| Trione-Annadel State Park | |
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 Lupines in a meadow, Annadel State Park | |
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| Location | Sonoma County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Kenwood, California;Santa Rosa, California |
| Coordinates | 38°25′45″N122°37′30″W / 38.42917°N 122.62500°W /38.42917; -122.62500 |
| Area | 5,092 acres (2,061 ha) |
| Established | 1971 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Trione-Annadel State Park is astate park ofCalifornia in the United States. It is situated at the northern edge ofSonoma Valley and is adjacent toSpring Lake Regional Park inSanta Rosa. It offers many recreational activities within its 5,092-acre (2,061 ha) property.
The rock formations of Trione-Annadel have played a central role in its history: its volcanic origins, theNative American use ofobsidian, the early 1900s mining ofcobblestones, and modernhikers' appreciation of itsvolcanic rockoutcrops.
These lands were occupied by theWappo andPomo people in prehistoric times, who would have primarily inhabited the riparian zones and the marsh perimeter. Annadel includes what somebiologists consider the best example of undisturbednorthern oak woodlands in existence.[1] Visitors can enjoy the park's diversewildlife and scenery during any time of the year but are perhaps most rewarded from April through June when mostwildflowers are in bloom.
The 2017Nuns fire burned the southern portion of the park.[2] In 2020, theGlass fire burned the northern edge of the park.
Plant communities includeCalifornia oak woodland,riparian woodland,Douglas firforest,chaparral,grassland, andmarsh. The dominant plant community is the oak woodland, which has acanopy ofcoast live oak,Garry oak,black oak,Pacific madrone,bigleaf maple, andCalifornia laurel.Canyon live oak occurs inswales andcreeks. In the oak woodlands, the dominantunderstory plants are nativebunchgrasses,toyon,wild blackberry,coyote brush, andwestern poison-oak. The latter covers nearly one quarter of the understory in the park.[3] Douglas fir occurs in some of the steeper, cooler riparian zones and on north-facing slopes.
Common animals in Annadel includeblack-tailed deer,western gray squirrel,raccoon,skunk, andopossum.Bobcat andmountain lion are occasionally observed. There are many bird species, including theCalifornia scrub jay,Steller's jay,acorn woodpecker,black phoebe, anddark-eyed junco. In moist areas,amphibians such as therough-skinned newt can be found.
The southern reaches of Annadel are drained byYulupa Creek and other tributaries ofSonoma Creek, while the northern flanks are part of theSanta Rosa Creekwatershed.[4] Eastern slopes are drained by Yulupa and Sonoma Creeks, while the western slopes are part of theSpring Creek watershed. Many of Annadel's streams are dry in the summer, because rainfall is highly seasonal, with most of the approximately 30 inches (76 cm) of annual precipitation occurring between October and April.[1]Ledson Marsh, which drains into Yulupa Creek, retains some smaller pools of water throughout most of the year. The highest elevation in the park is the top ofBennett Mountain, 1,887 feet (575 m).
The entirety of Annadel was below the ocean floor as recently as twelve million years ago, around which time massiveuplift andvolcanic action formed themassif which comprises the park of today. Elevations in Annadel range from about 360 to 1,880 feet (110 to 570 m) above sea level.[1] Slopes within Annadel commonly range from 15 to 30 percent, but it is not uncommon to encounter slopes up to 70 percent on steep slopes above drainages which are covered in douglas fir forest. One of the major soil associations within the park is Goulding cobblyclayloam, which contains roughly 25 percent cobblestones with somebasaltic exposures, evidence of the volcanic origins of theSonoma Mountains.[5] Typical soil depths are 35 to 50 centimetres (14 to 20 in). Much of the soil type in the Yulupa Creek riparian zone consists of Laniger loam, withrhyolite outcrops, another relic of theigneous history.
The Southern Pomo and Southern Wappo peoples inhabited these lands in prehistoric times. No full-scale villages have been discovered within the park boundaries. This site was valuable to the Native American tribes as a source of obsidian, which they used to make scrapers, knives,arrowheads, andspearheads. Archaeological evidence suggests they used the area as a quarry at least as far back as 3000 years.[6] Human use and settlement of this area changed markedly in the late 18th century when theSpanish came to this region. Cattle ranching and farming gradually replacedhunting and gathering.
In 1837, Annadel was part of theRancho Los Guilicos Mexican land grant. In 1848 the lands of Annadel were purchased by Scottishimmigrant William Hood, for whom nearbyHood Mountain was named. In the late 19th century, sheep and cattlegrazing was superseded byquarry uses. There was considerable demand for cobblestone material when many west coast cities were being developed, and especially in the reconstruction of San Francisco after the1906 San Francisco earthquake. Cobblestone quarry operations were a major source of revenue to the Wymores and the Hutchinsons who were the principal land owners in this area around the year 1900. The park derives its name from Annie Hutchinson, since this locale was once termed "Annie's Dell".[1] In the early 1900s, authorJack London settled nearby in these same Sonoma Mountains, and he based much of his writings on these mountains that he loved.[7]
Demand for cobblestone subsided around the year 1920, since owners of the newly inventedautomobile expected a smoother ride than that derived from cobblestone streets. Joe Coney began to accumulate land holdings in this area during the 1930s. He used the land for agricultural purposes until the late 1960s, though he also minedperlite, an obsidian product used in the manufacture of certain insulation products. Annadel became part of the California State Park system in the year 1971.
The site of what became Trione-Annadel was being eyed for residential development when Henry Trione and hunting buddy Joe Long of Long's Drugs put together a $5 million package that led ultimately to the site's protection as a park.[8] Trione built his home on the hillside adjacent to Annadel. In 2012, he pitched in another $100,000 to keep the park running under county administration at a time when Annadel and dozens of other parks statewide were threatened with closure because of a budget crisis. It was due to these philanthropic efforts that the State of California ruled in July 2016 to officially change the name to Trione-Annadel State Park.
The main park access is from the north via the city ofSanta Rosa. An important secondary access is from the Lawndale Road trailhead inKenwood, which access is the shortest route to Ledson Marsh. There are 35 miles (56 km) of trails for running, hiking,mountain biking, andtrail riding.[1] In addition, excellent black bass andbluegill fishing can be found at the park's largest body of water,Lake Ilsanjo. Dogs are not allowed in the park. There ispotable water available at the visitor center and in the Channel drive parking lot.
Annadel was one of 70California state parks scheduled to close in 2012 by California GovernorJerry Brown. TheCounty of Sonoma took on park operations as a temporary measure to keep it open.[9]
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