Upper Fallen Bridge Trail and Fern Lake Loop: A Picturesque Hike with Vineyard Views
Sonoma, California
Do you find yourself in California’s wine country seeking a nice hike that will give you the best of large, open fields and the tall redwood trees? If so, then the Upper Fallen Bridge Trail and Fern Lake Loop might be the hike for you. This 5.9-mile hike covers 1,230 feet of elevation gain and traverses a wide range of terrain. From the vineyards to the forest, you’ll see it all on this hike.
The hike takes you through by some scenic vineyards
This hike begins from the Jack London State Historic Park. There is ample parking, but be advised that you will have to pay $10 for parking at the entrance to the park. At the parking lot, there was a porta potty available for use before the hike. There were no bathrooms available on this trail, so I would recommend using the one at the trailhead before embarking on this hike. Sonoma is typically very hot and sunny, so bringing a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and water is recommended.
You can stop by the Jack London historic site near the entrance of the hike to see the old barn and historic house
The hike begins by walking into the Jack London Park where you’ll pass by the historic preserved homes and other buildings. Then, you’ll walk along a large vineyard and have beautiful views of the rows of grapevines. Afterwards, the path turns into the forest where you’ll see tall redwoods and other dry shrubbery – these woods are different from other hikes in southern Marin because Sonoma is much drier, so the foliage reflects that difference. The tall trees provide ample shade, which was very welcome on the hot day we visited.
The path can get narrow at times, especially by the backside of the hike
After progressing uphill through the forest, you ascend to the top of the hill, where you walk along the open path before reentering the forest and descending. There are some sections of the descent that are tighter single tracks, so you may have to travel single file if in a group. After the forest, you travel around an open field that appears to be an apple orchard and then go back into a different part of the forest. On AllTrails, the trail diverges towards the lake and then returns back up to the same intersection. We went down to the lake and back before continuing, but the views are nothing extraordinary, so you could skip it if you are tired at this point and keep going back towards the trailhead. The path to the lake is mostly downhill, which means you have to travel back up it afterwards.
There are some apple orchards towards the middle of the hike
The last mile and a half of the hike is along the back side of the vineyard that you initially saw by the trailhead. On our visit, there were small patches of wild orchids and a mother deer with her little fawn, which was a cute sighting. The trail continues along the side of the vineyard before returning to the same part of the hike you started on.
The deer and her fawn were a cute sight
Pretty wild orchids growing on the side of the path
Overall, I would recommend this hike if you are looking for a nice mostly-shaded hike in Sonoma. It is very accessible and the majority of the paths are wide and well maintained. We saw a good variety of wildlife on this hike and had some pretty views of the vineyards both in front of us and in the distance. This hike is perfect for all ages and would be good for families – we saw quite a few parents with children on the trails. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message via email or Instagram DM.
Happy hiking!
The vineyards were breathtaking and made the hike totally worth it