Accessible Trail: Yes (compacted gravel)
Mileage: 0.25 mile loop
The drive through Napa Valley is full of rolling hills covered in vineyards and small, quaint towns. Halfway between St. Helena and Calistoga, in the heart of Northern California's Wine Country, a humble wooden sign marks the entrance to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. In contrast to the perfectly manicured vineyards seen along the highway, Bothe-Napa is more rugged, with forests of Douglas Fir, Tanoak, Madrone and even Redwood trees still growing in their natural habitats.
The park has great recreation opportunities in all seasons. In the summertime, the Redwoods provide much needed shade from the Napa Valley sun; in the wintertime, bright mosses and other-worldly fungi dot the underbrush of the forest. The springtime, however is one of the best times to visit. Wildflowers make their annual appearance, bringing flashes of color to the green background.
The Visitors Center is a great place to begin your day at Bothe-Napa. The exhibits provide opportunities to learn more about the people, plants and animals that call the area home. Just next to the Visitors Center, an accessible garden of native plants gives you a glimpse of the flora that can be found within the park.
When you're finished at the Visitors Center, head past the day use area picnic benches. At the end of the road is a parking lot, and beyond that, an accessible pathway leads you into the vegetation. This accessible pathway is the Pioneer Trail, a great way to experience the park, combining natural beauty with a bit of history.
The compacted gravel pathway leads you under redwoods and tanoaks, circling a small meadow. As you make your way around the meadow, you'll notice a white picket fence. This is a pioneer cemetery, the final resting place for some of Napa's earliest European residents. If you'd like a closer look at the headstones that date from the late 1800's, there are small trails leading up to the cemetery, though they may not be the most level.
Continue around the meadow, admiring the ferns that carpet the underbrush of the forest. Depending on the time of year, wildflowers can be found popping up within the dark green of the forest. Wild Irises and Trilium are commonly found along the Pioneer Trail.
The short trail soon brings you back your starting place, completing its loop.
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