The Bay Trail – Ride #19 – Map 19 – Sonoma Baylands to Sears Point Restoration Area

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This was my nineteenth bike ride on my quest to travel 350 miles of the San Francisco Bay Trail completed so far.  The Bay Trail vision is a single trail of 500 miles that encircles the entire Bay, going through 9 counties and 47 cities. 

In late August 2022, I rode along the north edge of San Pablo Bay, following Map 19.

On Ride #18, I had passed the Sears Point Bridge in Vallejo which crosses the Mare Island Strait and heads west as Highway 37 along San Pablo Bay.  For this ride, I wanted to begin on the northwest side of the Bay, so I drove north on 880, then north 101, then east on Highway 37 across the Petaluma River. 

I began my ride looking for the Port Sonoma Marina Trail.  I turned off of Highway 37 onto Sears Point Road and turned to the right (west).  I saw a sign for Port Sonoma but nothing specifically for the marina.  I drove through one fairly large parking lot that was completely full.  There were no signs about the Bay Trail or any of the other trails I had seen on Map 19.

I continued west to the end of Sears Point Road and parked in a small cul-de-sac alongside the Petaluma River where it flows into San Pablo Bay.  Here, one has a great vantage point from below looking up at the Highway 37 bridge.  Once on my bike, I followed a narrow trail south, riding only a short distance before I came to a slough that blocked my continuing to the marshlands I could see ahead.  To my right, in the middle of the Petaluma River, was the Black Point Railroad Bridge, with the center portion turned sideways to allow water traffic to pass through.  This was a lovely area and worth the visit, even though it was a short ride.

I loaded my bike on my car and continued east on Highway 37.  At the intersection with Lakeville Highway, I turned right onto Reclamation Road to the Sears Point trailhead with interpretive/information signs and plenty of trail markers.  I passed a farm with a golden field on the east side of this area.  Bales of harvested hay were stacked nearby. 

The Sears Point trail leads to a wetland/marshland area that was restored through the Sonoma Land Trust which has protected this land since 1976.  It is part of the San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge which was established in 1974, includes over 17,000 acres, and is located in three counties:  Marin, Sonoma and Solano.  The refuge is one of seven National Wildlife Refuges that are part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge Complex.  I have been proud to volunteer as a photographer for the Refuge for over 20 years.

  The restored tidal marsh and upland habitat—called the Sears Point Wetland Restoration Project—provides flood control while sustaining wildlife.  A tidal marsh is a wetland where ocean tides rise and fall twice a day.  Tidal marshes shield coastal areas from storms, prevent erosion, and improve water quality by filtering out toxins.  Nearly a million shorebirds find refuge in the tidal marshes and mudflats still remaining around the San Francisco Bay.

The Sears Point Trail is about 1.25 miles long.  It bends to the left, turning slightly inland, and then leads northeast to the Refuge’s headquarters.  Continuing straight towards the water instead, one crosses railroad tracks with a portable bathroom facility on the other side, the only one I saw on all my riding this day.  Once across the tracks, one has the option to proceed straight towards the edge of the water on the Dickson Trail for about 0.30 miles. 

One comes first to a launch area for kayaks.  A sign gives instructions regarding how far away kayakers must stay from wildlife:  100 feet from the endangered Ridgway’s Rail; 250 feet from a burrowing owl; 500 feet from harbor seals and pups; 650 feet from nesting herons, egrets and western snowy plovers; and 800 feet from flocks of waterfowl.  The trail then turns west to follow the shoreline.

A variety of habitats in this restored wetland area support many types of birds and wildlife.  The deeper waters in the open channel are home to river otters, longfin smelt, Chinook salmon and sand dabs.  Subtidal shallows are home to oysters, shrimp, hermit crabs, yellow shore crabs, small crustaceans, and phytoplankton.  Marbled godwits, long-billed curlews, short-billed dowitchers, sandpipers and brine flies frequent the mudflats.  At the channel edge we find northern harriers, greater yellowlegs, common yellowthroats, osprey, song sparrows, salt marsh harvest mice, cordgrass, gum plant, and pickleweed.  In the uplands we see Anna’s hummingbirds, jackrabbits, wandering shrews and the toyon plant. 

