular.  Looking down into the Russian River valley one can see the meandering of the river as curves around the last few remaining ridgelines before emptying into the vast Pacific Ocean.

After finishing our lunch we by chance encountered Sonoma Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker.  He just so happened to be mountain biking on the trails on his free time.  He paused his ride to chat with us and filled in some more details about the arduous process of land acquisition and partnerships that were required to create the regional park we were enjoying today.

Our group doubled back exactly the way we had ascended.  The easier descent led to a few more conversations amongst the hikers.  There was an interesting mix of folks with different stories about their interests and what drew them to today's outing.

After almost 4 and a half hours of hiking we covered 6.77 miles, close to the advertised 6.5.  Elevation gain was only 1,056 feet, lower than the expected 1,500 feet.

Penny and I made our first visit to Newell in a couple of years.  The dusty parking area is now nicely paved.  There's even a charger station for EVs.

Not long after starting our hike we came upon a rafter of turkeys in one of the thick blackberry bushes along the trail.  Some trotted farther up the trail and some took flight when they managed to get out of the brambles.  It's a little early in the season for blackberries, but a few had some plump, ripe fruit that were quite tasty.

The main acreage has free roaming cows and we encountered one on the trail that was to be deterred from her chosen path.  She patiently waited, still and resolute. As we passed by on the other side of the jeep track trail.  Once we passed she slowly ambled down the path.

The clean parking area is not reflected on the trail conditions unfortunately.  We found many of the trails a bit overgown and needing some maintenance.  But the most Southeastern portions of the trails were beyond just a bit overgrown.  The trails here were hard to see from the overgrowth and I was happy to have long pants on.  At times we were uncertain whether we were on the official trail or had diverged onto a parallel cow path.  I'd recommend avoiding that area until trail maintainers are able to address the issue.

We were blessed with perfect weather for comfort.  A "June Bloom" of clouds kept the Sun from raising the temperature too much and provided releaf throughout the hike.  Only upon returning to the trailhead did the Sun break out.