Hiked the Oat Hill Mine Road from the Silverado Trail, Calistoga on Sun 12/12/10. We hiked w/ the…read moreNapa Land Trust starting at 9am, I got up really early to do this hike. Parking - across from the pizza place La Prima (Lake St & Lincoln Ave) or next to the Trailhead. No Bathrooms - just gotta pee in the off to the side of the trail or find a bush. We did the Lower Oat Hill Mine Trail & lunch at Holms Place. Then we went off trail cross country to Point Duff & had great views of Mt St Helena w/ fog under it. Pretty cool. We didn't go to Duff cave w/ platform, but saw a cave - I didn't go up to get a close look, others did. Started 9am, finished 3:40pm with lots of breaks. We did about 11 miles round trip. Advice: Go on a clear day or when there's 10% chance of rain or less. There were a bunch of crazy mountain bikers that don't tell you they are coming up or down so be careful. Didn't see ticks Sun 12/12/10, but saw them 5/13/07.

Outdoor lovely views great gradual hike with shade sun and views…read more... I would rather hike here than write about it so go hike it. It's so worth it especially rocky outcroppings. It's 8.3 miles. Take a hike and enjoy this destination in the Napa Valley

We just spent one night at Bothe-Napa State Park, and it was the perfect first outing with our…read morerooftop tent! we loved it so peaceful. !! The campground is small but charming, nestled between Calistoga and Saint Helena -- a true hidden gem. We've driven by this park so many times on our way to Calistoga. Finally got to check it out and experience it. It's surrounded trees and the soothing sounds of a creek , offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of nearby towns. Trails and even a swimming pool that's open on the weekends. The park is well-maintained, with clean bathrooms and a great atmosphere. It was our first time using the rooftop tent, and this spot couldn't have been more ideal. We're already planning to come back and explore more of the park!

Gorgeous, amazing. Great trails. A pool and ice cream. I mean really, don't go. We don't need…read moreanymore tourism at this amazing park.

So happy to finally be able to cross this hike off my bucket list. It was certainly worth the wait…read more It's not a long hike, but there is a little bit of climbing on rocks, especially towards the end I suggest wearing good shoes with traction The scenery along the way to the falls is lovely and changes throughout the hike. Meadows, fir trees, boulders, and ponds! We made it to the Falls on the last day of April. I would think that during the summer they wouldn't be flowing as greatly as they were now. Sitting below the falls was majestic. We also did the hike at the fork of the road, which eventually ends due to all the brush on the trail, and it was lovely as well with a beautiful pond

No signs telling you where trail is so I'm here to tell you…read more Park across the street from Pacific Union College at the far left end ball park. Walk heading North from the parking lot towards the green sign that reads bike route. You will follow that trail all the way down to the trailhead about a 1/4 mile in from the road. Once you get to the trail head you have two trails to choose from: the Linda Falls Trail or the Saw Mill Ridge Trail. We opted for the Linda Falls trail which is a 1.6 miles round trip. You will walk down a rocky path , then through a forest of trees. The trail will start to go downhill then becomes steeper as you head toward the waterfall. Going do the steep hill is where the gravel is loose and slippery. Once you get to the falls you will need to climb around the boulders to get those winning photos your friends and family will love to see on social media media. My suggestion is that you wear good trail running shoes or running shoes with good grip to the gravel as the trail can be slippery from the loose gravel. Please do not wear sandals or slippahs. Please leave your tiny dogs home unless you want to carry them over the rocks when you get closer to the waterfall. Last tip- bring water and snack to enjoy when you get to the falls. Make sure you take your trash with you. If you still have energy to go to the next trail saw Mill Ridge then head back to the trailhead you first started at. We started to head down and made it half way down until my hubby said let's turn around. I think it was his way of saying "I'm really hungry and I need to eat soon before I get hanger." Haha We plan to go back again to finish the Saw Mill Ridge Hike. This trail does have two small creeks you need to cross over. Have fun, stay on the trail , and be safe. Enjoy the pics

Lovely hike up a forested path to a fire road the rest of the way up the peak. I went in February…read moreand it was a treat to see the snowy top. I would recommend bringing a sandwich and plenty of water if you're going all the way up. I just had some jerky and wished I had brought more.

There are many trails that you can go on at this state park. Like many have mentioned, the parking…read morelot is rather small and so it's best to arrive early. The parking lot can fill up and in that case, you will have to park farther down and walk to the trailhead. The earlier you start your hike, the more likely it wil be that you find parking, especially if you are going on a weekend. There are no bathrooms near the parking lot. There is also not a parking fee. We took the Table Rock Trail, which is about 4.4 miles total. It had amazing views. The trail has a rock labyrinth along the way that was fun to see. The trail is very rugged with lots of rocks the father you hike up this trail so come prepared with lots of water, hiking shoes, and dress in layers. The views from the top were amazing. There were areas with ice on the trail so be careful when hiking. There is a more popular trail to Mount Saint Helena that is very popular as well. We have not taken that trail yet, although plan to in the future. We will definitely be back at this state park and look forward to exploring the other trails.

