10 miles of hiking trails at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

Posted by Jeff on Jun 30, 2016 @ 10:50 am in Hiking News | 0 comments | Last modified: June 29, 2016

In 1872, Dr. Charles M. Hitchcock bought a thousand acres of Rancho Carne Humana and built a country home along Ritchey Creek. He called it “Lonely.” Nearly 150 years later the beautiful trails along the creek remain as California’s Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. But you won’t be lonely there anymore.

Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is one of the most-frequented hiking areas of the Napa Valley. With nearly 10 miles of hiking trails, segmented into 12 interconnected loops, the park has become beloved by both locals and valley visitors. But you have to get out of your car and hike to fully appreciate all it has to offer.

The main access to the hiking loops is along Ritchey Creek on the Redwood Trail near the park’s visitor center. There is ample parking for day-use at this trailhead, and the trail is a gentle rise through redwoods and Douglas fir. The trail travels west beneath big leaf maple, madrone and oaks, and soon crosses a paved road and begins paralleling the road to the campground.

For visiting campers, this — instead of the trailhead — is the place where the adventure begins. Campers leave their tents, RVs or yurts and can continue up the Redwood Trail hill toward the Coyote Peak Trail.

Or they may cross back down the Redwood Trail to get to the swimming pool on weekends. Or, they may explore northward along the Vineyard Trail, which also reconnects to the Ritchey Canyon Trail. There are so many opportunities that it’s best to take along the trail map available at the entrance kiosk.

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