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Sonoma Valley is blessed with an abundance of significant and magnificent parks that have been explored in this series. But also smaller lots, some of which are “pocket parks”, shouldn’t be overlooked and are often loved. And there are some parks that even long-time residents of Sonoma don’t know about. Here, roughly from north to south, 15 smaller parks in the Sonoma Valley are noteworthy.
Looking for a picnic spot halfway between Santa Rosa and Sonoma? You can try Shaw Park (120 Shaw Ave., Kenwood) – there is a play area and small picnic area and at least one majestic old oak tree. But this property is centered around a large grass soccer field and that’s pretty much the focus of the park.
For non-soccer picnic lovers, just blocks away is Kenwood Plaza (200 Warm Springs Road, Kenwood), and alcohol is allowed. A beautiful park with mature trees, a playground and picnic tables, it even has a “Music Man” -like pavilion for the ultimate in small-town charm.
Some maps indicate Alder Park in Kenwood, but it’s an empty, gated, locked piece of land – don’t bother.
The smallest park in the Sonoma County Regional Parks System is Moran-Goodman Park (980 Sonoma Glen Circle) south of downtown Glen Ellen. It’s tiny, but has two play structures, a small lawn, and a couple of picnic tables with grills.
The fascinating Bear Cave Park is another property that appears on maps but not so much on the ground. Google Maps is a crescent-shaped stretch of land on Sonoma Creek in the Springs and guides a visitor through private properties on Riverside Drive to get to the “park” – not cool, Google Maps. There is a double-locked, barbed wire and cobweb decked gate at the end of West Thomson near Happy Lane that is believed to be an entrance, but visitors are clearly not welcome.
Non-dog visitors are welcome at Olsen Park (569 Linda Drive, Sonoma), which is right on the bike path. This neighborhood park has playground facilities and a basketball court, as well as picnic tables.
Also along the bike path is the Field of Dreams (151 First St. W., Sonoma), which was built to come – play baseball and softball – and in 2015 there was a music festival with Ringo Starr. Dogs are not allowed here, but we are encouraged to come to the nearby Ernest Holman Memorial Dog Park, which also has a separate area for smaller pooches.
Eraldi Park (652 Fifth St. W., Sonoma) is another hidden gem; you never see it driving around town because you can get to it from the Sassarini Elementary School car park. Eraldi is an organized team sports playground – a collection of sports fields for soccer and baseball.
Armstrong Park (550 Charles Van Damme Way, Sonoma) has the necessary picnic tables and play structures, but also has a distinctly European character with cut hedges and neat rows of magnolia and crepe myrtle trees. The main feature is a large green lawn that is curious because it is in an area where practically every house has a large green lawn.
Pinelli Park (433 France St., Sonoma) is one of those attractive little neighborhood parks that make Sonoma so liveable. It has old trees, a play area, a bit of green space, and picnic tables, as well as a fancier table that honors the long-time official after whom the park is named, August A. Pinelli. (Sonoma Parks are full of plaques of honor. We love our bronze plaques.)
The Hertenstein Park (1055 Berryessa Dr., Sonoma) is also a great little green area with a play structure and tables and is also in close proximity to the Fryer Creek Trail.
MacArthur Park (758 Elliot St., Sonoma) cannot be found on Google Maps or Apple Maps or the Waze app, which makes it the Bolinas of Sonoma Parks, if not our brigadoon. Nestled in a dead end neighborhood, it’s an extremely pleasant place with shady paths, an impressive play area (four different slides), picnic tables, and an open meadow (but no sweet, green icing that flows down).
The main feature of Sonoma Valley Oaks Park (440 Engler St., Sonoma) is a spectacular pergola with wisteria. The neighborhood park has a large circular lawn surrounded by a walkway and trees; There are no other facilities than park benches and dogs are prohibited. The landscape offers year-round interest, and the trees are primarily sequoias, plane trees, and maples. There may be a small living oak tree so don’t expect this room to live up to its name.
Eventually, keen-eyed reader Josh Weinberg spotted a Grinstead Park in a city document from a few years ago and found the park to be so opaque that even the city misrepresented the address – it’s on the corner of Patten Street and Austin Avenue ( not 135 Austin). Of course, it’s hard to even call that little piece of land a park – it’s an overgrown moat between a neighborhood and a church parking lot. The only structures are a series of wooden city park posts with their distinctive notched tips – no signs, no benches, no picnic tables. Just a “poor little overlooked park,” wrote Weinberg.
It is good that Sonomans have many other options.
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