Tolay Lake Regional Park

What an amazing farm, park, garden and so much more! I feel very blessed to have chaperoned my sons school field trip here and have to say I am thoroughly impressed!
WOW! To the property/​park! Just amazing views the whole drive up and down and all around! They maintain this park immaculately and the employees here are not only knowledgeable, friendly, GREAT with kids, informative, but FUN!!! This is a DO NOT MISS, if you ever have the opportunity to visit! You do need a permit to go, but I hear you can do this by going to an orientation and some other stuff, I think it would be worth it to go back!
Our adventure was almost 4 hours long and we learned SO much, while soaking in the beauty and meeting some amazing animals! We even we’re lucky enough to plant some sunflower seeds for the next visitors in summer to enjoy! :-)
Jessica was our guide and she went above and beyond! She even brought out baby chick for the children to pet at the end and explained incubation and everything you could possibly know about how a baby chick is formed in its egg. The children were mesmerized! Way to go!
We went on a hike through a beautiful eucalyptus lined trail and saw red tail Hawks, while listening to the birds and the water flowing down below… it was quite a day! I really could go on and on, but I will just say THANK YOu JESSICA! That was an experience of a life time! And thank you Marvin gardens, tolay regional lake and everyone there!
I also really love how they teach organic gardening! Yes!!! Again, we learned SO much in just one day! We even learned all about teeth, carnivores, omnivores and herbivores with hands on activities that were impressively creative!
I look forward to the fall pumpkin festival! My parents have been and said they really enjoyed it! We will definitely be back! :-)

The fall festival is a go to every year for us, this last time was a mixed bag. The creepy crawlers this year was much smaller in selections then previous years. The hay maze left much to be desired for anyone other then a toddler. The pumpkin patch was better stocked and they had more tractors working the hayride so improvements but to charge what they do for parking then entry leaves me feeling like we got the short end of the stick after all is said and done.

We took our grandchildren (7 yrs) to the festival there and they had a good time. The favorites were the creepy crawlies (snakes, lizards, even bats) and archery. The straw maze which I thought would be fun was very short and way too easy for anyone over 3 or 4. Temp was in the 90’s so uncomfortable and very very dry. No lake, just a dry hole. I agree with the other reviewer that at least from the picnic and event areas, it isn’t a pretty spot. Sno Cones were FIVE dollars each! We took a picnic so didn’t buy any concession food (pizza, hot dogs). They try to keep the wasps under control with traps but they were there in armies and one of the kids was stung. The pumpkins in the patch were spongy and we didn’t think they’d last until Halloween. They had a great opportunity to view the sun through telescopes and everyone loved that.

Even though a permit is needed to access this park, which is easy to obtain by attending an orientation that includes the history of this land, it is worth it. The trails are not that difficult and just a few require a simple uphill climb that will not tire the body much. My favorite trail is the East Ridge Trail that requires an uphill climb but at the end you are rewarded with a view of the San Francisco skyline. This view is breathtaking and I would definitely recommend it. One thing about this park is that there are roaming cows which do block the trails. You will have to yell at them to get them to move. During the orientation, you are warned to stay clear of calfs when around their mothers. A few times I have felt a little bit uncomfortable around them by the body language of the cows (I wish the orientation gave clear warning signs of a distressed cows). Other than that, this is a peaceful and relaxing park with not much people around.

Went for the Tolay Fall Festival, which was very entertaining and the kids enjoyed quite a bit. The Fall Festival had «creepy crawlies» (snakes, lizards, bugs), farm animals, the local volunteer fire department selling root beer floats, and contests for kids like a scarecrow making contest.
I’m not sure why I would go there unless there is an event happening, like the Fall Festival. The land is not that interesting when the lake is dry, as it is this time of year. I didn’t really see trails that would make hiking in the area very fun, especially when it is extremely hot out.

You need a permit to access this park in #Petaluma which includes going to a one hour class conducted by the rangers stationed there. Each time I have been to this park I have seen something I had not the time before. It is awesome open space with great vistas to San Francisco (three bridge vista), Mt. Tam, Marin, and #Petaluma. I have documented pictures of coyotes, landscapes and predator birds. The Cordoza Ranch is rich with picnic areas surrounded by farm animals, barns and Tepes. A short walk up the grove of Eucalyptus trees will often shake out a large Burrowing Owl. One flew past me with a turkey in its clutches. Also pictured is a doe chasing after a coyote. My photos are posted on Flickr and you can see the set by going to this URL

Beautiful views in Southern Sonoma County.