Among the world famous wineries and charming towns of Napa Valley is a wooded state park with some trails for running. The park is surprisingly lush with dense forest including redwoods, oak, madrone, and firs. A nice six mile loop follows Ritchey Creek up the canyon and then ascends Coyote Peak on the way back. The loop is as follows:
- Start at trailhead parking area
- Redwood Trail
- Lower Ritchey Canyon Trail
- Spring Trail
- South Fork Trail
- Coyote Peak Trail
- Redwood Trail
With the exception of the first section along Redwood Trail and a small downhill on the Spring Trail, this route is entirely on single track. Coyote Peak features unobstructed views of Ritchey Canyon but young trees have obscured a good portion of the Napa Valley view. A decent view of southern Napa Valley can be seen from the shoulder heading up to Coyote Peak, but for big 360 degree views I’d head for Mount Saint Helena. In addition, I continued along Upper Ritchey Canyon Trail for 1.5 miles (3 miles RT) which is overgrown with copious poison oak. There appears to be no finite ending to this trail and it is actually more of a use path. Here are some more photos from the run!
A few more photos after the jump!
Leor Pantilat's Adventures