Riverfront Park, Windsor
Yo! We live in Northern California. Skip the fancy spa treatments and go chill in a redwood forest. Or as they call it in Japan, go do some shinrin-yoku, aka “forest bathing.”
Here in the wine country, we’ve got the Armstrong Redwoods in Guerneville—plus some lesser-known groves like the one at Riverfront Regional Park just west of Windsor, with easy access and plenty of room for all the forest bathers to find some personal space and beauty silence. There are some pretty massive and majestic old grandmother redwoods in there, plus a time-thickened carpet of red-brown tree needles that effortlessly mute and soften the world.
By stepping inside, one can have a brush with eternal peace and beauty. Riverfront is technically free, but a parking pass costs $7. And while there, FYI—though the river rats are gonna kill me for giving this up—if one walks 10 or 15 minutes past the redwood grove, there’s also this dope little Russian River access spot where one can sit on a bench overlooking the water or climb down onto a magical river island.
The island has soft grasses to lay in, rocks to bask and climb on, dipping spots for getting wet and butterflies who love to land on toes. How’s that for health and wellness? — Simone Wilson
