Hike In Hood Mountain Regional Park Santa Rosa, California - February 8, 2023 Bob
On a beautiful, sunny, cool day I hiked up to the summit of Hood Mountain (the trailhead parking lot is about 15 minutes from where we live) and beyond to Gunsight Rock Overlook. Depending on whether you believe the AllTrails map or the County Map (each shown below), I hiked around 6 miles or 9 miles - I believe the County Map. The AllTrails map shows the route I followed.
[As with all images, click on the image to get the full size, full resolution version.]
After driving up Pythian Road and parking, I began hiking. The trail is beside and actually on Pythian Road and in any case is quite steep. However it then turns into a nice trail and soon one gets to see a small waterfall where the stream crosses the trail, as shown below.
The Gunsight Rock Overlook is well worth the steep, strenuous hike. The next three photos are from that overlook, while the fourth shows a bit of trail leading to it. Looking down from the overlook I could see the neighborhood in which I live. The third photo with the red arrow points out our house and, if you click on the photo, our actual house. The second photo shows my foot to emphasize how one bad step would result in quite a fall.
The next three photos were taken at the summit of Hood Mountain. I took the third photo, a panorama of the small area, because the last time I was there the summit was surrounded by tall, large bushes, which recent fires have destroyed.
The hike back down to the car was so very, very delightful. The path was for the most part gradual, I chose to go by a very pretty pond, I saw exactly two flowers the entire trip, both of which were growing on the path, and of course trees, two of which really stood out. The last of the pictures does not capture how incredibly red the bark looked on that tree.
