Pomo Canyon Camping 2026 Updated

Camping at Pomo Canyon inspired my Haiku: "Cooling - redwoods mesh. Light shafts - green moss and ferns glow. Terpene scent - shag floor" Traditional Japanese Haiku poetry is about capturing the essence of an experience particularly something in the natural world at a particular time or season, using the simplest expression that convey impressionistic meaning. My Haiku captures the sensory experience of camping at Pomo Canyon Campground for tents only. It's a hidden getaway, heavily shaded redwood grove near the Sonoma Coast in California. The Haiku's first line has to be five syllables, the second line has to be seven syllables, and the third line again five syllables. I spent years teaching English to Japanese in Asia. After 30 years I finally came home. Here is what each line means in the context of camping there: Line 1: "Cooling - redwoods mesh" • This refers to the immediate physical sensation of entering Pomo Canyon. The massive redwood trees grow tightly together, creating a thick, interlaced canopy ("mesh"). • This dense ceiling blocks out direct sunlight and traps the coastal fog, causing the temperature to drop instantly into a crisp, refreshing "cooling" shade as you walk into the grove. It felt twenty degrees cooler than the blazing heatwave outside. Line 2: "Light shafts - green moss and ferns glow" • As the sun moves, occasional beams of sunlight ("light shafts") pierce through the thick canopy. When these rays hit the moisture-rich forest floor, the vibrant green moss and native sword ferns look like they are illuminated from within ("glow"). • Because Pomo Canyon is a damp canyon environment, the understory is lush, prehistoric, and brilliantly green wherever the light manages to touch it. Line 3: "Terpene scent - shag floor" • The crisp, woody aroma of redwood resin and pine needles ("terpene scent") fills the air. Beneath your feet, the ground is covered in a thick, spongy, inches-deep layer of fallen redwood needles and duff, which feels exactly like walking on a plush "shag floor" carpet. • This highlights the comfort and isolation of a Pomo Canyon campsite. The forest floor naturally dampens sound, making the campsite feel like a cushy, fragrant, enclosed outdoor room. My first thought as I entered this sanctuary was thank you my God, Jehovah a place as it was meant to be. Pomo Canyon is an environmental campsite that has been in a process of restoration from man's past exploitations. Seeing this place in all it's glory is a foretaste of God's promise that his government of peace will soon restore paradise to the entire earth. I was joined by my brother Jesse and a Russian friend named Boris. We set up camp. We ate well. We hiked well and Boris swam well in the Russian river an appropriate river for him swim I'd say.