Napa County Parks and Recreation

Napa County home owners can enjoy dozens of beautiful parks that offer a wide variety of facilities and activities. From hiking and biking to boating and sports, Napa’s towns have thoughtfully set aside abundant acreage for family outdoor enjoyment.

Open space has long been a priority for Napa County home owners, and parks are an expression of this desire to preserve open space and encourage recreation. One of the largest and most diverse is Bothe-Napa Valley State Park – a vast track of land that includes wild and scenic areas along with facilities for family camping, day trips and hiking. The terrain rises from a 300 foot elevation to 2,000 feet offering a wide range of micro environments for plants, animals and people who take advantage of this natural treasure located in the heart of wine country.

Napa Valley State Park pays homage to Napa’s original families with a Native American Garden that grows plants used by the Wappo people; there is a pioneer cemetery; and, not far away the Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park with its water powered waterwheel that demonstrates how Napa families in the 1860s ground grain for their daily bread.

For an exhilarating and wild hike, Napa home owners can visit Robert Lewis Stevenson State Park. Visitors can hike through evergreen forests that cut through rough terrain and be rewarded with spectacular views. A five-mile hike to the top of Mt. St. Helena presents a bird’s eye view of the Bay Area and, on days when the air quality is excellent, it’s possible to see Mt. Shasta, 192 miles to the north.

Of course, each town in Napa County offers family friendly small parks for local home owners. Play equipment, sports programs, picnicking facilities and seasonal activities provide Napa County families with abundant opportunities to enjoy the beautiful outdoor environment.

Explore and Discover
 
Napa’s towns are rich in colorful historical sites just waiting to be discovered by Napa County home owners.  A day trip to a nearby town can uncover a colorful tale of how this California treasure grew into a world class winemaking region, famed for its enviable lifestyle.  Just a walk around the county seat in the city of Napa is a veritable journey to the past.  For example, on Patchett Street is the site of what is believed to be the first commercial wine making facility in the Valley; the workshop where Peter Jensen and Edwin Pridham invented the loud speaker in 1915 is preserved for Napa visitors – the pair went on to found Magnavox. There is also the Napa Firefighters Museum that displays equipment from 1859, including hand-pumpers and a horse-drawn engine. This Napa site is a favorite with families and school groups.

Calistoga offers a very ancient wonder at the Petrified Forest of Calistoga. Here visitors can discover a tree that was already 2000 years old when it was toppled 3.4 million years ago in a violent volcano. The eruption eventually caused the trees to turn to stone where they lay buried until discovered by William Travers in 1857.  In 1880, Robert Lewis Stevenson visited the site and wrote about it in “Silverado Squatters.”

Calistoga also boasts one of just three Old Faithful Geysers.  Every half hour, 350⁰F water shoots several stories skyward. The attraction includes an exhibit that explains this unusual phenomenon and invites Napa Valley families to enjoy a rare and spectacular site, have a picnic and learn more about Napa County’s natural history. Of course, Napa home owners have easy access to Calistoga’s special claim to fame – its mud baths and hot springs spas!

Of course, all of Napa County beckons home owners to frequent the hundreds of wineries that offer tastings, tours and, often, world class dining establishments. More than 45,000 acres of Napa County is planted in grapes.

There are countless natural and manmade wonders waiting to be discovered by Napa home owners and their families.  In this unhurried and peaceful niche of Northern California wine country, every day brings new opportunities to enjoy a sun-kissed day brimming with possibilities.