Field Guide

At 12 miles to the coast, a stone’s throw to the infamous “wine road,” “taste of 116,” and directly across from the Russian River—there’s no shortage of things to do around Mine+Farm during your stay.

Where to Hike

  • 🐾 Armstrong Woods (Easy to moderate)- There’s just something magical about standing in trees that have been around for thousands of years. Located three miles away, with easy hiking on the main floor and a few harder trails for those who want a sweat.
  • Bodega Head Trail. (easy) The perfect hike to hit if you want to move your body, then have lunch in the area. A very easy 1.7 mile loop (~1h) with outstanding views. Easy parking, restrooms. When you’re done, our favorite local spot is Fisheterian Fish Market—super casual counter service with excellent seafood.
  • Kortum Trail: (Easy – moderate) Easy to moderate out and back 4+ mile trail that goes from shell beach to blind beach. Coastal views the entire way.
  • 🐾 Jenner Headlands Preserve Sea to Sky Trail (Moderate) Insane views, redwoods, cow friends—we love this hike. You’ll start at the coast then climb up through the trees, earning a different and more inspiring view each time you look back. It’s dog friendly, and can be as easy or as hard as you like because it’s an out and back trail. Great parking and clean facilities, too.
  • Pomo Canyon: (Hard) More challenging 6-mile out and back hike with ocean, redwoods, and lots of different terrain to see.
  • Islands in the Sky: (Hard) 4.8 mile loop that starts over by the town of Duncans Mills. This one is definitely more challenging and steep trails that we send the more experienced “hikers” to.

Dog-Friendly Spaces and Water 🐾

🐾 = dog friendly trails

Where to Bike

Beautiful Sonoma County provides numerous opportunities for year around world class cycling adventures. And exploring by bicycle can be one of the best ways to experience the Russian River Valley. Whether you’re a spandex-loving road racer or a leisurely, laid back bicyclist, there’s always a reason to put those feet on the pedals.We also have bicycle storage available.

Where to Hang

  • Goat Rock Beach. This is where the mouth of the Russian River meets the Pacific Coast in Jenner. We often go here to just walk on the beach, read a book, or have a picnic. It’s a lovely place to just hang out for a few hours. It’s also the type of place with a parking lot where you can just get out of the car and stare and take some pics and get on with it.
  • The Barlow Market in Sebastopol. This outdoor market reps the best of west Sonoma county. Eat, drink, shop, linger and look/buy/experience all the cool local stuff.

Where to Paddle

Regardless if you kayak, canoe or paddle board, paddling on the Russian River is truly spectacular for all levels of experience. For example, you may see ospreys, bald eagles, kingfishers, great blue herons, cormorants, turtles, sea lions, steelhead and river otters. Paddling season is typically May through November with the autumn months having a fraction of the summer crowds.

  • The closest, seasonal river access is across the road from the Inn (May-Oct) at Oddfellows Road and is only a 6-8 minute walk.
  • Our preferred place to launch is Monte Rio Beach. There’s plenty of parking, it’s dog-friendly, and has a nostalgic concession-stand. More experienced paddlers can take a full-day and go all the way to Jenner where the mouth of the river meets the ocean (11 miles).
  • If you are in need of a rental, shuttle or would like to explore the Russian River with a guide, we suggest checking out Burke’s Canoe Trips, SUP Odyssey, King’s Sport and Tackle, R2T2 River’s Edge, or Watertreks EcoTours in Jenner

Where to Float

Memorial through Labor Day is the sweet spot for grabbing a tube, sunscreen, a cooler of beverages (and a bag for your trash to keep the area pristine – thank you!). Relax and enjoy a mellow float down the refreshing river and stop at one of the many pocket beaches along the way for a picnic. Here are two of our favorite places to tube:

Here’s a helpful guide from 7×7 Magazine on planning the ultimate Russian River Valley float trip.

And here are our favorite ways to “Leave No Trace Behind” while you’re here – remember, we share this place with everyone. Leave it better than you found it!

Where We Eat

You can’t go wrong with food selection in the Russian River Valley. From casual to elevated, here’s a few of our hand-picked favorite spots to nosh and imbibe:

Special mention: Sonoma Farm Trails Guide

  • This is one of our favorite resources to inspire guests. This guide points you to farm tours, hyper-local agriculture-based experiences, and more.
  • Imagine: best cheese+creamy tastings, lavender fields, local honey, pick-your-own flower experiences, cider+beer+distillery tastings, etc. Ask us about their printed guides!

The local pubs (All within 2mi from the inn. Think burgers, craft brews, local folks) –

Town of Guerneville/Main Street

  • PikNik Town Market – Sandwiches, salads, luxury picnic provisions. Perfect to take for a hike or day at beach — M+F guests get 10% off when they show their room key
  • Guerneville Taco Truck – Safeway Parking Lot
  • Boon – Farm to Table California
  • Brot – Modern German
  • The Lodge at Dawn Ranch – M+F guests get 10% off when they show their room key
  • El Barrio – modern tequila/mezcal bar with authentic snacks
  • saucy mamas soul food – bbq; family history and recipes
  • Green Grill – plant-based fast takeaway

Town of Forestville

Town of Healdsburg

  • Single Thread – reservations open up 1x per month for one of the most special places we’ve ever eaten. In the top 50 restaurants in the world.
  • Valette – our go-to amazing food place. Great for special occasions or just for people who really like great food.
  • Guiso Latin Fusion – special family-owned eatery with stories to tell
  • Little Saint – terrific plant-based eatery
  • Lo & Behold & Willi’s Seafood + Raw Bar – both good for when you want drinks and bites

Town of Sebastopol.

We love all these places for their cool vibes and amazing local food and drinks:

Town of Occidental

  • Altamont General Store – they ferment their own veggies here! Also have an adjoining space of local mercantile.
  • Wildflour – Cult following out the door — we have guests that go at 8 am to line up for the special breads (note: they have fruits and nuts in them).

Town of Graton

One block of cuteness with two great eateries:

Bakeries

  • Nightingale Breads in Forestville. Delicious epi baguettes, etc.
  • Wildflour in Occidental. Cult following out the door — we have guests that go at 8 am to line up for the special breads (note: they have fruits and nuts in them).

Nearby markets with small, well-curated, local food and produce

Wine, cider, spirits, cheese tastings

We update this list often. As of right now these, are our favorites to recommend: