The Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards (Stewards) and the city of Sonoma (City) are pleased to announce that the Upper portion of the Sonoma Overlook Trail Rehabilitation and Reroute Project (Project) is complete and the Upper Meadow Loop trail will re-open to the public Saturday, October 20, 2018. The Upper Meadow Loop that leads to the scenic overlook will be accessible from the Toyon Trail entrance in the Mountain Cemetery and through the Montini Open Space Preserve (see trail map).
The Lower portion of the Sonoma Overlook Trail,from the kiosk to the Montini trail junction, will remain closed through the winter or until soil-moisture increases and the new trail bed achieves final compaction. Joanna Kemper with the Stewards asks for help to “remind people that the Lower trail must remain off limits until after it “cures” from winter rains.” This “curing” period will prevent the new trail sections from premature damage.
The City, in close partnership with the Stewards and the Sonoma Ecology Center, started the trail maintenance and rehabilitation project on the Lower and Upper Sonoma Overlook Trail on June 17, 2018. The Project included corrective maintenance, and in some areas, rerouted trail segments and the closure and rehabilitation of eroded areas. The Project opening originally scheduled for mid-September was postponed due to materials availability and weather-related delays. “This project wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of the Sonoma Overlook Trail Steward volunteers and the over $200,000 in donations by local businesses, service organizations and members of the community that helped fund the Project,” says Colleen Ferguson, Sonoma Public Works Director. “Their considerable efforts and generosity have ensured that the community will continue to enjoy theSonoma Overlook Trail for years to come.”
For more information about the rehabilitation project and updates on progress including photos of construction efforts, please visit www.sonomacity.org/sonoma-overlook-trail-improvement-project/or overlookmontini.org.