Standing at the shore’s edge, today one looks out over waters that were gone years ago.  Farmers diked and drained this area in the 1890’s for agriculture, causing the level of the land to sink by six feet.  Farm buildings stood where we see water now.  The Dickson family farmed here.  They continued their ranching operations through the 20^th Century instead of selling to developers.  In so doing, they have made today’s wetlands restoration possible.

Wetlands are our first line of defense against the rise of sea level.  In this area, they will provide flood protection for nearby roads, farms and communities.  The ecosystem restoration project includes constructing a levee to protect Highway 37 and the railroad from tidal water.  It includes many aspects such as digging channels to provide tidal flow through the wetlands, building comma-shaped ridges and levees next to channels to provide refuge for wildlife during high tides, and cutting openings in levees to permit tidal flow.  The daily tides will deposit sediment where the sunken farmland used to be, slowly rebuilding the land to a mature tidal marsh once again – a process that may take 20 to 30 years.

Where the Dickson Trail ends, I noticed a narrow path extending out into a field of pickleweed.  I rode to the end of it – quite narrow and rutted.  The trail was muddy in places.  I wondered if it becomes submerged at high tide.  Coming back along the narrow trail, I heard a low guttural bird call which I discovered was a Great white egret.  I had never heard their call before.

Returning from the Dickson Trail, I turned east along the Eliot Trail.  For 2.5 miles, the trail follows the top of a levee separating the marshlands and Bay waters from farmland.  Further up the trail one can see several hills to the left, on the north side of Highway 37, the contours of some lined by vineyards.  The quiet of this area is broken up by sounds coming from the hidden but audible Sonoma Raceway on the other side of one of the hills: race cars taking sharp turns, gearing up and gearing down to take the lead.

As I rode along the Eliot Trail, I saw many Great white egrets.  One seemed to escort me as I rode along the trail, flying on my right, over the water, 50 to 100 feet ahead.  From time to time it flew back and forth across the trail, then back over the water. 

The end of Eliot Trail overlooks the Upper Tolay Lagoon which flows into Tolay Creek headed south to empty into the San Pablo Bay.  The creek separates Tubbs Island from Lower Tubbs Island.  The latter is a “muted” tidal marsh.  Muted tidal marshes receive fresh seawater only at the highest tide.

After returning from the end of Eliot Trail, I continued west on the Sonoma Baylands Trail for about 1.3 miles.  Two different times a covey of quail—my favorite bird—crossed my path.  Usually they run so quickly they are gone before I can get my camera out.  But two of them cooperated and let me get a couple shots.

The Sonoma Baylands Trail also follows the top of a levee, this time along the Sonoma Baylands Marsh.  322 acres of diked Bay lands have been restored here.  The restoration required depositing 3 million cubic yards of clean silt provided by the Port of Oakland from a dredging project that created a deep-water shipping channel.  It has taken nearly 20 years for the wetland vegetation to take hold.

There were several Great white egrets hunting fish in the waters next to this trail as well.  At the end of the trail, I saw a very narrow path continuing west.  There were no signs.  I wondered if this might lead to the marina.  After studying the Google satellite map later, I confirmed that the trail would have led to the marina by going west and then turning north towards Railroad Avenue.  It looks like the path winds around a bit before it finally reaches the marina.  I’ll have to try that another time.

I loaded my bike on my car again and drove to another section of the Bay Trail on the other side of Tolay Creek: the Tubbs Island Trailhead.  To get there, one continues east on Highway 37.  About a half mile beyond the turnoff for Arnold Drive/Highway 121, there is a small sign announcing a turnoff to the right.  If I hadn’t been watching for it, I would have missed it.

I pulled off the highway and parked in a small parking area.  There was a billboard with faded signs announcing one was entering State land.  An interpretive sign nearby was almost hidden in the brush.  The trail is wide enough for service vehicles but closed by a locked gate.  There is an opening at the side for pedestrians and bikes.

This is the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area.  It is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Tolay Creek flows into the San Pablo Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Estuary.  An estuary is where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the bay and ocean.  I didn’t realize that the San Francisco Bay Estuary is the largest on the west coast of North and South America.

