Every Trail Tells a Story
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve / Austin Creek State Recreation Area
Old-growth redwoods in Armstrong Woods – cathedral-like trees that inspire awe and reverence.
Open hills and creeks of Austin Creek – a sun-drenched backcountry contrast with shade nearby.
Two parks in one trip, blending ancient forest stillness with wide-open ridge adventure.
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and Austin Creek State Recreation Area may share a boundary, but they offer two worlds that could not feel more different. Armstrong Redwoods is a cool, hushed cathedral of coast redwoods, 700 acres of primeval forest preserved when so many others in Sonoma County were cut and hauled away. Step beneath the canopy and the air changes – muffled, damp, and full of the scent of duff and bay laurel. Walk among giants like the 310-foot Parson Jones Tree or the 1,400-year-old Colonel Armstrong Tree and you feel the same awe the Kashia Pomo people must have felt centuries ago. Fife Creek trickles through the grove, a reminder of how these forests thrive on water and shade.
By contrast, Austin Creek sprawls across more than 5,000 acres of open ridges, sun-blasted chaparral, and oak-dappled slopes. Where Armstrong is shadowy and still, Austin Creek is bright and exposed, a place where summer heat bakes the grasslands and winter rains swell the creeks. Its twenty miles of trail are not casual strolls but real workouts, often dropping deep into canyons before climbing back out. Gilliam Creek, Schoolhouse Creek, and East Austin Creek carve the landscape, lined with alder, maple, madrone, and Douglas fir.
The pairing of these parks is part of the pleasure. Few places let you wander from ancient redwood grove to backcountry ridge in a single day. On hot afternoons, Armstrong Redwoods offers shade and serenity; on cool mornings, Austin Creek delivers big sky and big views. Both together make a fine antidote to bumper-to-bumper traffic in Guerneville or the swirl of wine-tasting rooms in the valleys below.
The parks also embody two strands of California conservation: the impulse to save a few last groves of giant trees and the desire to set aside larger, wilder tracts for rambling and solitude. Hike them together and you see not only two environments, but two visions of what it means to preserve land.
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve is located at 17000 Armstrong Woods Rd, in Guerneville. To head directly into Austin Creek, follow the steep park road uphill. At a fork, the main road continues to Bullfrog Pond, but for Gilliam Creek Trail veer left to the signed parking area.
From the trailhead, descend north into mixed forest of oak, Douglas fir, and redwood. About a half mile out, you’ll climb a bit and catch some coastward views of ridges rolling toward the Pacific. The trail then turns west and drops through woods and open grassland to reach Schoolhouse Creek, about a mile from the start. Cross a fork of the creek and Schoolhouse Creek itself, then continue another mile downhill to a junction where Gilliam and Schoolhouse creeks meet.
For the shorter loop, turn right here, cross Schoolhouse Creek, and follow Gilliam Creek upstream a short distance to meet Austin Creek Trail, a broad fire road that climbs steadily back toward the trailhead.
For the longer loop, continue following Gilliam Creek downstream. The trail crosses and re-crosses the creek several times, leading past ferny banks, spring wildflowers, small cascades, and quiet pools. About three miles out, you make a final crossing of Gilliam Creek, then climb gently above the north bank before dropping once more to the water. A short spur leads to Gilliam Creek Camp. Near the confluence of Gilliam and East Austin creeks, ford East Austin and climb briefly but steeply to meet a fire road. Turn right, climbing gradually north through oak, madrone, and fir.
Five miles from the trailhead you descend again to cross East Austin Creek and meet East Austin Creek Trail, another fire road. To detour left would take you to Manning Flat Trail Camp, a shady spot by the creek. Turning right instead, the road follows East Austin Creek and soon passes a fine swimming hole. All too soon, the path leaves the water behind and begins an earnest half-mile climb, passes the side trail to Tom King Trail Camp, and tops out above the canyon.
A half-mile descent leads to the spur connecting back to Gilliam Creek Trail. Either turn left and retrace your steps (a stiff climb) or continue on East Austin Creek Trail for another punishing ascent – a long mile with nearly a thousand feet of elevation gain – to Bullfrog Pond Campground. From there, follow the paved park road carefully for half a mile, then pick up a short footpath on your right that returns you to the Gilliam Creek trailhead.