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RITCHEY CANYON & |
DISTANCE: 4.6 miles round-trip
HIKING TIME: 2 hours
SEASON: year-round
DIFFICULTY: moderate
In the midst of the sun-baked Napa Valley, this trail follows a shady stream and visits one of the easternmost groves of California coastal redwoods, plus stands of Douglas firs, buckeyes, and big-leaf maples. Watch carefully among their branches: Five different kinds of woodpeckers dwell within this park’s borders.
Head up Ritchey Canyon Trail from the horse trailer parking lot. Keep the creek on your right. Where Ritchey Canyon Trail crosses the stream, continue on Redwood Trail.
Less than a mile from the start, bear left on Coyote Peak Trail. Soon you leave the conifers and enter drier slopes and a bay and live oak forest. After a short ascent you’ll come to a junction; bear left and make a short but steep ascent to a knoll just below Coyote Peak. Enjoy the pastoral view of the vineyards and valley far below; the summit is just beyond, but its vista is obstructed by trees.
Return to the junction with the western leg of Coyote Peak Trail and follow it steeply downhill. At a junction with South Fork Trail, turn right. Follow a concrete apron across Ritchey Creek, then turn right on Redwood Trail and cross the creek again. The next half mile is the loveliest of the trip, featuring the densest redwoods and ferns. Redwood Trail connects to Ritchey Canyon Trail and heads back to the parking lot.
From St. Helena, drive north on Hwy. 29/128 for 5.0 miles to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. Turn left and drive 0.25 mile to the entrance; pass the visitor center to the horse trailer parking lot.
