(photography by Erik Castro)

Standing on the dusty banks of the Russian River, Don McEnhill surveys the mostly dry gulch that is Del Rio Woods Beach near Healdsburg in a record drought year.

Almost forgotten in the wide expanse of rocks, the speckled ribbon of current, maybe 15 yards across and a foot deep, resembles a creek more than a river. A rusty skeleton of a dam, hunkered down like an abandoned flatbed truck, sits in the middle of the water. Young willows bob for balance in a sandbar as the wind rattles through cottonwoods across the river. A handful of teenagers in bathing suits have spread out towels a few feet from the water.

“This was where you could be Huck Finn for the summer,” McEnhill says, looking back on his childhood. “If you didn’t have a canoe, you’d find a log and roll down the river or you’d spend hours just playing with green tree frogs that showed up on the river that morning. You were only limited by your imagination.”

Every summer, just before the dam went up on Memorial Day weekend, a neighbor would drive his tractor along the river bed, knocking on cabin doors and asking owners if they wanted their “beach” bulldozed. For a nominal fee, he’d push gravel and sand to the edge of their properties so that when the water rose from the Del Rio dam, a sandy beach would be waiting at the bottom of the paths that led down from cabins, which had names such as “Jim’s Folly” and “Laf-a-Lot Lodge.”

Now 51, McEnhill was only 7 days old when he first heard the rolling waters of the Russian River, lulling him to sleep in a playpen on a beach six lots up from where he’s standing now. Back then, in the early 1960s, the river was the epicenter of town life in Healdsburg. It’s where kids learned to swim, row a boat and later chase after girls (or boys).

“That’s where you saw everybody — down at either Memorial Beach or Del Rio,” remembers McEnhill, who now does everything he can to preserve the river as executive director of Russian Riverkeeper, a nonprofit dedicated to the health of the watershed. “If it got up in the 90s or over 100 degrees, everybody would literally give up whatever they were doing and show up at the river.”

Summer wine and cocktail hour was on the river. Just in case anyone ever forgot, McEnhill’s Aunt Mary scrawled the “McInerney’s Gin Fizz” recipe on a kitchen wall in the family cabin (nicknamed “End-O-Care”) more than 50 years ago. The drink includes a lemon, “a little sugar,” “1 egg to 2 shots gin” and a kicker at the end: “Then shake like hell.”

Today, the river is hardly the main attraction in town. People flock from all over the world for the tasting rooms and farm-to-table restaurants around the Healdsburg plaza, most only catching a glimpse of the river when their vehicle crosses a bridge. There are locals who have lived their entire lives only miles from its banks and have never soaked their feet, much less splashed, in its waters.

Coho salmon and steelhead trout don’t return in large numbers anymore, but river otters are making a comeback. Old-timers will tell you the water is not as clear as it once was. The last documented freshwater shrimp were caught in 1970 and the last green sturgeon was hooked under Hacienda Bridge near Forestville in the late 1980s.

Yet the Russian River is still a lively summer draw for more than 1 million visitors a year and an adventure getaway for many families. It’s also the last common bond that connects disparate communities like Healdsburg, Forestville, Guerneville and Jenner.

When summer rolls around every year, memories come back in currents for those who grew up on the river. Linda Burke, of Burke’s Canoe Trips in Forestville, remembers getting her “river feet” during hot summers as calluses quickly formed on her soles from the baking river rocks. Suki Waters will never forget learning to harvest the dogbane plant to waterproof homemade fishing line with her Native American grandmother in Jenner. Guerneville historian John Schubert recalls sun-soaked summers in “the fabulous ‘50s, before everything went to hell in a handcart.”

As Clare Harris, the 93-year-old owner of Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville, puts it, “The river is in our blood. It runs through all of us.”

—

From its headwaters south of Willits in Mendocino County, the Russian River snakes 110 miles through gorges and vineyards, across dams and around sandbars before spilling into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner. The Southern Pomo called it “Ashokawna” to describe “water to the east.” The Spanish gave it names such as San Ygnacio and Rio Grande. But it was the Russian name, evolving from “Slavyanka,” that stuck.

As the river rolls south through Healdsburg, past Veterans Memorial Beach where McEnhill and others learned to swim in Red Cross classes, it narrows to its thinnest and least-traveled stretch, surrounded by gravel pits and vineyards. There are just two public access points (at Wohler Bridge and Riverfront Regional Park) in more than six miles, until one reaches the slow waters near Forestville, where Linda Burke grew up among virgin redwoods that tower over the campground and canoe rental business her family founded in the late 1940s.

“I learned to swim here at about 2 years old,” she says, sitting in a fold-out chair overlooking the gently rippling green water. “My folks taught me right here at this very beach. We were tough kids to keep out of the water, so my parents figured 2 is very young, but let’s teach them now.”

