a visit to Helen Putnam park

There are two entrances to the park; one off Chileno Valley road where you pay for parking or off Windsor road where parking is by permit only (can be obtained through the Sonoma County regional parks dept in Santa Rosa), this is a beautiful park with views to Mt Tam and Mt St Helena on a clear day as well as a hint of SF bay and downtown Petaluma views are spectacular; there are a lot of mountain bikers; a few equestrian and cross country runners sharing the paths with walkers/hikers. There is a small pond; a lot of Turkey vultures; Red tail hawks, turkeys, rabbits, turtles and a wide variety of flowers and vegetation. It can be very windy at the top and there are ticks on the trails this time of year, wear protective clothing and check your pet. This is a CLEAN park, please help keep it that way so we can all enjoy it. 
here is a link to a few of the trails;

Helen">http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2049781">Helen Putnam