Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve

"Was told about this place by a family friend, so my family and I made the trip to it with the dogs. First, there is really not any dedicated parking, as the entrance is at the dead end street to a residential neighborhood. Thankfully, there was enough street parking for us to find a spot that didn't inconvenience the local homeowners, but it'd be nice for a dedicated parking space in the future, of deemed necessary.

You walk a short paved section next to a home to the entrance to the park, and then it splits off in a few different directions. We decided to do the outer loop of the park in a counter-clockwise direction, and overall, that loop is about 2 miles (we didn't take the extra self contained loop in the southwest corner of the park). The trail was extremely well groomed in most sections, and only occasionally got a bit rooty (and a bit rocky in the more exposed North side). There's quite a few little overlooks off the main loop, each of which has a bench to relax and see the views (although to be honest, the only interesting view for me was the Russian River one, as the others generally just overlook the residential houses right next to the park). The elevation change was fairly minor (something like 200ft total), so overall I'd consider it pretty easy, but I'd also describe it as very peaky, meaning as you go, you are either going up hill or downhill for long stretches, so if you have some troubles with that, be aware (contrasted to something that might have the same elevation change, but you get longer stretches of flat with shorter, steeper sections).

The exciting thing, for me anyways, is that it seems to be the PERFECT spot for beginner mountain biking. I've tried some of the other parks in the County (Annadale, Taylor Mountain, Shiloh, Foothills, etc), and while the downhill portions at those parks can be exhilarating, the uphill climbs can be a complete slog, and I tend to hike more than bike. Healdsburg Ridge, however, has such a gentle incline, that climbing it shouldn't really be an issue. Now, I'm not gonna have a huge downhill section on the other side, but can probably find a couple flow-y lines to have some fun with, and since it's so gentle, it means I'd expect to lap the park at least a few times before getting tired. I'm thinking the best route would be to immediately go right or left at the entrance, come around and back down the middle path, then hit the opposite side you didn't get back at the entrance, doing a figure-8 of the park. Seems like it'd be a blast, and suitable for more climb-averse riders. Didn't run into TOO many people, but always be aware of others, and make sure to yield to hikers if you do bike it! Most of the paths are pretty wide, but no need to hit and hurt somebody.

I really liked this place and was super stoked after our first visit there. Definitely want to go back and do it again (still want to tackle that separate portion in the Southwest). Outside of the parking being almost non-existent, the only other issue I have with it is that it's just small. A fit person (or persons) could do the whole park in under an hour, and while there are a decent number of unmarked trails to explore, it seems the vast majority of those are actually closed for vegetation rehab, so the only marked trails there are pretty sparse and simple. There are some cool little footbridges/bridge paths to cross at the backside of the park though!"

Anthony DeGrazia

"There is only on street parking available in the neighborhood for this park and there are no toilet facilities sadly.

Dogs are welcome on leash and the trails are pretty well marked and would be classified as easy to moderate.

There are some nice views to be had for the various lookouts but don’t wander from the path or the poison oak may get you."

Andrew Healy

"Beautiful gem of a park in Healdsburg. Have lived in Sonoma County most of life, and this is the first time I've hiked here. Good mix of shaded trails and sunny trails. When I was there (Mid June '23) there was quite a bit of poison oak just off the trail on both sides in places - be aware and be on the lookout!"

Daryl Shook