Armstrong Woods reopening to visitors Friday for first time since Walbridge fire

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, one of Sonoma County’s most iconic destinations, is set to reopen Friday, Oct. 29, for the first time since the August 2020 Walbridge fire torched more than 55,200 acres, including much of the beloved state park.

Would-be visitors have been clamoring to get back onto the tranquil landscape north of Guerneville ever since flames backed down the hill from adjoining Austin Creek State Recreation Area and threatened the majestic coast redwoods, which draw more than 1 million visitors to the park complex in a normal year.

Only the valley floor will reopen to the public, but that’s where most visitors spend their time anyway, weaving among centuries-old redwoods in the protected grove and marveling at the size and grandeur of trees that defined the area before the advent of wide-scale logging.

“I’m thrilled to have people in the park,” said Justin Lindenberg, new executive director of the nonprofit Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, which co-manages the park properties with California State Parks’ Russian River Sector. “It’s going to be a joy for so many.

“I think it’s going to be something that people need,” he said. “I also think it’s going to be healing for people after all the trauma people have experienced, with COVID and with the fires.”

Park officials cautioned that visitors would be allowed only as long as the land and trees remained stable, a situation that could change with heavy rains expected to batter the area over the weekend.

An atmospheric river on course to hit the region early Sunday could dump six inches of rain or more on the west county hills. And, though forecasters say the storm will pass through the area more quickly than first predicted, it still could bring down fire-damaged trees or cause settling in the burn scar, state parks Natural Resource Manager Brendan O’Neil said.

But Lindenberg and Executive Director Emeritus Michele Luna said they were reasonably sure any issues could be managed safely in time for the park’s reopening. Just in case, they directed those planning to visit to consult the Stewards’ website, stewardscr.org, before starting their trip.

After months of wildfire recovery work, false starts and a steady stream of inquiries from park fans, they’re eager to get the gates back open, however.

“People are so excited to come back,” Lindenberg said. “We field many, many calls each day (from) people asking if the park is open yet. So, yeah, it’s a level of enthusiasm that we really appreciate.”

Armstrong Woods takes in 805 acres of redwood forest, fern-covered slopes and quiet earthen walkways that offer a transporting experience for world-weary souls. It’s also the gateway to the Austin Creek reserve, a vast and rugged wilderness covering nearly 6,000 acres of steep, remote forestland.

It was just outside the Austin Creek boundaries that the Walbridge fire was discovered Aug. 17, 2020, during a dry lightning storm that sparked numerous fires across Northern California over several days.

The Walbridge fire burned particularly intensely in the uplands of Austin Creek and other steep, inaccessible drainages between Cazadero and Dry Creek, near Healdsburg, destroying 156 homes and burning a combined 4,312 acres in the Armstrong Woods/Austin Creek complex.

Many park lovers were focused on the Armstrong grove, however, worrying about the fate of the oldest, most revered trees in the region — some of them 1,000 years old or more. Widely viewed news footage captured the efforts of firefighters defending the more than 1,400-year-old Colonel Armstrong Tree and the 310-foot-tall Parson Jones Tree, for instance.

But in general, the flames that burned into the grove were of low intensity and beneficial, clearing out overgrown understory growth and removing excess fuels, O’Neil and others said.

Human-made infrastructure — mainly fencing, railings, steps and bridges — were ruined. And hundreds of burned and hazard trees up in the fire-ravaged Austin Creek hills — mostly Douglas fir, as well as Bay Laurel and Madrone — had to be removed, largely through a state Office of Emergency Services operation that took months over summer, involving helicopters and heavy equipment that tore up roads and the parking lot in Armstrong Woods.

The continued delay meant that the park, opened for three months in 2020 between a two-month pandemic closure and the wildfire, has been mostly closed for the past 19 months, depriving visitors of the serenity it has to offer and the Stewards of the income needed to fund operations.

Lindenberg credited public generosity with aiding repair and maintaining minimal operations, in part through a fire recovery fund has raised more than $230,000 of a $300,000 goal. But he said continued support was welcomed in order to make further repairs and restore educational programming and fire ecology projects, many of them powered by volunteers.

The upland Pool Ridge and East Ridge trails are still closed due to damage to trails, bridges and creek crossing. And all of the massive Austin Creek Reserve will remain closed until further notice due to extensive work still needed to restore county roads, the water system, restrooms and other amenities as Bullfrog Pond. The campground there is not expected to open until sometime next year.

“We are thrilled to be finally reopening the park after 14 months being closed,” Luna said. “It has been a long road getting to where we are at now with fire recovery, and we still have a ways to go to reopen Austin Creek SRA and Bullfrog Pond Campground. I am thankful for the partnership with State Parks and the dedication of Stewards’ staff and our volunteers who went above and beyond to make the park safe and welcoming for park visitors again.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.