Before long she was tying together logs with her siblings to make rafts, fishing with string and frankfurter bait for crawdads, and “frogging” with high-powered flashlights at night.

“I remember in the summer this beach would be filled with hundreds of people, beach blanket after beach blanket,” Burke recalls. “And the kids would run back from the hot-dog stand and jump from blanket to blanket, because the sand was so hot in the noon-day sun. I don’t care how tough you were, you couldn’t make it back without using people’s blankets.”

On the river, a guy glides past on a stand-up paddleboard. Looking back, Burke, 63, remembers the dance-hall-turned-roller-rink where she worked summers, as well as the horse stables and restaurant/cocktail lounge with redwood trees growing through the roof. Before she was born, her parents ran the Mirabel dance hall that held 2,000 people — the largest ballroom north of San Francisco at the time — and booked top performers including Duke Ellington, Helen Forrest and the Dorsey Brothers.

When Burke was a kid, pop crooner Bobby Darin dropped in for lunch one afternoon, but never sang. The resort is long gone, but she still runs the bustling family canoe rental business every summer.

“Times come and times go,” Burke says, “but the majesty of the river is still right here.”

From Forestville, the waters flow beneath the largest grove of redwoods on the river as it slows to a murmur and eases past Rio Nido (pop. 522), where Clare Harris’ family took over the Rio Nido Resort in 1928. It included 100 rentals (cabins and tents), hotel, dining room, bar, movie theater, bowling alley, outdoor stage, fortune teller, soda fountain, ballroom, dress shop, grocery store and service station, luring visitors far and wide.

In summer, the train from Petaluma via Fulton would arrive at the Guerneville station at 5 p.m. every day and hundreds of Sam Francisco tourists would pour out and head for the last rays of sun on the beaches. It was a “more primitive river back then,” Harris remembers, with more horses than cars, wooden sidewalks, and no television, refrigerators nor conventional swimming lessons.

“I was 6 and we were in a rowboat and my father told the lifeguard, ‘Teach him how to swim or he can’t be around the river.’ So the lifeguard threw me out of the boat and kept the boat about 6 feet from me as he kept rowing. That’s when I learned how to swim.”

In those days, Harris explains, “You wore a full bathing suit like a kid’s overall and women wore bathing suits down to their ankles.”

During the 1930s and 1940s, some of the biggest summer nights swayed beneath the resort’s iconic winking moon sign as big bands led by Harry James, Buddy Rogers and Glenn Miller played as the Harris family’s Rio Nido dance hall. By age 18, Harris was helping run the ballroom, collecting 25-cent tickets every night.

“The girls complained about the fellows showing up in dirty corduroys when they’d have nice white dresses on,” he recalls. “So we told (the boys) they couldn’t come in.”

On this day, he’s at Johnson’s Beach Resort, which he’s owned for 47 years. A tractor plows back and forth, getting the sand ready for opening day. Harris has seen the river change quite a bit over the years. The dam used to go up Memorial Day; now it’s June 15.

“The river has been filling in for years. It’s shallower now,” Harris says. “It was much clearer then, too. You could look down and see your feet. And there’s not as much flow as there used to be.”

But the biggest difference?

“You don’t hear the frogs anymore. It would sound like there were thousands of them, almost like a symphonic orchestra. Not anymore.”

Coming of age on the river in the 1940s and ’50s, John Schubert was a city kid who quickly shed his skin each summer and became a river kid. His earliest memory goes back to 1941 or 1942 when as a 4-year-old he made the maiden trek north and “I just remember it took forever to drive up here from San Francisco.”

A saloon owner in San Francisco, his grandfather built the family summer cabin in 1920 in the vacation retreat of Guernewood Park, just south of Guerneville. Learning to swim across the river by age 12 and later tack a “lateen” or triangular sail mounted in a canoe, Schubert quickly became a river rat.

“You had groups of kids who saw each other every summer,” he recalls. “There was the Rio Nido group, the Guerneville group, the Guernewood group and the Monte Rio group. During the winter, they were all rivals. You had kids from Mission High and Balboa, Galileo, Washington or Lincoln (in San Francisco). But when you came up here during the summer, you were all buddies.”

On a cloudless weekday morning, he’s sitting on Johnson’s Beach, across a quiet river from where the community once held its last-gasp summer celebration every September, known as the Pageant of Fire Mountain.

“It was totally politically incorrect,” Schubert says. “They had teepees and white people dressed up as Native Americans with war paint, and buses (filled with people) would come up from the city just to see this.”

Clare Harris’ niece, Laura Wilson, was only a kid at the time, but she remembers being enthralled by the annual pageant onstage across the river. “My father and mother and all their friends were in it, dressed up like Indians.”

The play followed a princess (played many times by “the beautiful Kathy Genelly”) who is kidnapped by a lusty brave. They’re from warring tribes, but eventually fall in love and get married.

