Fort Ross State Historic Park, State historic park in Sonoma County, United States

Fort Ross State Historic Park is a state historic park in Sonoma County, United States, that protects the site of a former Russian settlement on the Pacific coast. The park includes a reconstructed wooden fort with several buildings, a small cemetery, and a visitor center, set among coastal bluffs and forested hills.

The settlement was founded in 1812 by the Russian-American Company to grow food for its Alaskan colonies and to trade for sea otter pelts. It was sold to John Sutter in 1841 and later became a ranch, before the state acquired the land in the early 20th century to preserve the site.

The fort's name, Ross, likely comes from the Russian word for Russia, and the site today is a place where visitors can see how Russian, Alaska Native, and local Kashia Pomo people lived and worked together. The small cemetery and the orchard show the everyday life of the settlement, and rangers often demonstrate crafts like blacksmithing or baking in the old style.

The park is open daily, but some buildings may have limited hours, so check ahead. Wear sturdy shoes for walking on uneven ground and bring layers, as the coastal fog can make it chilly even in summer.

The fort's chapel, built in the 1830s, is thought to be the oldest surviving Russian Orthodox structure in the contiguous United States. Also, the site sits near the San Andreas Fault, and you can see a small offset in the fence line caused by earthquakes.