Our Ultimate Guide to Sonoma County’s Great Outdoors
This guide highlights various outdoor activities in Sonoma County, including paddleboarding at Lake Sonoma and fly fishing in Santa Rosa. It provides recommendations for both thrill-seekers and those looking for relaxing nature experiences.
Why it matters
It serves as a resource for local tourism and outdoor recreation, promoting regional economic activity and lifestyle engagement.
Whether seeking thrills or something more chill, here are the places and experiences that make our outdoors such a great place to be.
Paddleboarding at Lake Sonoma in Geyserville. (Kim Carroll)
Skip Brand is the founder of Healdsburg Running Company and president of Friends of Lake Sonoma, as well as an avid trail runner. Photo taken at Lake Sonoma on Friday, May 22, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Lake Sonoma west of Cloverdale on Friday, May 22, 2026. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)
Lake Sonoma in Geyserville. (Sonoma County Tourism)
The Russian River Fly Casters offers clinics for beginners every Thursday at the casting pond in Santa Rosa’s Galvan Park. Photo taken Thursday, May 7, 2026. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in