Trudge the Cache Creek Nature Preserve

 weaving basket, part of the Tending and Gathering GardenBesides the 1.5 miles of hiking trails the Cache Creek Nature Preserve has also a Tending and Gathering Garden (TGG) and the Jan T. Lowrey Memorial Grove. The Tending and Gathering Garden provides educational space to teach cultural practices of the Wintun people. You can learn about controlled fires known as Good fire or Leok Po, in a workshop, or check out some weaving baskets that were left behind.

Sign for the belted kingfisherWe started our hike at the wetland overlook. A calming place to take in the beauty of the area. On clear days you will be able to see the Anderson mountains located to the West. Next stop was the heron boardwalk, a pier that is in the middle of the wetland, with info signs on local birds. We only took the short loop through grassy land. Afterwards, we checked out the old barn with the impressive Hold Harvester tractor. And finally we saw the natural lawn mowers – a herd of sheep with a lot of lambs – decimating the landscape.

You can do yoga under the oaks Sundays at 8 am for $15. Further, there are guided nature walks; June 11th and July 9th starting at 9 am. These walks are free! Lamb

If you have little kids and live near Woodland you might want to check out the library’s Creek Explorers program. Every Monday from 10-11am, in June and July, the Putah Creek Council will teach children about the biodiversity of the Putah Creek.

The Cache Creek Nature Preserve is located at 34199 County Road 20 in Woodland. Hours are Sunday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The visitor center is currently closed.