Fall Day Trip: Tour the North Bay's Historic, Atmospheric Cemeteries

With fall finally in full swing, you may feel a hankering to lean into the season, embrace the shorter days and seek out the crisper weather and eerie atmosphere that October can bring. Autumn can also be the best time to visit the North Bay, where wine country’s autumn foliage paints the region red and gold. 

And as it turns out, the northern stretches of the Bay Area have a wealth of picturesque historic cemeteries — most open to the public — where you can go to feel the chilly air, honor those who have passed and even gain a new perspective on life. 

Timothy Maloney, general manager of Santa Rosa Memorial Park, said visiting a cemetery can often be the best way to understand the history of a place.

Any time Maloney and his wife take a trip, “we stop at a cemetery — to see not just who’s there, but just to feel the presence of those who have come before,” he said. “Because this is the history, and we’re the custodians of that history.”

Keep reading for a roundup of the North Bay’s historic cemeteries — and their intriguing backstories — to visit this fall. 

(And remember: If you’re planning on visiting any of these historic cemeteries below, be sure to respect the sanctity of these spaces, and make sure you’re aware of other visitors who may be visiting to honor passed family and friends. These spots may be compelling, atmospheric locations, but they’re still the resting places of peoples’ loved ones.)

• Jump straight to: Guided cemetery tours around the North Bay this fall

See it: If you’re looking for views

Occupying a vast hillside in Petaluma is Cypress Hill Memorial Park, a stunning, well-manicured cemetery that also gives visitors a peek above the North Bay’s rolling multi-colored hills.

Nestled among imposing, crow-filled cypress trees are rows of gravesites dating back to 1866. Some of these are typical tombstones while others serve as large monuments to individual families.

The paths between graves are wide and strollable; many are adorned with flowers or other decorations, and the park has several benches dedicated to the deceased that offer a chance to rest and look at the view.

Here you’ll also find a small pet cemetery where you can honor the companions that have passed. Near the top of the cemetery is the most striking view, where you can also find the gravesite of local businessman John McNear and his wife Clara, for whom he developed Cypress Hill in 1859 after her death.

See it: On a hike

Nestled among oak trees in Santa Rosa is its rural cemetery, a city-owned property that spans nearly 16 acres, where you can wind through rustic and historic graves dating all the way back to the 1850s.

It’s a great place to go to learn about Santa Rosa’s history, according to Bill Montgomery, retired deputy director of parks for the city. The cemetery originated in 1854, the same year Santa Rosa was established as the county seat. 

But the property went to ruin during the 1950s, even after the city took it over via eminent domain and tried to restore it. That is, until 1993 — when Montgomery himself was asked to give a tour of the cemetery for a local newspaper.

“As we walked around and looked at the mess at the time, it was heavily overgrown; many of the tombstones were down,” he said. “[The reporter] asked, ‘Are we gonna do anything with this?’ And I said, ‘Well, the city doesn’t have any money.’”

Montgomery said he remembers saying that “the only thing we could possibly do is solicit volunteers, so we decided to actually try that out.”

Forty people showed up to the first meeting of what is now the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Preservation Committee.

Ever since, the group meets regularly to maintain the cemetery, which attained its historical landmark status from the city in 1997.

“As we got the thing together better, people began to see it as a resource — almost as a park — and began to walk through it,” he said.

Today, the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery is a popular spot for dog walkers, hikers and runners. Montgomery said the cemetery’s rich history and style — inspired by a New England rural cemetery trend — attracts visitors from all over the Bay Area to what he called its “bucolic” landscape. Its trees, in particular, are a highlight, he said.

“When it was set aside for the cemetery, it was basically a grass hillside,” he said. “And then as time went by, people planted around graves, birds dropped seeds and acorns, and we’ve got the forest that’s up there now.”

Some notable tombstones are the 35 people who died in Santa Rosa in the 1906 earthquake, all buried in one area. Also here are Civil War soldiers, early settlers of the area and victims of the 1918 flu epidemic. 

See it: To explore local history

You won’t have far to walk to this next spot, Santa Rosa Memorial Park — it’s next door to the rural cemetery. This privately owned cemetery abuts the public one, so you can continue your hike from rustic hills to bright green lawns.

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The most famous gravesite here is Robert Ripley from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Another honorable mention is George Harrison Shull, the inventor of hybrid corn, which paved the way for modern agriculture.

Maloney, the general manager of the cemetery, said it was established in 1885 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, an international fraternal organization.

“Not all municipalities had a particular burial ground, and so fraternal orders did so,” he said. “All for the purpose of an honored burial space and a place for people to come and remember.”

Many generations of families are buried there, as are notable figures in Northern California history — many of whose names you might recognize. “The Todds of Todd Road were hop farmers; they are there,” Maloney said. “The Guerns of Guerneville are there, and on and on.”

While many go to visit the sites of loved ones and honor their passing, it’s also a popular place for anyone to pass through and appreciate the sights. 

“We want people to come and experience this place because it’s gorgeous,” Maloney said.

See them: On a road trip

If you embark on a scenic coastal drive in the North Bay, you’ll have the reward of seeing three small but beautiful historic cemeteries all in one go.

Head up Highway 1 to your first stop near Bodega Bay at the Bodega Calvary Cemetery. Established in 1860, the small cemetery is set up on a sometimes-foggy hillside overlooking Bodega Bay.

It is famous for its proximity to the St. Teresa of Avila church, whose cameo in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” has long attracted visitors to the area. 

One particularly moving detail about this place: The cemetery’s first occupant in 1869 was a 7-year-old boy, and families have chosen to bury several other children there too over the years.

The second stop on your journey is the U.S. Life-Saving Service Cemetery at Point Reyes National Seashore, hidden in a knoll of eucalyptus and cypress trees at the north end of Drake’s Estero.

Buried there are several men who died patrolling the rocky, dangerous shore nearby while looking for shipwrecks and crews to help rescue. Read more about their story from KQED.

Finally, head to Olema Cemetery near the town of Point Reyes Station for a peaceful visit to this small but poignant plot serving the sleepy town of Olema, just outside Point Reyes. Buried here are dairy farmers, artists and those of local fame. 

The singular written Google review of this place puts it simply: “If I had to be six feet deep in the dirt, this is the place.”

At Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, the preservation committee runs regular tours on the history of the graveyard and city. Mark your 2027 calendars for their extremely popular annual lamplight tour, which takes place in September.

“We’ve been sold out since that started, I believe in 1996,” Montgomery said. “We’re able to get about 400 people through two nights in small groups.”

You can also take a self-guided tour of the cemetery any time by picking up a brochure at the Franklin or McDonald gates and reading the various interpretive signs.

Also frequently sold out, Tulocay Cemetery in Napa hosts an annual Halloween tour, this year’s on Oct. 24 from 4-5:30 p.m. The 90-minute walking tour shares the story of the cemetery’s occupants and how they shaped the region’s history.

KQED Arts Senior Editor — and lifelong Santa Rosa resident — Gabe Meline contributed reporting to this guide.