“One of the elders officiating the marriage would say, ‘Oh great spirit, give us a sign’ and the local fire department would light off flares and the whole mountainside would light up red,” remembers Schubert. “It’s one of those things you can’t imagine anyone ever doing now.”

—

From Guerneville going south, the river hooks and bends, taking on brackish water as it turns to estuary habitat for juvenile halibut, starry flounder, Dungeness crab, harbor seals, eel grass and pelicans. Flowing beneath the Monte Rio Bridge and past Duncans Mills, it pools in a wide mouth at Jenner, where Suki Waters grew up learning everything she could from her Kashia Pomo grandmother. Josefa Navidad Santos was born in 1904 in the native village at Goat Rock Beach and lived part of her life on Penny Island.

“The island was our family playground,” Waters says.

As a kid, she would row to the island and explore its every cove and trail, retracing the ruins of the old farm that once thrived there. She spent summers fishing for cabezon and “rock-picking” for abalone in tide pools north of the river mouth.

“You knew summer was coming when the little Dungeness crabs would start showing up in April and they started their molt,” Waters remembers. “Then the shad would come in and you’d see them popping in the water and scaring other little fish. Harbor seals have had their babies by then and the males start coming in just as summer starts for the mating season.”

On this evening, she’s huddled on the leeward side of the state parks visitor center on the water, taking shelter from intense winds coming off the Pacific. Penny Island lies directly across the river. Family lore has her great-great aunt reaching into creeks so thick with salmon she “could pull them out with her bare hands,” to fillet and cook dinner for mill workers. Her Uncle Pio, the story goes, was once nearly pulled out to sea by a giant octopus more than 10 feet long, after he reached blindly into a tide pool.

These days, Waters, 53, runs the kayak business WaterTreks Eco Tours in Jenner and takes clients, many of them students, on the water to pass on her appreciation of nature to the next generation.

“When you see the amazement on the faces of 35 science students, it’s worth every second,” she says.

From her grandmother, she learned to harvest huckleberries and make jam. She was taught how to dig for clams with a coffee can and flash-fry sea lettuce picked off the top of rocks, so that “if you do it right, it just crunches and melts in your mouth, and if you don’t do it right, it’s rubbery.” She caught eels in the river and cut them into steaks before putting them in the pan, so the unwanted skin would curl around the edges and could be pulled off.

Back then, respect for the river “was just ingrained in us,” Waters says. “It’s been a through line, a continuous force, from a hunter-gather society, to logging and fishing, to tourism and now hopefully to teaching people about their surroundings and passing on the things my grandmother once taught me.”

When it comes to the great outdoors, Sonoma and its environs are blessed with so many appealing options that it can be difficult to decide what to do next. From the rugged coast and its alluring beaches and campsites, to the craggy inland mountains for hiking and biking, and everything in between, there’s a wealth of choices for those who love to spend time outdoors.

The glorious Sonoma summer weather — cool mornings, warm, sunny afternoons and little chance of rain — perfectly complements outdoor action. Take a look at our suggestions, then hop on your bike, lace up for a hike, or dive into a lake. Summer may not last forever, but the memories will.

There’s nothing quite like a lazy (or energetic) day of BOATING

Petaluma River, Petaluma
Spending some time on the water is a great way to get away from it all without traveling too far. Launch in downtown Petaluma and within minutes, great blue herons in the reeds and great egrets in the trees will come into view. Haul your own vessel, or rent a kayak or standup paddleboard at Clavey Paddlesports, whose staff will guide customers to the launch dock on the river.
Clavey’s Jeff Kellogg notes that excursions can be oriented toward downtown Petaluma at high tide — the river is actually a tidal slough and fluctuates with the tides — or paddlers can set off toward San Pablo Bay. Armed with a good map, tidal knowledge and a GPS system, boaters can explore the sloughs and wetlands around the bay.
Standup paddleboard rentals start at $55 for four hours; single kayaks are $75 a day and $95 for the weekend; double kayaks and canoes cost $95 a day and $120 for the weekend.
Clavey Paddlesports, 409 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma, 707-766-8070, clavey.com

Russian River, Healdsburg
Just southeast of downtown Healdsburg and at the base of Memorial Bridge, River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe Trips offers guided and solo paddles on the upper Russian River, where otters, turtles and herons might be spotted. A 5-mile trip takes two to three hours and ends at the River’s Edge beach. The river is placid in summer, but late in the season, when the flow is low, some portage may be required — particularly in drought years. Kayak rentals start at $45 for a single, $90 for a double. Canoes are $90 for the trip.
River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe Trips, 13840 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-7247, riversedgekayakandcanoe.com

Russian River, Forestville
Burke’s Canoe Trips in Forestville rents canoes for serene floats along the Russian River. Drift downstream toward the sea on this redwood-forested riverway; the 10-mile trip includes a return shuttle. $65 per canoe (not per person) includes paddles and life vests.
Burke’s Canoe Trips, 8600 River Road, Forestville, 707-887-1222, burkescanoetrips.com

Other water spots:
Lake Sonoma’s Yorty Creek Recreation Area in Cloverdale is good for kayak launching.
Like still-water kayaking? Check out Lake Benoist at Healdsburg’s Riverfront Park.

