Golden Compass

Take Me Home Country Roads

For the best autumn stretches in Sonoma Valley, check out Arnold Drive and Warm Springs Road, two backcountry beauties that roll through tunnels of brimming fall colors. Giant oak trees stitch both sides of Arnold Drive near the Sonoma Developmental Center, creating a canopy of leaves the color of maple syrup and pumpkins. In Glen Ellen, stretch your legs at Jack London State Park, site of the author’s much-loved Beauty Ranch. The beginning of the 1-mile (one-way) Lake Trail skirts a vineyard and packs some serious autumn punch (pictured). The trail also passes the quirky Pig Palace, a circular stone complex designed to house and feed prized breeding pigs. After the hike, continue your backcountry tour on Warm Springs Road toward Kenwood; this little-traveled 7-mile stretch features foliage awash in red, yellow, and gold—and overhanging oaks, rustic cottages, and lung-tingling fresh air. Sonoma sweetness!

TIP: Pop into Glen Ellen’s Raymond & Co. Cheesemonger for some seriously good cheese. Do a sit-down 6-cheese sample to find your favorite ($5). The shop is run by the Yoda of cheese, John Raymond, who helped establish Dean and DeLuca in California.

In Jack London State Park, access the Lake Trail from the upper parking lot (parking $6). The park hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dogs are allowed in certain areas, but not up to the lake.
Raymond & Co. Cheesemonger, 14301 Arnold Dr. (at Jack London Village), Glen Ellen; 707-938-9911.

This is for those who want it all: full-blown fall colors, redwoods rising high into the sky, a quietly flowing creek, and a drive that’s less than 30 miles from San Francisco. Your golden ticket to this Willy Wonka Wonderland: the western stretch of Marin’s Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Just a few miles past Fairfax, the road criss-crosses Lagunitas Creek while heading deep into groves thick with towering redwoods and big-leaf maple trees. Want the full fall immersion? Bring your bike and ride along the flat and car-free Cross Marin Trail; this old railroad grade parallels the creek for 4.5 miles (one-way), passing through the heart of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Or you can hike a portion of the same path. We recommend crossing the bridge at the campground and heading west on the South Creek Trail. Go for a mile to the old paper mill to see a kaleidoscope of colors. Scrumdidilyumptious!

To reach the start of the Cross Marin Trail: Continue 3.5 miles past the Samuel P. Taylor State Park campground entrance; turn right at Platform Bridge Rd. and park in the pullout on the west side of the road. Look for the paved path leading from the pullout. The entire path is 4.5 miles one way—asphalt for three miles and dirt and ballast for the last 1.5 miles—from Platform Bridge Rd. to the turnaround at Shafter’s Bridge. If hiking, park in the Camp Taylor entrance ($6), cross the bridge, and follow the South Creek Trail. The Cross Marin Trail is dog-friendly!

The Peninsula’s Skyline Boulevard lives up to its name: The maples and sycamores at the northern end of the ridge-straddling, two-lane highway are painted with brilliant fall colors through the next few weeks. For the best colors, head south from Skeggs Point, where the big leaf maple trees lay an amber-colored blanket on the road. Four miles down is Alice’s Restaurant (a renowned motorcycle pit stop that’s equally friendly to non-bikers), and 7 miles after that a sharp left turn leads to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve . For a moderate and varied 3-mile hike, take the Stevens Creek Nature Trail, a loop that begins at a high point with brilliant views of rolling hills, then descends to Stevens Creek for the best fall display in the park: The poison oak is bright red (just don’t touch it!) and the buckeyes, big leaf maples, and black oaks show lime green, orange, and gold. You may have companions along the way; red-tailed hawks and bobcats frequent this little-used open space.

Skyline Blvd. is also known as Hwy 35. To reach Monte Bello Open Space Preserve: From Alice’s Restaurant, travel south on Skyline Blvd. 7 miles to Page Mill Rd. Make a left (east) and go 1 mile to the parking lot. Pick up a map at the kiosk. Follow the Stevens Creek Nature Trail and Canyon Trail to make a counterclockwise loop. No dogs.