Trione-Annadel State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Trione-Annadel State Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Lupines in a meadow, Annadel State Park
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 Trione-Annadel State Park
Location in California
Trione-Annadel State Park
Location in the United States
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| Location | Sonoma County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Kenwood, California; Santa Rosa, California |
| Area | 5,092 acres (2,061 ha) |
| Established | 1971 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Trione-Annadel State Park is a beautiful state park in California, USA. It's located near Santa Rosa, right next to Spring Lake Regional Park. This huge park, covering over 5,092 acres (2,061 ha), offers many fun outdoor activities.
The park's rocks tell a long story. They show its volcanic past and how Native Americans used obsidian from here. In the early 1900s, people even mined cobblestones from the park. Today, hikers love exploring its cool rock formations.
Long ago, the Wappo and Pomo people lived here, especially near the rivers and marsh areas. Experts say Annadel has some of the best untouched northern oak forests in California. You can see amazing wildlife and views all year. The best time to visit is from April to June, when most wildflowers are blooming.
The park has faced two big wildfires. The 2017 Nuns fire burned most of the park. More recently, the Glass fire in 2020 also affected the area.
Contents
Exploring Annadel's Nature
Annadel State Park is home to many different plant communities. These include California oak woodlands, riparian woodlands (areas near water), Douglas fir forests, chaparral (dense shrubs), grasslands, and marshes.
Trees and Plants You Might See
The main plant community is the oak woodland. Here, you'll find tall trees like coast live oak, Garry oak, black oak, Pacific madrone, bigleaf maple, and California laurel. Canyon live oak grows near creeks.
Underneath the trees, you'll see native bunchgrasses, toyon, wild blackberry, and coyote brush. Be careful of western poison-oak, which covers a lot of the park's understory. Douglas fir trees grow in cooler, steeper areas and on north-facing slopes.
Animals and Wildlife
Many animals live in Annadel State Park. You might spot black-tailed deer, western gray squirrels, raccoons, skunks, and opossums. Sometimes, people even see bobcats and mountain lions.
The park is also a great place for bird watching. Common birds include the California scrub jay, Steller's jay, acorn woodpecker, black phoebe, and dark-eyed junco. In wet areas, look for amphibians like the rough-skinned newt.
Water and Rocks in the Park
Water flows through Annadel in different directions. The southern parts drain into Yulupa Creek and other small streams that lead to Sonoma Creek. The northern parts are part of the Santa Rosa Creek watershed.
Most of Annadel's streams dry up in the summer. This is because most of the yearly rain (about 30 inches (76 cm)) falls between October and April. Ledson Marsh keeps some water pools throughout most of the year. The highest point in the park is Bennett Mountain, which is 1,887 feet (575 m) tall.
How the Park's Landscape Formed
About twelve million years ago, all of Annadel was under the ocean. Then, huge uplifts and volcanic activity created the mountains you see today. The park's elevation ranges from about 360 to 1,880 feet (110 to 570 m) above sea level.
The slopes in Annadel are often steep, from 15 to 30 percent. Some areas can be as steep as 70 percent. The soil here, called Goulding cobbly clay loam, has many cobblestones and basalt rocks. This shows the park's volcanic past in the Sonoma Mountains.
Annadel's Past and People
The Southern Pomo and Southern Wappo peoples lived on these lands long ago. They didn't build large villages inside the park. This area was important to them because it had obsidian. They used obsidian to make tools like scrapers, knives, arrowheads, and spearheads. Archeologists believe they used this area for quarrying for at least 3,000 years.
Life in this area changed when the Spanish arrived in the late 1700s. Cattle ranching and farming slowly replaced the Native American way of hunting and gathering.
From Ranch to Quarry
In 1837, Annadel was part of a Mexican land grant called Rancho Los Guilicos. In 1848, a Scottish immigrant named William Hood bought the land. Nearby Hood Mountain is named after him.
In the late 1800s, people stopped raising sheep and cattle as much. Instead, they started quarrying. There was a big need for cobblestones to build cities on the west coast, especially after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake damaged San Francisco. Quarrying cobblestones was a major way for landowners like the Wymores and Hutchinsons to make money around 1900. The park got its name from Annie Hutchinson, as this place was once called "Annie's Dell." Famous author Jack London lived nearby in the early 1900s and wrote many stories inspired by these mountains.
Becoming a State Park
Demand for cobblestones dropped around 1920. This was because the new automobiles needed smoother roads than cobblestone streets. Joe Coney started buying land here in the 1930s. He used the land for farming until the late 1960s. He also mined perlite, which is an obsidian product used in insulation. Annadel officially became part of the California State Park system in 1971.
The land that became Trione-Annadel was almost turned into homes. But Henry Trione and Joe Long worked together to raise $5 million to protect the area as a park. Henry Trione even built his home next to Annadel. In 2012, he gave another $100,000 to help keep the park open. This was during a time when many California state parks were at risk of closing due to budget problems. Because of his generous efforts, the State of California officially changed the park's name to Trione-Annadel State Park in July 2016.
Visiting Trione-Annadel State Park
The main way to enter the park is from the city of Santa Rosa. Another important entrance is from Lawndale Road in Kenwood. This entrance is the shortest way to get to Ledson Marsh.
The park has 35 miles (56 km) of trails. These trails are great for running, hiking, mountain biking, and trail riding. You can also go fishing for black bass and bluegill at Lake Ilsanjo, the park's largest body of water. Remember, Dogs are not allowed in the park. Also, there is no drinking water available inside the park, so bring your own!
Keeping the Park Open
In 2012, Annadel was one of 70 California state parks that Governor Jerry Brown planned to close. Luckily, the County of Sonoma stepped in to manage the park temporarily. This helped keep Annadel open for everyone to enjoy.
Images for kids
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Lupines in a meadow, Annadel State Park
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View from southern mountain flanks of Annadel looking toward Sonoma Mountain.
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Ledson Marsh within Annadel
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Manzanita of 12-inch (30 cm) diameter, Annadel State Park
