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Sonoma's Bartholomew Park: A perfect day trip from San Francisco

Just a 1.5-hour drive from San Francisco is the perfect day trip for just about anyone. Your drive will take you north to Sonoma — and specifically to Bartholomew Park. 

Adjacent to this charming park with three miles of hiking trails, you’ll find Bartholomew Winery with tastings and picnic areas, and the option to go horseback riding with Sonoma Valley Trail Rides. 

About the trails

If you look at the trail map, you can see it’s easy to make a loop around the park. I like doing a clockwise loop starting on the Grape Stomp Trail and continuing on the You-Walk Miwok Trail. 

 

While the trails are short in distance, you should know that they involve steep and rocky terrain and stairs without railings. You can hike with kids (and dogs are welcome, too), but I might avoid hiking with anyone who has balance issues or trouble with elevation gain, as the route involves about 640 feet of climbing.

That said, I think the rocks and the steepness make the trails interesting. There is a small creek to cross, and a viewpoint with a bench looking over Sonoma all the way to Mount Tam!

 

Time for wine! And make sure to bring your own lunch.

So what to do after the hike? There is wine tasting, of course! Bartholomew has great wine, but not much food, so you’ll want to bring a picnic lunch. We didn’t do this and ended up just eating crackers. Not ideal!

 

The tasting areas inside and outside are lovely (and dog-friendly), but you can’t bring kids to them. If you have kids with you, you can get a bottle of wine (or not) and head to the picnic areas near the winery, which are public and kid-friendly.  

 

While you're here, you may want to learn about the winery and park. The land here was once part of a Mexican land grant. Then, in 1857, it became one of the earliest vineyards in California. Agoston Haraszthy (pronounced: Herasthee), a Hungarian immigrant, established Buena Vista Winery here (Buena Vista winery is still the neighboring winery). Heraszthy is often credited with bringing many European grape varieties to California. After a few decades, a national recession and phylloxera (an aphid-like insect) resulted in the winery’s downfall. The last vintage from this era was produced in 1883.

 

It wasn't until in 1943 that new owners, Frank and Antonia Bartholomew purchased the property, restored the historic vineyards and buildings, and breathed new life into the property. In 1980, the Bartholomews established a trust to preserve the natural beauty of the land, creating Bartholomew Park. The park opened to the public in 1992.

 

Some park notes

  • To get to the park, map to 1695 Castle Road, Sonoma, CA 
  • Bartholomew Park is open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, with no entry after 4:30 pm
  • Hiking trails are open daily from 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
  • Free parking is available at the park’s lot
  • There are walking paths through the vineyards and park grounds for an easier option

Location: Bartholomew Park, 1695 Castle Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA

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