Mountain Cemetery

Located just a few blocks north of the historic Sonoma Plaza at the base of Schocken Hill, Mountain Cemetery offers a serene resting place surrounded by a natural landscape of native flora. This site also serves as an entrance to the scenic Sonoma Overlook Trail, providing a unique blend of peaceful reflection and outdoor beauty.

90 First Street West (map)

Open Daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Discover the stories of Sonoma’s past by visiting the Historic Grounds section of Mountain Cemetery. This area, filled with the graves of early residents and influential figures, offers a glimpse into the lives that shaped our community, including: 

• Mariano Vallejo controlled much of what is now the North Bay during the 19th Century. He was also the founder the city of Sonoma.
• Henry Ernest Boyes discovered a natural hot spring while digging a well. Building a bathhouse and hotel around this discovery, Boyes catalyzed the era of the springs in Sonoma, attracting hoards from San Francisco. The springs were later used by the U.S. military during World War II to help soldiers unwind.
• Captain William Smith is one of the oldest members in the cemetery. Smith was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was also a career sailor, boasting an impressive 8 trips around the world before his death in 1846.
• John McCracken is most well known for being a member of the Donner party. The story goes that when the group were at the crossroads on whether or not to take the infamous Hastings Cutoff, the McCrackens chose not to take the risk, taking the safer, more traveled route instead.

For those interested in exploring further, a self-guided walking tour is available for download or at the Sonoma Overlook Trail kiosk.

Walking Tour Brochure by Fred Allebach, Graphics, Scott Summers. The walking tour project is supported by The Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards.

Join us for a cemetery volunteer workday.  A workday will be scheduled on a Saturday for each of the City's three cemeteries in late summer/fall. Projects include cemetery beautification efforts such as weed abatement and landscaping projects, painting, repairing borders, restoring plots, and various maintenance work.