We didn‘t know anything about Arroyo Hondo Preserve before we showed up at the gate; we just saw it on the map and decided to hike there. We were unaware that entry was by reservation, on only two weekends a month. By a stroke of luck, it happened to be one of the right weekends, and they graciously let us in.

This place is a delight! We hiked for a couple of hours, with Allie following her nose (“Smell that? Sulphur!”) to hunt for a hot spring. I don’t know who killed the great blue heron, but their wildlife cam shows several possible suspects.

Due to the construction of a fish ladder under the 101, Arroyo Hondo has one of the only creek populations of southern steelhead trout along on the coast. This is definitely a place to return to.