TIP: Polarized sunglasses cut down on the glare of the water and are easier on the eyes.

—

Pack up the marshmallows, get the tent, and go CAMPING

Doran Beach Regional Park, Bodega Bay
Camp a stone’s throw from the Sonoma Coast’s most family-friendly beaches. RVs are welcome and descend by the dozens during weekends at this popular site, but there’s also a section for tent camping. A boat launch is nearby, and there are plenty of opportunities to explore hidden coves and fly a kite. Doran also has tranquil, yet bracingly chilly, swimming.
Campgrounds in Sonoma County’s ’s regional parks start taking reservations exactly a year in advance, so plan ahead and book for next summer. But don’t give up on this summer: cancellations are frequent and weekdays are often open. The $32-per-night fee includes one vehicle and one towed. Follow the links on the website to check for availability and book a campsite. Also reserve by going to sonomacountycamping.org and selecting the campground from the drop-down menu. Or call the Regional Parks office at 565-2041.
Doran Beach Regional Park, 201 Doran Beach Road, Bodega Bay, 707-565-2041, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Doran_Regional_Park.aspx

Hood Mountain Regional Park, Santa Rosa
Located in the mountains between Santa Rosa and St. Helena, Hood Mountain is a hidden gem that offers rustic, yet blissful, camping solitude. Two hike-in campsites provide tent space and a primitive toilet; there is no running water, so bring your own H2O. Campers who are also experienced hikers can traverse trails that lead to views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Even though there are only two spots, in late May, both were open for almost every day this summer.
Hood Mountain Regional Park, 1450 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa, 707-539-8092, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Hood_Mountain_Regional_Park_Open_Space_Preserve.aspx

Stake your claim:
Cabins at the base of Steep Ravine Canyon off Highway 1 in Mt. Tam State Park offer great ocean views.
Hipcamp.com is a great place to find last-minute available camp sites.

—

Skip the walk around the block and hit the trails for some HIKING

Annadel State Park, Santa Rosa
Just 10 minutes from downtown Santa Rosa, Annadel State Park offers more than 5,000 acres of rolling hills, meadows and woodlands. Its trails provide a good workout without being too taxing. After hiking for a few miles (the distance depends on the chosen route; there’s a map on the website), reach Lake Ilsanjo and enjoy a cool swim (it even has a rope swing). It’s the perfect way to cap a vigorous hike.
Another way to enjoy the lake: Pack a fishing rod and cast your line for bluegill and black bass, but be sure to have a California fishing license if you’re 16 or older. Tip: use a purple plastic worm for bass, live worms for bluegill.
6201 Channel Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-539-3911, www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=480

Bald Mountain, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood
“A rough smack of resin was in the air, and a crystal mountain purity … there are days in a life when thus to climb out of the lowlands seems like scaling heaven.” So wrote Robert Louis Stevenson about hiking in the Mayacamas mountains.
Share that exhilaration by trekking to the top of 2,729-foot Bald Mountain, in the 4,020-acre Sugarloaf Ridge State Park northeast of Kenwood, between Sonoma and Napa valleys. Elevation gain during the strenuous 5.6-mile hike is about 1,500 feet. Allow at least three hours and pack a lunch to enjoy at the summit, which on a clear day has fabulous views of Calistoga, Sonoma and Mount Diablo. Sugarloaf also has a Planet Walk with hiking among a vastly reduced scale model of the solar system.
2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood, 707-833-5712, sugarloafpark.org

Pomo Canyon to Shell Beach, Bodega Bay
Starting a few miles north of Bodega Bay, this hike takes in much of the best of coastal Sonoma: verdant trails, misty forests and expansive views of the ocean. The hike starts with a climb through towering redwoods, then opens to jaw-dropping views of the Russian River Valley and the ocean, including landmarks such as Goat Rock. The route is almost 4 miles each way.
For more coastal glory, try the breathtaking Kortum Trail from Shell Beach, but bring a windbreaker, as afternoons can be gusty. A portion of the trail is a wood-plank path that goes over sensitive marshland, but these planks make the walk even more appealing. The Kortum Trail is slightly more than 4 miles.
Both routes are within Sonoma Coast State Park. While there are no fees to hike, parking is $8 per day, $7 for seniors.
10439 Highway 1, Jenner, 707-875-3483, www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=451

Shollenberger Park, Petaluma
Anyone who enjoys communing with birds will love this flat, 2-mile paved loop in east Petaluma. Observe avocets, swans, pelicans and all sorts of ducks while circling a lagoon alongside the Petaluma River. Red-wing blackbirds perch atop reeds and bitterns (a type of heron) sometimes linger in the thrushes. Go soon, because the recently approved Dutra asphalt plant nearby will likely alter the habitat.
1400 Cader Lane, Petaluma, 707-778-4303, cityofpetaluma.net/parksnrec/parks-pages/shollenberger.html

Made for hiking:
Download the Google Field Trip app for interesting facts and landmarks along the way.
In Calistoga’s Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, look for intriguing rock formations along the trail to Table Rock.
The privately owned Grove of Old Trees in Occidental is open to the public at 17400 Fitzpatrick Lane.
Always pack water and a snack; a trail map is handy, too.

