Howarth Park

This is such a cute little park with a little bit of everything you can think of! There is a viewing dock overlooking the lake, park benches to have a picnic at, horses (warmer days), train ride (warmer days), huge play structure, play towns, huge grass fields, swings, sand pit and other things that I probably missed. I came here a day after it rained so a lot of things were closed but you could see that it could busy here during nice days. There is plenty of parking and different entrances to the park. The park it itself is within a neighborhood and easy to find when using directions. Overall the park is great, has lots of trees and full of nature and a great place that kids will love. A true gem in the city of Santa Rosa, check out it if you are in the area!

Howarth Park is the park for all ages. My family has been going here for 35 years. I visit in the quiet of the day to observe the wildlife on the lake by the boat house. There’s an easy paved path around the lake with some benches to sit. Visitors are pleasant to each other. I can’t recommend it more highly. I notice the tennis courts are never full.
* Specialty childrens’ playground close to entrance
* Wheel chair accessible
* Friendly ducks, geese, swans. [DO remember swans and geese can bite you.] ;)
* Across from movie theater & restaurants* BBQ facilities
* Lots of tables
* Rent a boat
* Well maintained
* Sketching is good here

Howarth Park is a great park that has broad appeal:
–It has one of the best, if not the best, playground in town with water features in summer.
–There are ample picnic sites for having a picnic.
–There are lots of great trails for hiking. The park connects with Howarth Park which connects with Annadel so you can really get in a nice long hike if you want. There’s also a paved path that works well for folks with strollers.
–There’s a lake that is regularly stocked for fishermen and there’s paddle boats and small boats available for rent in the summer if you don’t bring your own small water craft to explore the small lake.
–There are multiple attractions for the kids open in the summer: pony rides, petting zoo, and small train.
–There’s also a snack bar open in the summer.
The price is also right – free. I love coming here for picnics and walks.

This place is really pretty. Free parking, great hike around the lake. I only wish this park had an area where dogs are allowed to be off leash. But it’s a large park with picnic tables and looks like tennis courts and some other stuff.

Really glad this beautiful park exists. This park and the adjacent Spring Lake are so cool in fact, that the city decided in the 50’s to keep it a reservoir/​park and not build Highway 12 thru it. Hence the crazy abrupt end of State Highway 12, then continuing on via Farmers Lane.
What can you do here? Hmmm. Well, you can plan a pretty big outdoor party at the gazebo. When you feel like being a party animal isn’t quite enough, take a short ride on the train with the kiddos. Then, when the kiddos are begging for more, take them over to the pony rides (these two activities go on in the summer). There’s also gigantic play structures that are like THEE play structures to be playing on if you’re a kid.
So what if your kid is kinda special and likes to stay inside with their stamp collection? I had one BTW, and I consider myself a very special young man. Rent a couple paddle wheels or sail boats on Lake Ralphine, (small lake) and get your Captain on.
Quite a few trails to hike on, trails that continue on through Spring Lake and then on to Annadel. I’ve done it, yeah Ledson Marsh, it’s an *!@-kicker there and back. Your kiddos might get dehydrated and hate you, stick with the sail boats.

I think this park is a little overrated. The park itself is beautiful but finding a parking spot during the summer is very difficult. The parking is just not enough to handle the crowds. In my opinion, hardly worth going. Unless you go when most children are in school or late in the day on the weekends.

Loved this park! You can go on for miles, if you wish! There are shady areas and open space areas. We enjoyed a leisure stroll next to Spring Lake. You can bike, walk, run, and your fury pets can enjoy the area as well. It was a great stop after driving for hours. I would definitely return to the park!

I love Howarth Park. It offers a little something for everyone; walking/​running/​bike trails, kid zones with jungle gyms, climbing walls, a steam train and even a merry go round.
For me, the joy is in the trails around Lake Ralphine and Spring Lake. When you head for a walk or run it feels like a little bit of paradise yet it is only 10 minutes from downtown. Beautiful wooded areas with shaded paths to wander with friends trail around each lake and if you cover the entire loop you are looking at about a 4 mile stretch. If you include all the nooks and crannies it can be higher in mileage. My usual running stretch is about 5 miles and dips slightly into Annadel for a moment. (Another benefit, this park trails its way into Annadel which is a whole other can of awesome trails and vistas to enjoy).
There are tennis courts, baseball diamond for games, and even a snack bar. Picnic tables are scattered all around the parking lot and within the park along the trails. You can paddle boat and canoe in the summer off the lakes. Many people come and fish, but I assume it is a recreational activity and not for sport.
You’ll find a swimming hole for the kiddos, it is man made, so I’m not dipping my tootsies in any time soon, but it is there for those who aren’t such a germaphobe.
If you want to get a great workout there are stations scattered along the main path where you can «test your fitness level» with different activities.
It is always busy, so if you are alone it helps for the safety factor but it is still smart to stay on the paved paths when alone as the trails can be winding and hard to hear through the woods.
If you have never been and are looking for a nice place to enjoy some sunshine this is your spot! It’s beautiful and there are points in the day when it feels like your own little slice of heaven with the sun glistening off the water as it sparkles like diamonds.

