Mountain Cemetery

Absolutely amazing and somewhat unbelievable....truly a unique experience... Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery has always been a favorite of mine (still is) but this is right up there with it.

Tips: if you feel like helping out the community and also showing respect to the dead.... I'd bring a trash bag to pick up litter.

I could spend hours and hours out there looking at pieces of history slowly fading away. Bring something to drink..... WEAR GOOD HIKING/WALKING SHOES. BRING BACK UP BATTERIES IF ONE IS TAKING A TON OF PHOTOS

A really nice cemetery to hike in because it is quiet, in shade and goes uphill. It contains some of the earliest Anglo, German and Italian settlers from the 1800's in the Sonoma area. The old grave stones are interesting, and some plots have wrought iron fencing around them. There are crypts with the names of familiar wine families. Although the cemetery is old, they cut the grass so it does not overgrow the plots, and they have trash cans that are emptied. By the trash contents, you can see that a few beers are consumed here. As you walk up the hill, you get some nice views of the surroundings South. There are many interesting things to photograph, and the trees provide some nice lighting as well as cooling shade for visitors. Some of the path upward is paved and some is bare dirt so watch your step. Many of the people buried here were born in the 1700's and died in the 1800's, so it was surprising that they lived that long, or maybe these people were better off and lived longer and were able to afford a plot of land instead of ending up in a pauper's grave. There are many family plots here that chronicle the death of family members one after another in the dates on the monuments. Also buried here is Captain William Smith, the only known American Revolutionary War veteran buried in California. He was born 14 November, 1768 and died 5 May, 1846. William Smith was the Mate of the Hazard in the Virginia Navy and Captain of the Albatross, a Merchantman ship. That was a pretty interesting historical find in this place.
Take a stroll through here on your way to the Overlook trail and have yourself a very lively day in Sonoma. Live well and enjoy this very wonderful life.

Very nice place.

Beautiful place. You will definitely get a workout walking the grounds. Very steep hills.

Great short hikes.