—

To enjoy the view from a new perspective, go HORSEBACK RIDING

Chanslor Ranch, Bodega Bay
There’s nothing like riding a horse over the rolling dunes and expansive beaches of Bodega Bay, with its sea-salt air, crashing waves and miles-long views. Chanslor Guest Ranch & Stables makes this adventure possible, offering three daily 90-minute rides on trusty horses, some of which have been rescued from neglect. Prices start at $125 and profits support horse-rescue groups. Chanslor Ranch also offers several inland rides. Check out the “About the Horses” page on the website and fall in love with the one you want to ride, based on breed, height, gender, temperament and the story of how the horse got to the ranch. Reserve a specific horse online.
Chanslor Guest Ranch & Stables, 2660 N. Highway 1, Bodega Bay, 707-875-2721, chanslorranch.com

Vineyard Exploration, Healdsburg
Affiliated with Chalk Hill Estate, Wine Country Trail Rides leads rides through 1,300 acres of lush vineyards and oak woodlands east of Healdsburg. Owner Rafael Hernandez, a former professional polo player, offers polo lessons and will set up three-on-three polo matches in an enclosed arena.
A 90-minute guided trail ride through Chalk Hill’s vineyards is offered three times a day and costs $100 per person. After the ride, guests enjoy a tasting of Chalk Hill wines. Kids 7 and older are welcome. A four-hour tour combines horseback riding, wine tasting and a culinary tour of Chalk Hill chef Didier Ageorges’ garden. This $175 tour concludes with wine tasting paired with small plates from the chef.
Chalk Hill Estate, 10300 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg, 707-494-0499, vineyardrides.com

Family Riding:

Five Brooks Ranch, Olema
There aren’t many places where a 2-year-old can celebrate his or her birthday on a horseback ride, but Five Brooks Stable, located in the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, recently found a pony to make a toddler’s dream come true. Specializing in guided trail rides geared to families, Five Brooks has 120 miles of trails including grassy meadows, coastal scrub and white-sand beaches, and offers both private and group rides. Guided rides starts at $40 per person for one hour. The most popular ride, a two-hour trot along the Fir Top Trail, is $60 per person and climbs to the top of Inverness Ridge through a Douglas fir forest, with views of the Pacific Ocean. Three- and six-hour rides give riders a more immersive experience; private rides can be arranged, too.
Five Brooks Ranch, 8001 Highway 1, Olema, 415-663-1570, fivebrooks.com

Ricochet Ridge Ranch, Fort Bragg
In Cleone, just north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, Lari Shea’s Ricochet Ridge Ranch has athletic horses built for endurance rides along the rugged Mendocino Coast. Most popular is the 90-minute, Ten Mile Beach Trail Ride ($50), and multiday rides can be arranged as well, which might include beaches, redwood forests and coastal mountains. Children 6 and older are welcome.
Ricochet Ridge Ranch, 24201 Highway 1, Fort Bragg, 707-964-7669, horse-vacation.com

Good to know: Sturdy-soled shoes with a slight heel are the best choice for time in the saddle.

Giddyup now:
Horse trailer parking for the Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail is available at the Bennett Valley trailhead.
There are deals for equestrians at Saddles to Boots consignment store in Sebastopol.

—

Roads and trails await you on skinny or knobby tires for some CYCLING

Road riding:

Chileno Valley, Petaluma
Just west of Petaluma is a gloriously uncrowded loop through bucolic scenery with few big hills. Start in Petaluma, pedal west on Western Avenue to Chileno Valley Road, then head back on Spring Hill Road. It’s 26.2 miles, the same distance as a runner’s marathon, and a perfect two-hour ride for intermediate cyclists. To extend it, head out 5 miles more to Tomales, refuel at the Tomales Bakery, then return to Petaluma.
Tomales Bakery, 27000 Highway 1, Tomales, 707-878-2429

Coleman Valley Road, Occidental
For those whose legs are up to the challenge, conquer the steep hills of Coleman Valley. It’s a tough climb, but the ocean views make it worthwhile. Start in Freestone with biscotti or scones at Wild Flour Bread bakery, then ride north some 3.5 miles to Occidental. Turn left to go up Coleman Valley, maintaining control on the descent to coastal Highway 1 because it’s easy to really fly down the steep hills. Follow Highway 1 south to Freestone Valley Ford Road and enjoy the homestretch back to Freestone. Allow at least three hours for this exhilarating 27.5-mile ride.
Wild Flour Bread, 140 Bohemian Highway, Freestone, 707-874-2938, wildflourbread.com

