Soda Springs Ranch Open Space Preserve opened on June 6, 2026, and it's still being built. The final trail map hasn't been posted yet. The accessible benches have funding but no confirmed installation date. As of late September, City crews and the local CAL FIRE team were still thinning the woods. This October is the preserve's first fall, which makes it the first season when you can walk it and see that work happening around you.
The preserve covers 209 acres on Cloverdale's western edge. It has six miles of trails, rolling hills, oak woodland, seasonal creeks, a redwood grove and the bubbling soda spring it's named for. If you've only seen the ribbon-cutting photos, here's what's actually out there now, and what's still on the way.
More Than Two and a Half Years Between Handover and Opening
The opening was the end of a long process. The City applied for help buying the land in 2021. Here is how it went from there:
- 2021 to 2023. Sonoma County Ag + Open Space spent about two years buying the ranch from the Lyda Family Trust for $2.1 million, according to the Press Democrat.
- September 25, 2023. Ownership passed to the City at closing. Ag + Open Space kept a conservation easement with a recreational covenant that lasts forever.
- August 2025. The state CEQA record shows the project plan. It called for three new multiuse trails totaling 0.94 mile, eleven picnic sites and a 2,000-square-foot parking area at West Second Street and Foothill Boulevard.
- June 6, 2026. The preserve opened on National Trails Day. More than 100 people came, including residents, the full City Council and partner agencies.
The ranch had a long life before it became a park. According to Ag + Open Space, Greg Lyda's family owned it for four generations and used it for timber harvest, hunting, grazing and their own recreation. Those uses help explain why the City had so much to do before opening. Its list included prescribed burns, sheep grazing, tree pruning, wood chipping, road grading, building the driveway, ADA access improvements, and trail and drainage work. The Redwood Trails Alliance, represented by Ken Wells, also helped get the site ready and spoke at the opening.
What Opened on June 6
Opening day came before the preserve was complete. The Ag + Open Space announcement said temporary trail maps were at both entrance kiosks and that the final map would go on the City website once it was ready. Here's what the City has confirmed so far:
| What you need | What the City has published |
|---|---|
| Hours | Daily, sunrise to sunset |
| North entrance | N. Foothill Blvd at West 2nd St, near City Park |
| South entrance | S. Foothill Blvd near Vintage Meadows Park |
| Parking | On-site, including ADA spaces, plus overflow near City Park and Vintage Meadows Park |
| Allowed | Walkers, leashed dogs, human-powered bicycles |
| Not allowed | Horses, e-bikes, motorized vehicles |
| Maps | Temporary maps at the entrance kiosks; final map still to come |
Both entrances sit next to parks, so you can start a walk from a ball field or a playground lot. The City's environmental filing lists the site address as 180 Foothill Boulevard. For finding your way in, the two cross streets in the table are more useful.
The City hasn't published official trail names or distances yet. On AllTrails, users list a "Soda Springs Ranch Open Space Preserve Loop" at 1.8 miles with about 403 feet of elevation gain, rated moderate. The same listing mentions second-growth redwoods, Douglas firs, ferns and Soda Springs Creek. These figures come from users, so they may change once the City's map is posted.
There's also a warning about the spring itself. The City's May 28 newsletter describes it as a natural mineral spring with gently bubbling carbonated water and asks visitors not to drink it.
The Shade Problem, and the Forest Work Behind It
The most useful early review came in July. On July 8, an AllTrails user wrote that the open section of trail had little to no shade, along with views over south Cloverdale. In Cloverdale, a shadeless hillside matters during the hottest months. It also helps explain the maintenance work. Much of the City's effort on this land is about managing the dry grass and brush that come with open slopes.
That work continued after opening. The City's newsletter for the week of June 11 said crews were still removing poison oak and treating picnic tables with cedar oil. The City calendar listed tree removal at the preserve from July 5 to July 10. The listing didn't say whether any trails would close. By the September 25 newsletter, the local CAL FIRE team had joined City staff for vegetation management and fire suppression work. Public Works & Parks Superintendent Hector Galvan described the work this way:
"We're grateful to our local CAL FIRE team for allocating their time and expertise at Soda Springs Ranch Open Space Preserve. By working alongside City staff on vegetation management and fire suppression efforts, they're helping reduce wildfire risk and promote a healthier forest."
The same newsletter described the City's winter prep. Crews are clearing storm drains and culverts, pruning trees near busy walkways and checking sandbag and barricade supplies. The preserve's seasonal creeks and new drainage work will get their first real test this winter. A walk this fall lets you see the hillside right after the summer clearing, before the rains arrive.
What's Funded but Not Yet Confirmed
Several promised features were in progress when the preserve opened. Their status as of early October:
- The final trail map. It's still listed as coming. The temporary kiosk maps are the official guide for now.
- Six accessible benches. In June, the City announced a $9,250 AARP Community Challenge Grant. The City is working with the Sonoma County Master Plan for Aging and the Cloverdale Senior Multipurpose Center on six community-designed benches along the Soda Springs Ranch Trail. No City update through September 25 says they've been installed.
- Monthly "Lunch and Walk" outings. The same grant pays for monthly walks aimed at active living and bringing different generations together. Our research found no published start date yet. The Senior Multipurpose Center is a good place to ask.
- Guided hikes. The City and Ag + Open Space scheduled a bilingual guided hike for July 25, meeting at City Park with a light brunch. The City called it the first bilingual guided hike at the preserve. It's worth watching the City newsletter for more.
The newsletter is the best way to keep up. It comes out the day after City Council meetings, which happen on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Most of the preserve updates since June, from the poison oak removal to the CAL FIRE work, were first announced there.
Pairing a Walk With October in Town
The preserve is close to town, so it's easy to add a walk to a regular October week. Friday Night Live on the Plaza ended its season on September 4 with Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. The fall calendar has moved indoors and out to the vineyards:
- October 8: "Thursday Night Dead" with The Might As Well Band at the Cloverdale Arts Alliance, 204 N. Cloverdale Blvd.
- October 15: Americana Night with a Dolly Parton tribute at the Arts Alliance.
- October 17: The Arts Alliance fundraiser, "A Night at Studio 54, A Disco in the Vines," at Trione Winery.
- October 24: An end-of-harvest picnic with Brad Beard and Jim Rickards, hosted by J. Rickards Winery and Mercury Wine. Space is limited and reservations are required.
- October 25: The Sunset Music Series with "Weekend at Bernie's" at The Ranch at Lake Sonoma, from 5:30 p.m. until sunset.
- October 30: Downtown trick-or-treating at local businesses, 4 to 6 p.m.
If you start from the south entrance near Vintage Meadows Park, Pick's Roadside at 117 S. Cloverdale Blvd. is an easy stop afterward. Anidel Hospitality Group reopened it on January 10 after a yearlong renovation. The menu still has Pick's red relish, along with wagyu burgers, local root beer and Straus shakes. For something slower, Cloverdale Supper Club at 240 N. Cloverdale Blvd., inside Cloverdale House Inn, serves steak and martinis in a Sinatra-era setting.
New benches, the final map or a winter storm could make the preserve look different by spring. For now, the official guide is the temporary map at the kiosk at either Foothill Boulevard entrance.
Our team at Aspira Realty follows changes like this across Sonoma County, including the open space, the new spots in town and the projects that change what a neighborhood feels like. If you'd like to talk about how places like Soda Springs Ranch fit into your plans in Cloverdale, book a consultation with us.
