•SOLD OUT• FREE Guided Hike at the Overlook!

Posted October 15, 2025

Filed under Hiking

THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT!
Stay tuned for information on our Spring hike….

In honor of Autumn, please join us for a very special, moderately paced hike at Sonoma Overlook Trail, guided by former SOT leader Joanna Kemper, on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 11 am. We’ll linger at the top to enjoy sweeping views over the valley, bay and down to San Francisco.
Meet us at the main trailhead kiosk. Rain cancels the guide, but makes the trail even more special….

Don’t hesitate: SPACE IS LIMITED!
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All the Rocks You Never See

Posted August 9, 2024

Filed under Safety, Trail Maintenance

I work on the trail, or hike it, most days. Even as I’m hiking I’m inspecting it. I know the rockiest places, I know where there are roots. I’m even familiar with individual stones. Call me obsessed, but in the best possible way. But yes, still obsessed.

By now I’m sure you know (if you’ve ever read this blog in recent years) that as the Trail Maintenance Chair I’ve been focused on “trail smoothing” or “tread renewal.” Many of our recent monthly volunteer workdays have been mostly focused on this (see this time-lapse video of rebuilding a section for a taste). There’s a reason for that. For many years we volunteer stewards (including me) did not believe in tackling what I now call “rock work.” That is, taking out or chipping down rocks in the trail. And it started to show — often dramatically so. Entire stretches of trail became difficult to navigate, even for the nimble.

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The Benefits of a Full Montini

Posted June 15, 2024

Filed under Hiking

The Sonoma Overlook Trail is of course beloved by hikers and runners alike, with great trails and scenic vistas. But when the adjacent Montini Preserve opened across Norrbom Road, more miles of trails were added that were contiguous with the SOT, thereby providing even better hiking and running opportunities.

Prime among these opportunities, as hikers and runners will attest, is a set of linked trails that traverse both properties that I’ve started calling “The Full Montini.” To do the Full Montini you start at the 4th St. West and Haraszthy trailhead (see map). From there you start up the Holstein Hill trail to Spotted Fawn, then on to Rattlesnake Cutoff where you cross Norrbom Road to the Overlook property, continuing on the Overlook up to the Upper Meadow Loop, and then return the same way. This is a 4.4 mile hike with approximately 500 feet of cumulative elevation gain.

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How to Take Care of Your Feet on a Hike or Ruck

Posted April 15, 2024

Filed under Hiking

“…if you ever do have to hoof it over a long distance, you’ll quickly come to see how essential it is to know how to keep your feet in tip-top shape; the health of your dogs can mean the difference between an enjoyable outing and a terrible one, and even between life and death.”