Healdsburg-Geyserville Circuit
From Healdsburg, this classic Wine Country route wends its way north along scenic Dry Creek Road. Veer right on Canyon Road and head through Geyserville via Highway 128; stop for refreshments and a sandwich at Jimtown Store. Return to Healdsburg via Alexander Valley Road, turning left onto Healdsburg Avenue, the route back into town. After the ride, cool off with a pint at Bear Republic Brewing Co. Approximately 30 miles, this route takes two to three hours, depending on how often one stops to admire the scenery and take photos.
Jimtown Store, 6706 Highway 128, Healdsburg, 707-433-1212, jimtown.com
Bear Republic Brewing Co., 345 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-2337, bearrepublic.com

Mountain biking:

Annadel State Park, Santa Rosa
With bumpy single-track, wide-open fire roads and fern-shrouded paths, Annadel is mountain-bike heaven. That’s no secret. What many people don’t know is that in recent years, a network of under-the-radar trails has been developed by riders. One Annadel mountain bike insider says that although these trails “aren’t sanctioned by the authorities, they’re more technical, faster, more difficult and … more fun.”
The sanctioned trails are fantastic, too. A 25.7-mile loop around the park that includes the North and South Burma trails takes about three hours and starts with a difficult climb up the Cobblestone Trail. From the top of Cobblestone, connect with the Rough Trail and follow it to Lake Ilsanjo, where the trail opens up to a fire road. Continue to the Ridge Trail and prepare to ford a creek that isn’t too deep during summer but can be more than knee-high after a winter rain. There are some scintillating downhill runs on the way back to the parking lot.
Annadel State Park, 6201 Channel Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-539-3911, parks.ca.gov/?page_id=480

Lake Sonoma, Geyserville
A 45-minute drive north from Santa Rosa, Lake Sonoma is surrounded by mountain bike trails (Bike Monkey magazine hosts a series of races there, staged at Liberty Glen Campground, March through June.) The 45-plus miles of trails are steep and technical, yet offer frequent views of vineyards and the lake. It’s a thrill a moment, with tricky terrain winding through redwood groves and shady oak stands, and with the possible sighting of wild pigs, deer, rabbits and falcons.
After a ride, visit the state fish hatchery behind the visitor center, where a spawning ground for salmon and steelhead has been established to preserve these species.
Lake Sonoma Visitor Center, 3333 Skaggs Springs Road, Geyserville, 707-433-9483, www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/LakeSonoma.aspx

For all wheels
In Glen Ellen, there’s a water stop for cyclists at the Mayacamas Volunteer Fire Department station at the intersection of Trinity and Cavedale roads.
Find a great ride in the book, “75 Classic Rides Northern California,” by Sebastopol’s Phil Oetinger.

Cyber tip: mapmyride.com is an excellent tool for mapping bike rides and getting information on climbs and distances.

—

Get sand between your toes and splash up some fun while SWIMMING

Johnson’s Beach, Guerneville
The atmosphere at Johnson’s Beach can be raucous and frenetic, yet totally fun, as families crowd the beach and kids romp everywhere. Rent a canoe for $30 or an inner tube for $5 and drift in the cooling waters. Umbrellas and beach chairs can also be rented. There is a snack bar on the beach, and beer is sold at the boathouse. Families take note: There is a roped-off kiddie pool, and there is no fee to use the beach.
Johnson’s Beach, 16241 First St., Guerneville, 707-869-2022, johnsonsbeach.com

Veterans Memorial Beach, Healdsburg
Upriver from Johnson’s is Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach Park, an alcohol-free zone where in most years, kids can paddle little wine-barrel boats and where a lifeguard watches over the dammed-off swimming lagoon. Drought-induced low flow in the river this year has resulted in wading-only conditions at the beach, yet it’s still a great place to cool off. The park, open from 7 a.m. to sunset, has plentiful picnic benches and restrooms.
Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach, 13839 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, area.parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Healdsburg_Veterans_Memorial_Beach.aspx

Pack it up: On sweltering summer days, Sonoma’s swimming sites beckon. Pack a picnic lunch, sunscreen, beach chairs and towels, and head for the Russian River to escape the inland heat.

Splashy spots
Access the Russian River from Odd Fellows Park Road, which runs off Highway 116 between Forestville and Guerneville near Korbel Winery.
There’s a cooling pool for swimming at Morton Hot Springs in Glen Ellen.
Day passes are available for the pool at Calistoga Spa Hot Springs.
Monte Rio’s community beach is lovely, surrounded by serene redwoods.