Great park with plenty to do and lots of BBQ benches. It has different play structures, train rides, carousel, pony rides, petting barn and a lake for kayak and peddle boats. Everything has a minimal fee except the play structure. It’s a pretty big park. There’s also a snack stand if you get hungry. A must for little kids.

Clean nice place.

I was lucky enough to grow up in the area and frequented this park as a kid. Now that I’m older and my kids enjoy it I realize just how fortunate we are to have this awesome park. There is beautiful lawn in the lower area where lots of families can picnic, play ball, run, etc. a nice big gazebo and bbq area is just off of this. Man, I remember celebrating birthdays there. Good times.
The play structures in this area have grown with time. Tons of great features for kids to explore.
Up the hill there is a carrousel, train, and pony rides on the weekend. The train is small, but magical for the wee ones. For me, it brings back awesome memories, even as we make new ones.
But wait, there’s so much more! There is a big upper parking area, surrounded by oh so many picnic benches and bbqs. There is a lake with paddle boats, fishing, ducks and geese. All of this is interweaved with shade from huge old trees. And if it’s all a bit much, feel free to take a nice walk along the trail.

Excellent park. Tons to do for the kids with a nice playground area. We didn’t even get a chance to go on the Train or carousel as they’re only opened in the warmer months. The only negative thing I can think of is that there is a continuous line at the swings since there are only ²⁄₂.

I’ve loved this park since I was a little kid. I remember going to birthday parties under the great gazebos and the excitement of getting to ride the train and maybe catch a glimpse of special celebrity frog in the pond. The concession stand and the pony rides were great (not sure they still have pony rides though!)
Now, as an adult without children (actually I really don’t like children), I come here to feed the ducks and relax at the lake. The ducks are fat off bread so I go down the street to the pet store and buy them actual duck food and throw that instead. Sometimes the Canada Geese come over too. This last visit we saw buffleheads, several big white swans, cormorants, a great-​blue heron, some egrets and titmice in the trees above us.
The path around the lake is an easy, short walk and very beautiful. If you’re feeling more adventurous there are paths that connect Howarth Park to Spring Lake park and that park has a lot more trails and another small lake. If you’re really adventurous, Spring Lake technically connects to Annadel park and that is GIANT with various levels of hiking difficulty.
I’m low impact so I stick to a leisurely walk around lake Ralphine in Howarth Park. You can fish here, though no one I know would want to eat the fish that come out of the lake. You can also take small paddle boats (no motors) onto the lake. There is a boat launch and a small dock. It’s a very tiny lake though and I don’t know all the boating rules so check it out before you plan on an over-​water outing.
New since I was a kid, they’ve added a kid’s rock-​climbing wall in the play area close to the lake. That’s pretty cool and I bet I would have used that as a child. Down closer to the street there are several tennis courts as well as a baseball field. Just a lovely place to spend a little quiet time in nature. If you don’t find it quiet enough, just keep walking. It doesn’t take long to find good happy spots to relax and unwind.

Howarth Park is a great park for kids and adults of all ages. There are plenty of things to keep the kids entertained as well as some nice paved and unpaved trails for the adults.
For kids they have a newly remodeled playground (it definitely doesn’t look the same from when I was a kid!), pony rides, train rides, a carousel and outdoor movies in the summer.
For adults they have tennis courts, a lake, and plenty of trails which you can run, walk or bike on. Many of the trails are paved and slightly hilly, but there are also other unpaved trails that go up into the hills for a more advanced hike.
For everybody there is a baseball field, boat rides, and a covered gazebo with benches that you can rent for parties and family gatherings. There are also a lot of shaded benches and grass areas around the park to hangout on.
The only thing I don’t like is the PARKING. There is a parking lot in front, one in back, and one to the side of the park (with other various spaces lining the road between the lots) but it never is enough! Parking always spills out into the street and parking lots of adjoining businesses which can be irritating if you are trying to enjoy said businesses.
I would recommend Howarth Park to anyone in the area, it’s really a neighborhood gem!

This is one of the best city parks in Sonoma County. If you have little children, this is the spot for them. There is also a lake here with paddle & sail boat rentals. They also have a little train ride on weekends. Come here for a bbq/​b-​day party or just come out for the day! Note: Don’t let your guard down; you need to keep a watchful eye out for weirdos.

Beautiful lake here! But then, of course…
1 star off: Parking is hard.

Great for the whole family. Nice, wide main road for walking, biking, or strolling in a manual wheelchair. Accessible to a point and then the incline becomes too great for even me to continue travel upon so, unfortunately I’ve never seen the entire Park or its trails.

Love this place.
We have a parks pass and if we’re doing the spring lake walking, we’ll park on that side. Otherwise, parking at howarth park is fine if you just head to the lower parking by tennis courts.
Our family has been enjoying this bit of nature for as long as I can remember.

I have been coming to this park for 20 years and love it for many reasons. It’s a wonderful place to escape to for a run on the trails, it is a perfect spot to let the kiddos run off some steam and a relaxing spot to enjoy a walk with a friend.
The park boasts great walk paths, various playgrounds for the kids to enjoy, a train, carousel, and pony rides (in the summer months). As well as a pond for feeding the ducks, or a place to enjoy a picnic.

Great place for the dogs & family. Even when its busy.
Access to Spring Lake & Annadel if you can follow the trails and pathways correctly. We always enjoy starting our walks in Howarth Park.