Located about a ninety minute drive north of San Francisco, in the northern part of Napa Valley, Bothe-Napa Valley State Park (CA parks website) provides some excellent outdoor recreation opportunities in close proximity to establishments famous for fine wine and dining. The park is located between the towns of St Helena and Calistoga, off Hwy 128.

I settled into Ritchey Creek Campground site #49. The campground has 50 sites total, with three of them offering the opportunity to stay in a yurt, equipped with a full-size bed, cots and wooden camping/picnic table. Sites 27 to 36 are walk-in campsites, with site 27 reserved for hiker/bikers. The restrooms feature coin-operated showers. The campground seems well appointed and maintained, all sites equipped with a fire ring and picnic table and small blue receptacle for recycling.

The section of the park on the eastern side of the creek features further accommodation options with five cabins and seven additional yurts available for rent.

There are a few hiking trail options, with Ritchey Canyon Trail accessible straight from the campground. I ended up doing a loop along the creek and returning to the campground via Coyote Peak. AllTrails lists various trail options with lengths between 2.9 and 7.3 miles.



Ritchey Creek Campground

I had made a reservation for site 49, which is located at the entry point of the circular portion towards the very back of the campground. It backs in towards Ritchey Creek, which means no neighbors behind you. It is only a short walk away from the bathrooms (and coin-operated showers) (campground map).

Reservations can be made via ReserveCalifornia.

Supplies

Firewood can be purchased from the camp host at site #13.

Hiking routes by AllTrails


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