I love that social media, in this case Instagram, can not only keep you up to date on the goings on of the world, your family, and long time friends but also help you find hidden spots right in your own backyard! I follow several local Instagrammers and love finding fresh new places to visit and also find out more about ones we have already visited. I feel like a tourist in my hometown and love it!
One of my fellow Instagrammers posted a great pic of this place called Flat Rock Park. I hadn’t seen any signs for it or anything on our Sonoma County Parks website…well it’s not officially a park yet. There’s an old sign posted nearby that says it is ‘coming soon’. I am guessing this has fallen through some of the cracks due to lack of funding. Anyway, after seeing this on IG I immediately Googled it (because I really do get that excited about finding new places!) and low and behold it’s just a couple miles from us! We went to check it out on our way out to do some errands and found lots of people enjoying this hidden little gem with their remote control monster trucks, kids playing in the creek and people just hanging out…in a creek…on large flat rocks…in a small piece of what seemed like another world.
We went back to the park yesterday before all the action of the day started and found only a couple ducks and squirrels. Much more peaceful! This is a spot where two creeks meet and eventually flow all through Santa Rosa where the giant rocks are flat and small streams of water run through their cracks. It’s really an interesting place to see unfortunately I don’t think the pics below did it justice.
There’s a small path following the creek that goes up and over boulders and under fallen trees. I imagine come summer the wild blackberries and grasses will be quite large and a haven for little creatures. We walked a short distance to see where the path took us…if we kept going we would have ended up downtown so we turned around and enjoyed the flat rocks and walked around exploring like when we were kids getting excited about all the little things we were finding. Definitely will have to make this a pit stop on our bike rides.
Sonoma County has a ton of wonderful hidden gems and love that the hubs and I are still finding new ones! In your town/city, do you feel like you know all the little nooks and crannies?
This post is also linked to the Weekly WordPress Photo Challenge for “fresh”. Check out other blogger’s interpretations of fresh here.
I love finding new places to explore! This is a lovely gem of a spot you have discovered. Waterfalls are so soothing, even the mini ones! 🙂
Thanks! It’s the little things we find when we explore that make it so fun!
Looks so peaceful.
It was very peaceful! Hidden spot in the middle of town surrounded by trees and creeks. 🙂
Looks like such a restful retreat. Would just love to sit by that mini waterfalls right now and listen to the soothing water coursing over the rock.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
~ Carl~
It absolutely would be nice to just relax there! The rocks are big enough to lay out a blanket and just chill.
Such a great find! Those little “unknowns” are some of the most exciting finds 🙂 I’ve noticed a few of those gems on Instagram nearby as well – definitely a great resource!
It is what social media is for right? Being social and sharing? =) I enjoy hearing locals ask me where exactly a certain place was that we went and posted about…it’s fun sharing the hidden gems!
I give up, where is it? Looks like Santa Rosa Creek near Sonoma Hwy
Yep! It’s where Santa Rosa Creek and Brush Creek meet. Take Streamside off of the 12 to Wavern to Flat Rock Circle. You’ll see a little trail leading from the street to the creeks. Mid afternoon on a weekend proved to be busy but morning on a weekend we were the only ones there…except a couple ducks and squirrels. Hope you enjoy it! It’s a nice stopping spot if you are riding your bike through the creek trails.
I’ve taken my kids there so the creek looked familiar. The foliage & tree cover looked more like Guerneville. Nice photos
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We stopped at Slid rock park on our way to the Grand Canyon. Your park looks much nicer with the trees around it. http://www.arizona-leisure.com/slide-rock-state-park.html.
Oh my goodness! I went there as a kid when we lived in AZ! That is way more fun since you can slide on the rocks! I have great memories of going there….thank you for bringing them up! 🙂