New areas in Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve (California) will be open for outdoor enthusiasts looking to camp, bike, or ride in the Mayacamas Mountains.
As per a report, Sonoma County Regional Parks opened the park to wider public access on May 28 after an extensive fire cleanup and repairs after the catastrophic Glass Fire.
Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve is a 2,000-acre wilderness park on the edge of the Sonoma Valley, about 5 miles southeast of Santa Rosa. The park offers more than 19 miles of trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.
Hood Mountain’s trailheads and routes have been closed since September 2020, when the Glass Fire burned approximately 80 percent of the 2,000-acre park.
Recently opened areas include the park’s west entrance and parking lot on Los Alamos Road and Hood Mountain Trail leading to Hood Mountain’s 2,730-foot summit.
On the east side of the park via Pythian Road, the Merganser Pond backcountry campground is open, along with nearby trails such as Panorama Ranch Trail and Orchard Meadow Trail. The lower equestrian parking lot is also now open.
In the last 18 months, crews have been working to clear the hundreds of hazardous trees and repair roads and other infrastructure damages.
Although most of the park appears safe and open to public use, the work continues.
On the west side, the Azalea Creek picnic area and campground and Summit Trail remain closed; on the east side, Upper Johnson Ridge Trail and parts of Lower Johnson Ridge Trail remain closed.
For more information on Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve and an updated park map or donate to the park’s recovery efforts, visit parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Visit/Hood-Mountain-Regional-Park-and-Preserve.
This story originally appeared on Kenwood Press.