Spend the day at Annadel

Only minutes from downtown Santa Rosa, Annadel State Park is hardly a secret. On any given day, the jewel of a park is bustling with hikers, equestrians and bicyclists.

But don't be scared away by the prospect of crowds. If you haven't been there recently, you might be surprised to hear that it is entirely possible to hike through the park and still experience moments of solitude.

That's partly because of the vast network of trails that cross the 5,000 acres of park land, and because many of the park's regular users have found their own preferred routes. And the close proximity of the park to so many neighborhoods means it's used from sunrise to sunset, further spacing out traffic.

Here's a solid day hike that will let you experience each aspect of Annadel, from the wildflowers to the ascents, from the oaks to the deer and wild turkeys. As they say, it's an oldie but a goodie.

Enter the park at the Channel Drive entrance off Montgomery Drive and drive or walk to the Warren Richardson trailhead. The park has an $8 per vehicle entrance fee. Start your hike there and head to Steve's S Trail, named for the grandson of one of the park's founders. It's also one of the few trails that is reserved for hikers, so it will give you space from mountain bikers.

Your lunch destination is Lake Ilsanjo, which is the park's largest water body and may also be your swimming spot. Or you can watch the ducks and fishermen and then do a loop around the lake. The lake is man-made and was formed in the 1950s.

From the lake, head to the Meadow Trail and then onto the Quarry Trail. Circle back to the Richardson trail that you started on, which ends at the parking area.

Over the course of the hike, which should take a few hours and cover 8 miles, the elevation is steep in parts, up to about 1,500 feet.

Annadel is having its 40th birthday party all year, so spending time on some of its 44 trails is a way to toast the grand spectacle of nature that also happens to be our backyard.