Suisun Marsh Natural History Association

WELCOME TO ROCKVILLE HILLS PARK

We hope you will enjoy your visit to Rockville Hills Park. The park encompasses nearly 600 acres of gasslands and foothill woodlands dominated by blue oak, buckeye and other trees. The park is known for its fine views, interesting rock formations and solitude. Hikers, mountain bikers and families are all regular users of the park.

Management: The park is maintained by the City of Fairfield in its natural state. Improvements are limited to small parking areas and trails to accommodate visitor use. For fire control and vegetation management, livestock grazing is employed at certain times of the year, and both numbers of animals and time of their presence is controlled. Disking of firebreaks and other fire protection measures are undertaken on an as-necessary basis. Correction of erosion and trail problems, and other resource enhancement projects, is ongoing.

The Park Ranger and staff of Volunteer Park Ambassadors monitor the park. They are present to assist park visitors and encourage park preservation. If you have questions about the park and its use, please feel free to ask them. Ranger led are hikes are available.

Geology: The park is underlain by rocks from the Pliocene Age known as the Sonoma Volcanics. These are volcanic rocks spewn out from a series of volcanoes and fissures which were located northwest of Solano County in Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties. They consist of andesites, basalts and tuff: the former are light to dark, heavy rocks found throughout the park, and which has been quarried occasionally. Rockville Hills Park is on the southern edge of the Sonoma Hills between Fairfield and Vallejo. Soils derived from these rocks are generally thin and support growth of grasses, trees, and brush.

Plants: Rockville Hills Park supports a rich association of grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs. The grasslands are dominated by non- native annual grasses such as soft chess and wild oats, but there are also significant populations of purple needlegrass (a native bunchgrass) and other native species. In the springtime the park is known for its displays of wildflowers, including goldfields, poppies, lupines, Johnny-jump-up, brodiaeas, and many others. The most common trees are blue oaks and buckeyes, other species are found here as well, including interior and coast live oak, valley oak, and maple. However, the park does not have any native pines, redwoods, Douglas fir, or other conifers. The park also contains about fifty acres of chaparral dominated by chamise and manzanita.

Wildlife: The diversity of habitats and cover makes the park home to a variety of wildlife. Mice, gophers and voles occur widely in the grasslands and provide a ready food source for small carnivores such as foxes or raptors (owls, hawks, and eagles). Snakes, including gopher snakes, garter snakes, rattlesnakes and king snakes have been observed here. A wide variety of songbirds can be found throughout the year; and in the winter and spring, ducks and other waterfowl will frequent the ponds in the center of the park. Wild turkeys are becoming more common, and deer are occasionally seen.

While you are enjoying your visit we ask that you observe the following: Please obey signs and sensitive areas restricted from access Fires in the park and smoking are not allowed Dogs are to be leashed We are not able to accommodate horses or horseback riding Please see the park ranger, volunteer park ambassadors or call the City of Fairfield with any questions (707) 428-7435

Rockville Hills Park
Environmental Education
Wildlife Rehabilitation
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