Annadel State Park - a wilderness at your doorstep is located in the historic Valley of the Moon popularized by the famous author Jack London. This largely undeveloped park is just 60 miles north of San Francisco on the eastern edge of Santa Rosa. The most amazing feature of Annadel is its variety. The park has more than 5,000 acres of rolling hills, seasonal streams, meadows and woodlands all unmarred by modern intrusions.

Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures often in the 90s and evening lows near 50 degrees. At times during the summer, coastal fog penetrates inland, providing cool evenings. Most of the area's 30 inches of rain occur from November to April. Wintertime low temperatures can drop to the mid 20s with daytime highs in the 50s or 60s.

Park History

For thousands of years, the Southern Pomo lived near what is now the park. No permanent village sites have been found in the park, but these lands were important as trading grounds and as a source of obsidian, a stone that was traded with other native people who would turn it into scrapers, knives, arrow points and spearheads. In the early 1800s, Russian and Aleutian fur trappers who arrived in the area to establish Fort Ross found the Pomo willing traders and hard workers. It is believed this was the native people's first contact with non-natives.

By the mid-1800s, many native people had been drawn into nearby Mission San Francisco Solano. The gold rush miners and settlers, who wanted the Pomo lands, forced them into indentured servitude - despite California's prohibition against slavery - or moved them onto reservations. Though the native people resisted these drastic changes to their way of life, many succumbed to overwork and to European diseases to which they had no resistance.

With the arrival of Europeans, cattle ranching and farming gradually replaced the native pattern of hunting and gathering. In 1837 this area was part of Los Guilicos Rancho, a Mexican land grant covering about 19,000 acres.

Eleven years later the property was acquired by William Hood, who came here from his native Scotland. In the late 1800s, sheep and cattle grazing gave way to the quarrying of cobblestones. This was the major source of income for the Wymore and Hutchinson families, the area's principal landowners until the early 1900s. Cobblestones were used in the building of Sa Francisco and other west coast cities, as well as in their reconstruction after the 1906 earthquake. However, cobblestone roads were not suitable for use by motorized vehicles and by the 1920s demand for them had significantly declined.

In the 1930s entrepreneur Joe Coney bought 1,200 acres of oak woodlands near Santa Rosa from Irish immigrant Samuel Hutchinson. Samuel Hutchinson had named his ranch by combining the name of his daughter, Annie, with dell (a small, secluded wooded valley). Under the Coney's ownership it became know as "The Annadel Farm".

Coney built a hunting and fishing retreat for his friends. He stocked the property with game birds, and his man-made lake, Lake Ilsanjo (built in the mid 1950s and named for the Coney couple, Ilse and Joe), he filled with black bass and other fish. When his fortunes began to diminish in the 1960's, Joe Coney decided to sell the ranch.

California State Parks acquired Annadel in 1969, and it became a state park in 1971.

Natural History

Annadel's terrain consists of a diverse range of plant communities, including meadows, grasslands, forests and chaparral areas. Environmental conditions favor the development of these diverse plant communities and include the animals you will find there, making it possible to experience many habitats, birds and animals during a visit. Deer are commonly seen around sunset, and coyotes are among the many species of wildlife here.

Recreation

Hikers, equestrians, mountain bicyclists, runners and nature lovers can choose from over 40 miles of trails. Elevation gains and degree of difficulty vary with each trail. Enjoy and protect the park's natural beauty - it is against the law to disturb any of its features.

For information about trails click here

Please remember -

• Annadel State Park is a day-use park only. Open from sunrise to sunset.

• A day-use fee is required to park beyond the ranger station.

• Motorized vehicles are allowed only on Channel Drive, the park's entrance road and the parking lot.

• Lock you vehicle and protect your valuables.

• Dogs are allowed only on Channel Drive, the park's entrance road and in the parking lot. Dogs must be on a leash at all times.

• Drinkable water is located near the ranger station and in the main parking lot at the east end of Channel Drive. No other water in the park is potable.

• Use only the named trails shown on the park map.

• Open fires, camp stoves and barbeques are not allowed.

• Camping is not permitted. Camping may be available at Spring Lake County Park, which adjoins Annadel State Park to the west, and at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, about 6 miles east, up Adobe Canyon Road.

• Horses and bicycles are allowed only on designated named trails. Of-trail riding or trailblazing is probhibited.

• Bike jumping ramps and bike launches are prohibited.

• California Bicycle Helmet Law is enforced. Riders and passengers less than 18 years of age must wear an approved helmet.

• A fishing license is required. Anglers 16 years of age or older must have a valid California fishing license visible on their person.

• No lifeguards are on duty nor are there any lifesaving devices at Lake Ilsanjo. If you enter the water, you do so at your own risk.

California law projects all park features.