Napa
River Ecological Reserve,
Napa County Parks/California Department of Fish and Game,
Napa County
In brief:
1 mile loop in a tiny preserve along the Napa River, where trails squeeze through
a jungle of vegetation in summer.
Getting there:
From CA 29 in Yountville, turn east on Madison. Drive about 0.2 mile, to a T intersection
with Yount. Turn left, then make an immediate right onto Yountville Cross Road.
Drive about 0.9 mile to the trailhead on the left side of the road.
Trailhead details:
No parking or entrance fees. Small paved lot. No drinking water, pay phone, or
designated handicapped parking. There is a portable toilet. There may be maps
at an information signboard, but there were none on my visit. Trails are poorly-suited
to wheelchairs. There is no direct public transportation to this trailhead. Note
that the trail is inaccessible during wet months, when there is no route over
(or through) the Napa River, generally from December to April.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Pay phone, gas, restaurants, and stores a short distance to the north on Highway
29, in downtown Yountville. No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 1 mile loop hike is flat and easy, although navigation at the river
crossing can be tough.
Rules:
Open sunrise to sunset. Single trail is hiking only. Dogs are permitted on leash.
The Official Story:
California Department of Fish and Game 707-944-5500
Fish
and Game's Napa River page
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a great map and descriptions of a hike through
the reserve.
• Great Day Hikes in and around Napa Valley, by Ken Stanton (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a description of this hike.
• North Bay Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and descriptions of this hike.
Napa
River Ecological Reserve in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide
to the featured hike
View
photos from this hike
According to a pamphlet published by the Napa-Solano 
Audubon
Society, the Napa River Ecological Reserve "has become an important habitat
for many species of birds and other wildlife." It's no wonder, for the 73
acre parcel has just about everything wild animals need: abundant cover, food,
and water. Valley and coast live oaks, California bay, willow, and thickets of
shrubs shelter birds, an astounding variety of wild berries, nuts, and fruits
feed birds, small mammals, and even a host of butterflies, and the Napa River
holds water all year round. Since the reserve is a floodplain, you'll need to
plan a visit during the drier months of the year. When the river is full there
is no route across the waterway, and access to the reserve's single trail is blocked.
Begin at the edge of the parking lot on a path
through a meadow. There are
interpretive
displays about the reserve's history and ecology on the left. Look for maps on
the second panel, although there were none on my visit. Chicory blooms in the
grass during summer months. After about 300 feet, the path climbs onto the banks
of a levee and splits at an unsigned junction. Bear right.
After descending slightly, bear left and walk
along the rocky ledge along the river. Willows block a view to the water,
and you must search through the tangle of vegetation on the right for a path
to the shoreline. There is no formal bridge, but tree branches facilitate
a crossing. On the other side of the river, the trail picks up again, ascending
to an undersigned junction at 0.13 mile. Stay to the right. A short spur
on the right visits the first post on a self-guided 
tour.
Tall valley and coast live oaks rise up from a
dense understory of blackberry, poison oak, coyote brush, wild rose, and snowberry.
The narrow trail winds at a level grade along the edge of a grassy meadow, then
heads into a more shaded area. Leaves of wild grape vines dangle from trees at
a profusion rivaling poison oak. Wild plum trees seem to flourish everywhere along
the trail, along with a few ash, buckeye, and walnut trees. Near a bench the trail
curves left and weaves through some California bays. Gradually the trail veers
left again, adopting a course along the river. A few paths head right to the banks,
though it's a scramble to reach the water (watch out for poison oak if you give
it a try). When I visited in September there was a depressing amount of garbage
on both sides of the river. The trail pops out of the woods to bisect a small
grassy area with a few soaring valley oaks. After another stretch through bays,
the trail skirts the far side of the large meadow, then emerges, at 0.90 mile
back at the previously encountered junction. Turn right and retrace your steps
back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 1.03 miles
Last hiked: Monday, September 9, 2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
Audubon
Society, the Napa River Ecological Reserve "has become an important habitat
for many species of birds and other wildlife." It's no wonder, for the 73
acre parcel has just about everything wild animals need: abundant cover, food,
and water. Valley and coast live oaks, California bay, willow, and thickets of
shrubs shelter birds, an astounding variety of wild berries, nuts, and fruits
feed birds, small mammals, and even a host of butterflies, and the Napa River
holds water all year round. Since the reserve is a floodplain, you'll need to
plan a visit during the drier months of the year. When the river is full there
is no route across the waterway, and access to the reserve's single trail is blocked.
interpretive
displays about the reserve's history and ecology on the left. Look for maps on
the second panel, although there were none on my visit. Chicory blooms in the
grass during summer months. After about 300 feet, the path climbs onto the banks
of a levee and splits at an unsigned junction. Bear right.
tour.