—

By the water or the redwoods, grab your clubs and go GOLFING

The Links at Bodega Harbour, Bodega Bay
Those who have golfed fabled Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Monterey Peninsula know how spectacular coastal views complement a round of golf. The Links at Bodega Harbour, designed in part by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, offers one spectacular vista after another. The course is lined by vacation homes, and golfers are responsible for any broken windows or other damage — something to consider before teeing off. All 18 holes have a view of Bodega Bay, as long as the fog isn’t too thick. Per-player rates range from $45 (after 2 p.m. on weekdays) to $90 on weekend mornings.
The Links at Bodega Harbour, 21301 Heron Drive, Bodega Bay, 707-875-3538, bodegaharbourgolf.com

Northwood Golf Club, Monte Rio
Surrounded by massive redwoods alongside the Russian River, Northwood Golf Club is an affordable gem. This nine-hole course, designed by Alister MacKenzie (who also created the Augusta National and Cypress Point courses), has rates starting at $21 (weekdays after 3 p.m., walking nine holes). Even 18-hole weekend rounds (the nine-hole course played twice) in a rental cart won’t break the bank at $53. Some folks come as much for the abundant pancake-and-eggs breakfasts as they do for the golf. Or maybe it’s the bloody marys, which help players forget about how many shots they bonked off the majestic trees.
Northwood Golf Club, 19400 Highway 116, Monte Rio, 707-865-1116, northwoodgolf.com

Windsor Golf Club, Windsor
A former host of PGA Nike (now Web.com) Tour events, Windsor Golf Club’s par-72, 6,650-yard course is challenging for its year-round creek, lakes, trees and the occasional noise of airplanes landing and taking off at nearby Charles Schulz Sonoma County Airport. The most difficult hole is the par-4 No. 2, where accuracy is key to avoid water on the left and oaks on the right. Head pro Jason Schmuhl has played in nine PGA Tour events and holds the course record of 62. Instructor Molly James is known for her work with youngsters and women. Enjoy the 19th “watering” hole or a meal at Charlie’s, the club restaurant. Course fees range from $17 to $56, depending on day of week and tee-off time, and there are discounts for juniors and seniors.
Windsor Golf Club, 1340 19th Hole Drive, Windsor, 707-838-7888, windsorgolf.com

Check this out:
Try your hand at disc golf at Crane Creek Regional Park in Rohnert Park and at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville.

Did you know? Long before the invention of tees in the 1920s, golfers played off of hand-built sand piles.

It’s camping for lightweights who like the sensation of sleeping in nature without sacrificing creature comforts like a real bed and available running water.

Forget the bedroll and mummy bag. Bring on the Tempur-Pedic mattress and Egyptian-cotton sheets.

Over the past few years a proliferation of glammed-up tents, cabins and vintage travel trailers have given rise to a new, upscale class of camping. Already codified in the Oxford English Dictionary, “glamping” is bringing pampered urbanites closer to nature and providing relief for midlifers and seasoned baby boomers who love the crackle of a campfire on a still night in the forest, but can no longer bear the thought of packing all that gear, pitching a tent and fighting for sleep on the cold, pitiless ground.

Safari West, the 400-acre exotic animal preserve northeast of Santa Rosa, was one of the first tourist destinations to offer tent cabins with heated blankets and designer furnishings, handcrafted by owner Peter Lang.

Before the term “glamping” caught on, Safari West didn’t know how to explain to prospective guests wary of roughing it that the heavy canvas tent cabins, made in Botswana for safaris and outfitted with lamps, African art, heaters, bathrooms and hardwood floors, are not the typical straight-wall, polyester family camping tents.

“That word finally helped me to identify our tents. We used to say ‘rustic’ but still would get people not wanting to spend the night,” said Aphrodite Caserta, who does marketing for the preserve. “Since the word came into use, it’s helped me identify our accommodations.”

The spacious cabins are set on platforms. From the front deck you can savor coffee at sunrise while gazing out at nuzzling giraffes. No need for mom to boil hot dogs on a Coleman stove: Just herd the family down to the Savannah Café for a buffet dinner feast served around an African boma-style firepit, then retire to the Flamingo Terrace for wine and pink-bird watching.

“There’s no TV, no nothing. You’re there with each other,” said Mary Packard, an avowed noncamper who came from Palmdale for a “safari” with her family. “You can talk and not worry about your
cellphone going off. You’re just there with the animal sounds.”

The bathroom, with mesh vents, can be cold in the morning. But the sounds of exotic birds cawing, cooing and screeching in the night creates a soothing symphony by which to fall asleep.

With summer/fall rates at Safari West ranging from $240 to $335 a night, glamping is not necessarily a budget option. But cost savings isn’t what appeals to glampers.

On the northern Sonoma coast, guests happily pay $150 to $250 a night for one of two 10-by-12-foot “canvas cottages” with queen beds, maintained on a private knoll near the Stewarts Point Store.

