Jenner Headlands and Pole Mountain

Message from Brook R. Edwards, MS
Regional Director, Sonoma Coast Preserves

As we welcome all of our visitors back to the land we'd like to bring your attention to a couple of things.

Ticks are abundant throughout the Preserve. Please check yourselves and your leashed dogs regularly.

Rattlesnakes can be found on the trails leading to Pole Mountain and it sounds like their numbers are up this year throughout California. Please stay alert - watch where you step, listen for their rattle, stay on the trails, and keep your dog on a leash.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and support.

For the latest information about the Jenner Headlands park visit thei website at https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_jenner.html

Land Trust’s Pole Mountain and The Wildlands Conservancy’s Jenner Headlands are open to the public daily from 8am−sunset. Visitors to Sonoma County’s stunning coast will now have the opportunity to explore at their leisure and free of charge the 15 miles of trails on the spectacular, 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands Preserve and to climb to the top of Pole Mountain, the highest peak along the Sonoma Coast. Parking and access to both preserves will be provided free of charge at TWC’s beautiful new “Gateway to the Headlands” along Highway 1, two miles north of Jenner. Hikers taking up the challenge to summit Pole Mountain from the Gateway parking lot are encouraged to head out early to complete the strenuous, 14-mile round-trip hike on the Sea to Sky Trail by sunset. Large crowds are expected on the opening weekend of September 7−9 so please plan accordingly as the parking lot may fill. Remember, it will be open every day! 

Access: Find the Jenner Headlands Gateway on Coast Highway One about 1.5 miles north of Jenner. A beautifully designed parking area, with native-plant landscaping and erosion-control berms, accommodates more than 30 vehicles and includes two ADA spaces. Picnic tables nestle within a curving rock-wall “river.” A restroom building with a living roof, set within a former quarry, nestles onto a hillside. You’ll find interpretive signs here and the start of hiking trails.

Sea to Sky Trail is a 15.1 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Jenner, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. Recent visitors have seen boar prints, snakes, banana slugs, vultures, lizards, bobcat and coyote prints. One hiker saw a mountain lion in the far distance. You will see a local cows grazzin gon the grasslands. The trail has a lot of sun so bring a lot of water and sun protection.

The Wildlands Conservancy Jenner Headlands Preserve Trails and Point of Interest Map.
Sonoma Land Trust: Click Here for PDF Map

Article: Hike than Wine with photos and description of their experience.
Hike than Wine YouTube Video.

Features

Jenner Headlands is a spectacular 5,630-acre mosaic of redwood and Douglas fir forests, oak woodland, chaparral, and coastal prairie overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The property adjoins Pacific Coast Highway for two and one-half miles adjacent to Sonoma Coast State Park just north of the Russian River Estuary. Many rare and endangered species inhabit the property including the northern spotted owl, peregrine falcon, and red tree vole. Deer, bobcat, coyote, mountain lion and steelhead trout are also found on the property

pole mountain

At 2,204 feet, the summit of Pole Mountain is the highest peak along the Sonoma Coast, offering unobstructed, 360-degree views of Sonoma County, from the coast to the Cedars, and far beyond. A longtime conservation priority, Pole Mountain’s 238 acres bring together the Jenner Headlands and Little Black Mountain Preserve, creating more than 6,300 acres of connected habitat.

 Still wild and scenic, with the only development being an historic fire lookout tower critical to the local community.

 As the highest point along the Sonoma Coast, Pole Mountain offers visitors and hikers unobstructed, 360-degree views of Sonoma County and beyond, including Sonoma Mountain and the Santa Rosa Plain, the Cedars and the Mayacamas. On a clear day, it is possible to see Mt. Diablo (79 miles away), Mt. Tamalpais (49 miles away) and the Farallon Islands (56 miles away).

Primarily a mature oak woodland habitat, the landscape also consists of open grasslands, pockets of coniferous forest and ancient madrones. It is home to the headwaters of Kidd Creek and Pole Mountain Creek, both of which feed into Austin Creek (and, ultimately, the Russian River), and also to the East Branch of Russian Gulch, which drains through the Jenner Headlands to the Pacific.

2009 Acquisition

The 2009 acquisition was a result of the dedicated four-year effort by the Sonoma Land Trust and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Five other funding sources: the California Coastal Conservancy, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Forest Legacy Program. The Wildlands Conservancy loaned and guaranteed loans totaling $10.6 million to insure this acquisition when funding was threatened. It is the single largest conservation land acquisition in Sonoma County history. ” 

Location and info links

The parking lot will be open daily free of charge, providing access to The Wildlands Conservancy's magnificent Jenner Headlands Preserve and beyond. The parking lot north of the town of Jenner on Highway 1 has parking for 32 cars and two school buses. The Gateway will also provide handicapped accessible trails to a restroom and overlook area with spectacular views of the Russian River and Goat Rock. From the overlook, a trailhead will lead into the rolling coastal hills and redwood forests.

Facebook:

Jenner Headlands

Sonoma Land Trust

Websites:

Sonoma Land Trust

Wildlands Conservancy

Pole Mountain Historic Fire Lookout

Sonoma Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District

California Coastal Conservancy

The Wildlife Conservation Board