I've hiked with Napa Land Trust a bunch of times & continue to hike with them when I can. My last…read morehike was Linda Falls on Sunday 1/9/11. It's a short moderate hike of about 3 miles roundtrip. To hike with them you need to plan ahead and make reservations. I booked my group of 4 about 3 weeks beforehand, but I've done it with only a few days notice. Meet the leader Chris, then we carpooled to a location she told us in Angwin. There wasn't much climbing, & only 2 rushing creeks that we had to cross - nobody fell in & I didn't even get my feet wet. That was nice. I was at the lower more dramatic falls to Linda Falls & was able to go down by following the pipe, then heading down. It was not too scary. The middle cascade up higher was nice, very top cascade wasn't much. Best to go to the bottom & look up. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/KjQcSZOtbG-Ev2PQaLb8TQ?select=59AxVR2wCFTnKP6ixCM0PA It's a 31 foot waterfall. Hike back was really short only about 10 minutes & we were done. Hike took 3hrs to finish from 10am-1pm. Next schedule Linda Falls hike with the Napa Land Trust is Sunday 2/13/11. Website here: http://napalandtrust.org/

From the owner: Land Trust of Napa County is a community-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the character of…read moreNapa by permanently protecting land. In our 44-year history, we've completed 225 projects, protecting 81,000 acres of land - 15% of Napa County.

An amazing network of trails of all levels can be found at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, as well as…read moreinformational trails that are great for kids. You can pick up a list of trails and rough map at the entrance. We meandered creekside, and looped Hillside Trail to meadow trail, all with amazing scenery. Very clean and well-maintained park, with plenty of rangers. Loads of great picnic areas as well. Can't wait to return and try more hikes.

This state park was relatively easy to get to despite the long drive and heavy traffic from…read morePeninsula. However the road leading up to the park was relatively straightforward. We are getting into camping this year and this was our trial run with all the new gears we bought. We rented camper site #1 which is labeled as "premium". Maybe it was a bit bigger than the regular sites but other than that it didn't feel particularly premium. Since #1 and 48 are the first and last sites in the campground loop and closest to the visitor center, they had the best WiFi reception. The downside is we were the farthest to the bathrooms and showers which were located on the opposite site of the loop. This made trekking over at night a bit inconvenient. The bathrooms were somewhat clean and the showers are coin-operated at the cost of 25c per minute. Shampoo and body wash were provided which is nice. All in all this was a nice introductory experience for us. If we were to come back to camp at this park we will opt for site #3 which is nicely tucked into the shaded corner and is fairly close to the bathrooms.

I was quite surprised to see that I had never reviewed this spectacular Redwood State Park. Being…read morehere is magical, especially when you think the thousands of years the trees have been here. If only they could share their stories. The visitor center is quite helpful in suggesting various hikes, especially when you give them the distance and elevation that you are interested in. They also give you a paper map as often there's no signal in this park for Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the trail to the waterfall was closed and hopefully will be open upon our return. The hike we did today was a little over 5 miles with about 750 feet of climbing. We were happy we brought snacks! My only comment would be that the signage was not sufficient. I know that mostly volunteers make up the staff and perhaps it's not a priority yet we managed to find our way back without too many problems.

A state park with a good amount of redwood trees albeit mostly smaller/younger ones due to a good…read moreamount of logging done in this area to help build California in the 20th century. It is near the Russian River just outside of Guerneville. Redwood vibes similar to some parts of the Santa Cruz range or Marin Hills, but nothing that compares to the big redwoods in Northern California like near Humbolt Co or Crescent City, those are next level. There's a fee to park inside the park. Think it was about $10. It gets busy during the weekends and spaces can be super limited if you come after 11am. We were with a toddler, so we stayed on the main flat trails that go through redwood groves. It is very shady and well trafficked trails. There are a few loops you can join together, and the circumference may be a 2-3 mile hike. But you can do however long you want it to be. Now the trails that elevate into the hills are much more involved. It can elevate to a 1300 foot gain which is pretty strenuous. I haven't tried those yet but it is on my list to try. But even the easy trails that one day, was still beautiful and relaxing. To majestic red bark trees with healthy ferns all on the ground cover, fallen trees to climb on, large rocks to hop on was just a nice jaunt especially with young kids. We brought a light lunch and refreshments and were able to run into a small area with picnic benches. Perfect way to end a few hours steeped in nature, without having to be totally in the wild. Great intro for those that aren't too versed (yet) and to get them exposed to nature, ecosystems and wildlife. Connect with the world amongst which you live with but rarely see. Weekend mission accomplished!