Wood stoves and solar-heated water on demand make outdoor living easy. Tent flaps open to a wood deck with Southern-style porch rockers and unobstructed views of the coastal palisades and blue Pacific waters.

“You can sit and watch the ocean for hours and not be bothered,” said Suzanne Reynolds, whose boyfriend, Charles Richardson, runs the store and campsite. “It’s typically people who want a different experience. Maybe they want to camp but they don’t want to get dirty or do anything. It’s almost like they’re treating themselves, the same as going out for a fancy dinner. Here, you don’t have to do or pack a thing. You can just come up and crawl into bed.”

The most requested lodging at the Metro Hotel in Petaluma are not the French shabby-chic rooms done up with thrift-shop finds, but rather the two Bambi-model Airstream travel trailers in back ($109 a night). Set up beside a square of AstroTurf inhabited by kitschy pink flamingos, it’s urban glamping at its best. The small trailers have that retro, silver-bullet cool, but are shiny new with flat-screen TVs, surround sound, morning pastries and maid service.

Serious glampers buy their own vintage trailers and trick them out with customized decor.

“We’re getting old. We’re in our 50s. We love to camp but decided, ‘Let’s get out of a tent,’” Laura Waterhouse said. The 51-year-old glamper from Cloverdale and her boyfriend, Nick Uribe, have two 1960s-era Shasta travel trailers, one done up in a groovy mod look, complete with lava lamp and atomic clock. Others go for Southwest and cowboy themes, or midcentury modern.

“Remember when you were very little and always trying to get away from the family, building forts and treehouses?” Waterhouse said, reaching for words to explain the nostalgic appeal of these cute tin cans that represent the blissful summer vacations of youth. “You were just trying to find your space. When we got ours it was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. We have our clubhouse.’”

 

A show at the Green Music Center, with its phenomenal acoustics and spectacular views of Sonoma Mountain, is one of Wine Country’s newest and most engaging indulgences. From the concert hall itself, with its high windows that bring the landscape to the audience, to the terrace and gently sloping lawn, which are open during summer and fall shows, every seat offers something special. And the dining options are equally enticing, particularly this time of year, when food service extends outdoors.

Prelude is the center’s premier eatery, overseen by longtime local restaurateur Josef Keller. It is open to everyone, not just concertgoers, whenever there is a performance. A meal at Prelude is a performance in itself, a feat of precise choreography necessary to give customers a leisurely meal and also get them out the door in time for the show, or to seat a full house immediately following a daytime performance. This is accomplished, in part, by executive chef Eric Lee’s simple fixed-price menu, which includes just four starters, four entrees and three desserts, all of which change with the seasons. Prices are streamlined, too: $35 for two courses, $45 for three.

When it comes to specific menu items, selections have included butter lettuce salad with Green Goddess dressing; grilled calamari salad; slow-cooked lamb poutine (a Canadian extravaganza of French fries, cheese curds and gravy); wild Pacific king salmon with tomato vinaigrette and summer vegetables; and pork loin braised in milk and served with polenta, caponata and broccoli rabe. Dessert options always include a plate of local cheeses.

The wine and beer list is similarly focused, though it offers more choices. With just two exceptions — Dow’s 30 Year Tawny Port and Blue Moon Belgian White Ale from Colorado — all selections are regional and most are from Sonoma and Napa.

The restaurant and its lounge area remain open during and after performances; now and then a group of Sonoma State University students wanders over from the dorms to enjoy a beer and perhaps catch a bit of the show on the bar’s closed-circuit television. Prelude’s patio is open during the summer season.

The Dining Terrace, nestled between the vast lawn and the concert hall itself, offers full-service meals by Elaine Bell Catering during summer and early-fall concerts. Diners select this option when they purchase concert tickets and make their menu choices at that time. Seats on the Dining Terrace typically run about $50, with dinner an additional $65 to $85, plus beverages.

During intermissions, several beverage and concession carts in the hall’s lobby offer refreshments, including local sparkling wine by the glass.

If you opt for lawn seating for, say, Elvis Costello and the Imposters’ Sept. 3 appearance, or the Ben Harper show on Sept. 13, a box lunch can be ordered when lawn tickets are purchased. But what if you have no idea what you want to eat until the moment you are actually hungry? Not to worry, there are plenty of on-the-spot options.

For big-name performances, concession stands are added throughout the venue. This year, ice cream joins the lineup of snacks and full meals that were offered last year.

“We’re adding more options this year,” Ryan Ernst, the Green Music Center’s director of marketing, said, “with smaller carts and kiosks closer to the lawn so that people don’t have to go so far for refreshments.”

There’s even a kiosk, a little storefront of sorts, that offers a range of items for those who prefer to create their own picnic. Guests can also carry in their own food, but beverages, including wine and beer, must be purchased on-site. Water stations are located throughout the center.

Green Music Center at Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, 866-955-6040, gmc.sonoma.edu