Waterfowl have their favorite places.  Here you will find the species of ducks known as divers that can swim deep into the water to find plants and clams on the bottom.  These diving ducks float in large groups called “rafts.”  Bufflehead, Lesser scaup, Canvasbacks, Ruddy ducks, Lesser yellowlegs, avocets, Forester’s terns, western sandpipers, clapper rails, marbled godwits, red-tailed hawks and northern harriers all frequent this area. 

Re-establishment of regular tide cycles around the Lower Tubbs Island muted tidal marsh has decreased the mosquito population while increasing growth of the salt marsh.

From maps, I knew the trail would sweep around the east side of Tolay Creek.  But I couldn’t tell from Google maps’ Satellite view that the trail followed a levee that skirted a neighboring farm instead of the marshlands.  The fields were flat—only brown dry soil.  I saw a cloud of dust rising into the air, hiding a cultivator grinding up the earth. 

I also couldn’t tell from Google Satellite maps that the Bay Trail, hugging the edge of the farm, is blocked from any view of the marshlands and Tolay Creek until one has ridden at least 3 miles.  Once visible, Tolay Creek was some distance away, separated from the trail by expansive marshland. 

This trail seemed to be little traveled.  The interpretive signs were disappearing into vegetation growing up around them.  The trail was overgrown with fennel.  Sometimes the handlebars of my bike pushed the bushes of fennel out of the way.  At times I rode over the branches growing across the path.  It seemed as though it had been a long time since any service vehicles had passed through here.

There were additional trails I could have followed once the creek and marsh area came into view.  The Tubbs Island Trail is supposed to continue a couple more miles to the end of Lower Tubbs Island to Midshipman Point.

By this time, it was midafternoon.  The sun was hot. Any cooling breeze from the water did not reach the farm side of the levee. I kept thinking about the three miles of wild fennel bushes I would have to navigate on my return ride. The wind seemed to be increasing steadily.  Fortunately, on my return trip, the air became cooler, which helped me finish the last of the 14.37 miles I rode this day.  About 5 of these were return miles.  My odometer had now reached 274 miles.

A post-ride note:  Highway 37 is a two-lane highway at very low elevation, almost at water level.  It has a high median separating the east and westbound lanes east of the intersection with Highway 121.  On leaving the Tubbs Island Trailhead, my only choice was to turn right and continue east.  I wanted to find a turnaround somewhere so that I could return west to Highway 101 and head south via 880.  However, there were only two places where roads crossed the highway, and U turns were not allowed in either spot.  I found myself following Highway 37 east all the way to Vallejo and Highway 780, crossing the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and going south via 680 and 280.  I had never driven all the way across Highway 37.  Seeing the marshlands that flanked the highway made it worth the detour.

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Funding and sponsor organizations and contributing partners:

Sonoma Land Trust:  www.sonomalandtrust.org; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Office of Spill Prevention and Response Environmental Enhancement Fund; Sonoma Land Trust; State of California Wildlife Conservation Board; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Coastal Conservancy; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/San Francisco Bay Water Improvement Fund; Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District; U.S. Department of Transportation/Public Lands Highway Discretionary Funds; Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria; U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA Restoration Center; State of California Department of Water Resources/Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 84); the Joseph and Vera Long Foundation; North American Wetlands Conservation Act; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation/San Francisco Bay Estuary Conservation Fund Cosco Busan Recreational Use Grant Program; San Francisco Bay Trail; Rockey Fund; Ducks Unlimited; S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation/Stephen Bechtel Fund; San Francisco Bay Joint Venture.

Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area:  California Department of Fish and Game; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Coastal Conservancy; Ducks Unlimited; North American Wetlands Conservation Council; State of California Wildlife Conservation Board; State of California Parks Water Bond 2000; San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Lower Tubbs Island:  Acquired with assistance of the Nature Conservancy.

Information sources:

S.F. Bay Trail website, Map 19; interpretive exhibits (information boards) along the Bay Trail; Google Satellite maps; “A Random Sampling of Salt Marsh Harvest Mice in a Muted Tidal Marsh”