Address: 411 Chileno Valley Rd, Petaluma, CA 94952

Parking: Parking lot at the address above. $7 self-pay fee per vehicle. 
Hours: 7AM to Sunset
Type: Hike (Moderate)
Regulations: Dogs allowed on-leash
Best time to visit: On a cool day or early morning. This trail is exposed to sunlight with little shade.

Description: This 216-acre park offers 6 miles of trails with views of the surrounding hillside and city. There is a playground near the parking lot, nice restroom with running water and even a water bottle filling station. From the parking lot, we took Arroyo Trail up behind the restrooms. This trail took us up the hillside where we saw sheep and climbed a wooden staircase. At the top, we branched off to Panoramic trail to the left and then headed down Filaree trail, which snaked down through the shady canyon and over a bridge. We emerged at the Overlook Point, which was nothing special, as it was just a view of the houses below, but had a bench so it was a nice spot to take a break. We continued back up Ridge Trail until we reached a large pond where people were fishing. After a short break we continued along the Ridge Trail which took us back to the parking lot. This was an enjoyable hike and my favorite sections were the shady trails in the canyon. Be careful as the ridge trails are dry and have a lot of fox tails. We would not have been able to take Roxy here without her mesh muzzle to protect her from the fox tails.

This park has restrooms and running water.

Click here for a trail map of Helen Putnam Regional Park

Photos of parking lot, play area, restrooms:

​Photos of trails: