KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A sure sign of spring is the return of the yellow-headed blackbird that favors the tules along the shoreline of Clear Lake as a nesting site.

The first Saturday in April 7 at 9 a.m. Volunteer-in-Park Glenn Smith of Kelseyville will be waiting in the parking lot at the Education Pavilion to welcome hikers to Clear Lake State Park, 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, for a three-mile roundtrip walk along the Dorn Trail.  

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended on this moderate trail.

Smith’s pace is leisurely. “There’s so much to see and talk about,” he said, “it would be a mistake to hurry.”

One of the truly unique features of this trail is actually walking on top of the toe of a lava floe created about 10,000 years ago when Mt. Konocti was heaving lava bombs into the air and gushing rivers of red-hot lava toward the lake.

Smith knows the story well and looks forward to sharing it.  

For more information about Clear Lake State Park and upcoming activities, including the Wildflower Brunch on April 28, visit www.clearlakestatepark.org .