Guerneville River Park — Attraction in Guerneville

I give this park four stars because while it is frequented by wanderers and vagrants, most mountain towns and resort locations in Northern California play host to a group of these types; furthermore, these are some really nice bums! They are happy to clear some space one of the many picnic tables that congregate around a big, 3 or 4 sectioned grill at the parks entrance, about 300 feet from the parking lot that holds about a dozen (12) cars. In between the car lot and the picnic tables are the public restrooms with drinking fountains outside, both wheelchair accessible. Now that I've prepared you for what you will see upon your arrival, let's talk about the park. The picnic/bbq area gives way to a large grass field below. It's about the size of a small football field without sidelines, and holds about 6 more small tables, perfect for families 5 or less, and spaced further apart that the community style picnic area above. Once you cross the field or wind your way around the paved perimeter trail, dense trees and deeply green bush and creepers give way to a few well-used trails that lead to the river. The bank is steep, so the grandparents and any mommies-to-be should use caution or cross the beautiful iron footbridge into town and to the public beach, which can claim an almost horizontal approach to the waters edge. The adventurous types won't find our river park anything more than quaint, but to kids who love tearing around and couples wanting to enjoy a little more Nor-cal beauty, this is the spot. In my opinion, the bums down there are exceptional guides and won't hesitate to give you friendly and detailed directions to your favorite type of cove or picnic area. As you step down off the trail, tangled roots and a smattering of ferns blend into a rocky shoreline that demands water shoes or sandles from all but the toughest hippie leather-necks... (You can buy watershoes in town at the drug store for $14). The water is clear and slow moving with a lazy current in the center of the flow. The public beach across the river is a good place to make use of a river-crossing shortcut, and once you're there, you will see it's a better place to launch kayaks or hard bottom personal paddle-craft. The river park is fine for rafts though. Once you get hungry, go right (starting from the river) of the picnic tables or under the bridges to the wooded and grassy clearings beyond to find perfect and slightly secluded picnic or resting areas. This is a no camping park, but I believe puptents are allowed and you won't be bothered by anyone until sundown, when a ranger/sheriff drives in and politely informs you that the park is closing. These guys are cool and collected and can give you the do's and don'ts of the place better than I can. Have fun, feed the hippies, not the squirrels, don't nest in the poison oak, (there's not much along the trails) and don't forget...

This new parking lot and paved boat launch seems like a decent spot to launch for a day of paddling. The river depth here is retained at a good level when the temporary dams are installed. Sadly, the water quality this far down river is iffy... I cringe seeing children playing this far down stream in this waterway. I would definitely not swim in it this far downstream or go in the water above my knees.

For kayaking, it's probably fine, or at least not significantly worse than other local rivers in proximity to human population. If water quality concerns you, it is more pristine further upriver, but not by much, until you are north of Cloverdale. Anyhow, this is pretty far "down the funnel". I would not take your kids and dogs out here expecting it to be a fun place to splash around, unless you have serious intestinal fortitude.

But water quality aside, also be aware- the sun out here is no joke- if you are going paddling, I highly recommend abundant sun block, brim hat, and preferably a long sleeve shirt with nylon pants. Any trip between legit put-in points is going to be several hours minimum traversal time, and the river flow is not gonna get you there, you must actively paddle.

If you are going to take the river all the way down to Monte Rio, (5 mi.) be prepared for two portages at the fish ladders, and the last third of the river is very shallow, meaning the water is warm, and slow flowing, which is a breeding ground for bacteria. Several sections of the river down steam a ways are absolutely rife with green algae and azolla. Generally, stay right at any splits to follow the thalweg and avoid bottoming out. Shower immediately when you get home!

My one concern with this parking spot, is that the park right nearby appears to be overrun with the local homeless population. I was nervous to leave my truck here. Reinforcing my anxiety, I was warned by a local vendor down river that there are frequent car break-ins at this park... So that's really concerning. I wonder what kind of security Sonoma County Regional Parks is going to provide for this parking lot. It just looks like a fairly isolated spot that's not really visible from the river... This could be an open invitation for thieves to smash-and-grab on out-of-towner's trying to enjoy the river.

Time will tell if this is really an amenity to the town, or if it becomes another magnet for crime like so many north bay parks and attractions with ominous "lock your car"...

OK. So let's talk about what's on everyone's mind: the homeless situation here. I only saw one family. They were camped under the bridge, and they were friendly. They waved as I drove past. All of their garbage was in garbage bags, and the recycling was separated out. Their area was quite clean. Other than that, I saw no one who I would label as homeless. Everyone else was just walking around. So fine.

Sure, there was a guy riding down the trail on his bike, and he may have been missing a tooth or two, but I don't judge. While riding, he lost his hat and almost crashed. We joked about it and had a good laugh. So fine.

IMHO, if you are someone who is worried about running into someone who may or may not be homeless... don't come here. In fact, don't go anywhere because it literally could happen anywhere, and you don't want to catch their very contagious disease of being unhoused! While I am on my soapbox, let us all ask ourselves when was the last time we were in a public space and worried about everyone else being comfortable because of our presence? Probably never. The only people who should be worried about this are men who are following women in the dark, and even most of those idiots don't care. But I digress. All I'm saying is it is not anyone's JOB to make you feel comfortable, certainly not the people that were in a place before you got there! If you're disillusioned and think this, it's time to pop the entitlement bubble you're living in. So fine.

All in all, this park is great. The trails are awesome. There's even a wheelchair accessible trail. The park is shady throughout, and it's...