Lake Sonoma is located in upper Dry Creek Valley only 10 minutes from Healdsburg down Dry Creek Rd. Created by the construction of Warm Springs Dam in 1983, the lake provides for flood control, irrigation and recreation. The park has a total of 17,624 acres to explore which include 46 miles of trails, 213 campsites, a fish hatchery, several swimming beaches, a marina, and much more!
Rich in history and once inhabited by the Pomo Indians, Lake Sonoma has had extensive archeological digs located within the park's bounderies.The Warm Springs Cultural Resources Study was one of the first large projects conducted under federal historic preservation laws and regulations enacted in the 1960s. From 1974 to 1984, before the filling of Lake Sonoma behind Warm Springs Dam, the area was intensively studied by a team of archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, architectural historians, ethnobotanists, historians, and Native American traditional scholars.
Lake Sonoma has an incredible variety of wildlife including Peregrin Falcons, Bald Eagles, and Wild Boar. In fact, Lake Sonoma offers permits to those who hunt Boar with bow and arrow during certain times of the year. Lake Sonoma's Fish Hatchery offers daily tours, and helps to increase the Steelhead trout population that spawn every year in Dry Creek.
There are beautiful plants and wildflowers seen year round at Lake Sonoma. The miles of trails wind through redwoods, oak, madrone, and douglas fir. trees. Lake Sonoma boasts an abundance of diverse plants and animals due to it's change in altitude, ranging from 200 feet above sea level to the hilltops at around 1600 ft.
Best of all, Lake Sonoma is surrounded by World Class Wineries in the Dry Creek AVA. The two arms of the Lake are divided by a fairly new AVA called Rockpile. The Vineyards are steep and the wine is some of the most high priced in the county. Many visitors come to Lake Sonoma to picnic during their winetasting adventures.