Attention hikers, bikers, and nature-lovers: There’s a new national monument in San Francisco’s backyard, thanks to President Obama.
As of Juy 10, Berryessa Snow Mountain joins the ranks of such celebrated American landmarks as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Muir Woods as a national monument.
Created along with two other monuments in Texas and Nevada, Berryessa covers some of the best nature escapes in Northern California. From breathtaking Mendocino to the hills of Napa, the monument covers seven counties total—Lake, Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Yolo, and Solano—and at a whopping 330,780 total acres, is the second largest monument in California.
President Obama’s designation came after years of work by government leaders such as Congressman Mike Thompson and Assemblyman Bill Dodd, as well as residents from Yolo and Napa counties and the Tuleyome environmental group, which has been working on protecting these regions since 2006. The land will be managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
The three wilderness areas in the monument (Snow Mountain, Cache Creek, and Cedar Roughs) will provide recreation for hikers, bikers, hunters, rafters, and equestrians, and refuge for bald eagles, golden eagles, black bears, mountain lions, and tule elk. The monument also protects and preserves 11,000- year-old Native American cultural sites.
While trails and visitor amenities are still in the works for the official monument, we’re looking forward to enjoying the view of the Sierra Nevadas from Snow Mountain East in the Snow Mountain Wilderness, backpacking on the Ridge Trail in Cache Creek, and getting a real taste for the outdoors while fishing at Maxwell Creek in the Cedar Roughs Wilderness. #ThanksObama