Up-valley, Glen Ellen to Kenwood

3 stops · about 5.5 hours · Sonoma

The companion to the plaza route, and the opposite kind of afternoon: this one is a drive. Three parks strung north up Highway 12, each about fifteen minutes from the last, ending high enough to watch the light leave the whole valley at once. Start at Jack London after lunch — the Wolf House ruins sit at the bottom of a shaded woodland trail, so afternoon light is kind to them in a way midday is not. Drop back down to the regional park for the last hour of real sun, when the oak savanna backlights. Then keep climbing to Sugarloaf for the end of the day. Two of the three are state parks with a day-use fee per vehicle, and both have gate hours — check closing times before you commit to the last stop, because they are not generous about people still inside.

  1. 1

    Oak woodland, vineyard and the ruins of Wolf House, above Glen Ellen. A state park, so day-use fees and park hours apply.

    Evening golden hour in September: 6:45 PM – 7:20 PM

    Next: About twenty minutes north-west of the plaza, up through Glen Ellen. Day-use fee per vehicle at the gate. The Wolf House ruins are a half-mile walk down from the lot on a shaded trail — stone arches and chimneys, and the shade is why this works in the afternoon rather than fighting you. Vineyard and oak woodland on the climb back up. Carry water; there is none past the parking area.

  2. 2

    County regional park with oak savanna and a paved central trail, near Glen Ellen.

    Evening golden hour in September: 6:45 PM – 7:20 PM

    Next: Ten minutes back down the hill and across Arnold Drive — free parking in the main lot. Time this for the last hour of sun: the paved central trail runs west through oak savanna and the trees backlight properly as it drops. Flat and easy the whole way, so it is the stop that works for anyone not up for the Jack London walk.

  3. 3

    State park at the top of the valley above Kenwood, with meadows, a creek and long ridge views.

    Evening golden hour in September: 6:45 PM – 7:20 PM

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