Jack London's gravesite and ruins of Wolf House. We came for the abandoned house and were very…read moreimpressed by the scale and size, Jack London must have been very wealthy for the time to have a house like this. The sad thing is it burned down right before completion so they never got to live in the house. The use of stones and rock kept a lot of the walls despite the fire and it reminds me of of an oversized version of a Greene and Greene style Craftsman Bungalow I saw in Pasadena, CA. If you are a fan of abandoned places you will like coming here. It's fenced off for safety so you can't go running around the structures but you can do a full 360 walk around and there is a platform you can walk on that's about in the middle of the house and you get a good view of the pool and different floors from here. The hike from the parking lot to the museum and to the grave sites and house are easy, my senior parents and young kids were able to do it easily. I would stop by the museum on the way back, there are some nice artifacts from Jack London as well as a scale model of what the hosue was supposed to look like.

Can def spend all day here. Interesting to learn about Jack London. Loved that he lived such a full…read morelife even when cut short. Thankful that his wife Chairman left everything for us to learn and explore. There a $10 fee per vehicle to enter. Def worth it as there are numerous sites to see. I started with the museum as it opens at 9 am. Short hike to his once dream house unfortunately got burned down. His resting place all can be done in a short hikes on the other side the cottage open at noon. Meanwhile I did a few hikes in area. Def worth to visit

Wow--absolutely spectacular, magical, and truly epic!…read more Alamere Falls is one of the most breathtaking hidden gems along the California coast, tucked inside Point Reyes National Seashore. What makes it so special is that it's a rare "tidefall," where the waterfall flows directly into the ocean--something you can only see in a couple of places in California, including McWay Falls. Watching the water cascade over the rugged shale cliffs onto the beach below is simply unforgettable. The surrounding landscape feels wild and untouched, adding to the sense of adventure. Upstream, the smaller cascades create a beautiful lead-up to the main falls, making the entire hike feel like a journey through nature's artwork. This spot is not just a destination--it's an experience. From the scenic hike to the dramatic ocean views, every moment feels rewarding. If you're looking for something unique, peaceful, and awe-inspiring, Alamere Falls absolutely delivers.

This is a bucket list hike if you are an outdoor enthusiast. Alamere Falls is one of 2 falls of…read moreits kind in California, one of 3 of its kind in the US and only one of 34 in the world. Yes bucket list if you are looking for a waterfall that dumps directly onto an Oceanside Beach. Pretty Amazing. For us we took the 13 mile RT hike in 6 hours total including about 20 minutes to eat lunch. We left San Francisco at 8am, arrived at the parking lot around 9:15am and hot back to the parking lot around 3:30pm. Our group ranged in age from 23-60. Trail was muddy and slippery in some parts. Some classify it as a moderate-difficult hike. I personally ride a bike about 5,000 miles a year and still had soreness in my ankles and at one point felt some shin splints that I worked through. We took the 5.3 long route down to Wildcat camp and walked the last mile along the beach south to the falls. Here is the catch. Probably the most dangerous part of the hike is if you want to see both the top tide pools as well as be on the beach at the bottom. There is a small eroding hillside just 20 yards to the North of the falls with eroding unsecure slippery rock that really allow only one person at a time climb up or down. It is a 50 foot ascent or descent. I saw two people coming down scrape their leg and/or back after a slip. We did not take the shortcut which is usually guarded by the ranger as the shortcut is full of poison oak, is a manmade path thar ruins the environment and is dangerous. That said, taking the long way along the beach and then climbing up the 50 ft cliff is the more ecologically friendly and safer, but longer way around. To give a sense, we saw nobody coming back on the legal path but tons of people on the illegal path which after a bit seemed like the traffic jams hou see at My Everest. So here is what they don't say that I would say. If you are overweight and out of shape don't do this hike. I'd say on average not to bring anyone younger than 12 or older than 65. Watch the tide times. We saw high tide was 12:30pm and got there just at noon when the tide was coming in. During high tide Wildcat Beach makes it difficult to get around the rocks without getting wet or stand in front of the falls for a picture. The last mile or so of road is filled with potholes and non-maintained road. Bring your higher clearance cars. Civics and Prius cars should stay at home. Wear good shoes. No tennis shoes or running shoes or sandals there is lots of poison oak especially on the shortcut so wear long sleeves and pants. I didn't get any but I was pricked by a stinging nettles plant! Ouchie! Last, really gauge you time right. We were leaving at 3:30 and people were asking how much further. They had two hours of hiking and by then sunset was going to hit. Even if they got there in time, that was going to be a dark and scary hike back in the dark for almost 6 miles. There is some elevation. Bring plenty of water and good snackable items