Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is located about 5 minutes north of St.Helena in the town of Calistoga. This park consists of nearly 2,000 acres and was purchased by the State of California in 1960 for the sum of $376,000.
There is a lot of history on the grounds and surrounding Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. This land was the original site for the first built church in the Napa Valley, it was known as White Church and was dedicated November 13th 1853 by pastor Asa White. The church burned to the ground in the early 1900's, but the small cemetery is still there. And there had been a time when the State of California parks and recreation had plans to rebuild the church for historical purposes, but I'm not sure if that is still a thing.
The land was also owned by the Hitchcock family and then inherited by their daughter Lillie Hitchcock Coit. The inheritance and the sale of the property to the Bothes was the funding for the Coit Tower in San Francisco. Money left to the city for beautification from Lillie known as "Firebelle Lil".
Weather Forecast For Calistoga, CA:
Quick Information:
* Address: 3801 St. Helena Hwy
Calistoga, Ca 94515
* Phone: (707)-942-4575
* Park Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
* Established: 1960
* Size: 2000 Acres Total
* Elevation: 334
Day Use Fee:
$8
Dogs:
On leash in day use, campground only
Potable Water:
Yes
Toilets:
Yes, at various locations
Day Use Area:
The day use area at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is pay only access. As it is with many of our state parks, but with this one, you cannot do a drive through without paying the day use fee of $8 at the time of this post.
The day use area of the park is really huge. It has loads of picnic tables as well as individual BBQ pits. Those may or may not be open depending on when you visit and the possibility for fire danger.
This California State Park is one of two in the state park system that has a swimming pool. This pool dates back to the early to mid 20th century, when the property was known as Paradise Park.
The pool is open for a short time from Memorial Day through to Labor Day. For anyone with disabilities, this pool also give you access to a pool lift for ease of pool entry and exit.
There are also restrooms and showers available right across the parking lot from the pool. Which is also right next to the campfire center.
Bathrooms:
There are 2 bathroom areas located inside the campground. Both are in very good condition and both area ADA compliant. That includes the showers as well.
Restrooms and showers are single person and are not shared with anyone else, you can enjoy a bit more privacy here. Which for us is great because we bring our kids everywhere. The ADA stalls for showering are really huge.
Dogs:
As with all or most California State Parks, dogs are allowed in the campground and in the day use area, but they are not allowed on the trails.
Water:
There is drinking water available at the restrooms as well as at spigots throughout the campground and park. Also at the restrooms, there are outdoor sinks with great water pressure.
What Can I Do At Bothe-Napa Valley State Park?
With this State park being so close to not only the wineries of Napa and St. Helena but to the Pacific Ocean, there are a great many varieties of things to do. But for this portion we will look at what is in the park itself.
This park has about 10 miles of trails, with a few of them taking you along historical routes. There are also trails for which you can bring your horses on as well as mountain bikes. During the summer months after a nice hike you can use the historical swimming pool to cool down in as it can get very warm, into the upper 90s to low 100's.
There are 45 tent and RV sites, 1 group site (which was closed at the time of writing this), 10 yurts and 3 cabins. There are no hookups at this campground.
Bothe-Napa Valley SP Map:
Bothe-Napa Valley SP Yurts:
This is the only state park to offer yurts. We stayed in the one below. It was an excellent alternative to setting up a tent. There are 10 yurts in total to chose from. In the first loop of the state park is where you will find the larger of the yurts. These can accommodate 6 people. These are numbers 22, 24 and 26. They come with a queen size bed and 3 cots. The other yurts are available in the second area of the park and can only hold 4 people as they are quite a bit smaller.
This one we stayed in would have been handicapped accessible, as it didn't have any stairs leading to it. However, it was a bit uphill getting to it, but no big deal at all. It was pretty hot when we went, so it was necessary to open up the windows, and it can get pretty hot in the yurt during the daytime. We spent our days exploring, so it wasn't an issue for us.
Bothe-Napa Valley SP Cabins:
Another really cool alternative to tent or even RV camping is the cabins. There are 3 cabins, and they are located in the second loop of the campground. These are fully furnished, aside from bringing your own linens and cooking supplies.
Bothe-Napa Valley SP Campsites:
The campground is divided up into two loops. The first loop is more of a chaparral, madrone and manzanita in the landscape. The second loop is a bit more hilly and has some redwoods and sequoias. The campsites are really spaced apart well enough that you get a feeling of privacy. They all have fire pits, pantry storage and picnic tables.
When we were there, there was a ban on fires. We were allowed to have our propane BBQ as well as a propane fire ring pit. So that was great for us, as a lot of campgrounds don't allow any sort of heat or flames when they ban fires.
Bothe-Napa Valley SP Walk-in Campsites:
The walk-in sites were very nice and off the main campground loop. They were pretty large and a couple of them could accommodate a very large tent.
Bothe-Napa Valley SP Trails:
There are 10 trails in total within the park. Most are offshoots from main trails, giving you options on creating lengths and loops. I have included maps for the trails that are used more frequently.
Redwood Trail
is 3.0 miles out and back with a 419ft elevation gain.
Coyote Peak
4.7 miles and its considered a more difficult trail as it has about a 1000 ft elevation gain.
South Fork and Spring Fork:
These trails both connect to Coyote Peak via the Upper Ritchey Canyon Trail.
Ritchey Canyon and Coyote Peak:
This trail is approximately 6 miles. The upper Ritchey Canyon trail leads to the Traverso homestead dating to the 1880s. There is a State Park marker at this site but sadly it has been stolen. From what I could find, Traverso Biago died of starvation in 1890 as he, his wife and remaining family of 4 lived in a "shake shack" in what was known then as Hitchcock Canyon.
This map shows the option to head outot the Traverso Homestead site. In total the mileage is a little over 7 miles.
Pioneer Cemetery/History Loop
This very easy loop trail takes you to the Pioneer Cemetery where once stood the White Church built by Asa White. Headstones still stand, but the church has been lost to time. I didn't include a map as it's a very easily identified loop.
History Trail to Bale Gristmill State Park:
2.3 mile (loop) but really it's out and back. We took this trail and although it was said to be an easy hike, it literally started straight up hill and didn't end for a while. It leveled out for a very short time before climbing again.
The landscape was beautiful, even with the fire scarred trees. There was an area where it started to descend and there must have been a few hundred of large dragonflies zooming in and out, that made it magical.
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park Visitor Center
This historical building was built in the 1850's by George Tucker. You will see many of the Tuckers buried in the Pioneer Cemetery. When we were there in September 2021 it was unfortunately closed. But I have been told that it will reopen to the public again. I hope that when we go back we will be able to see the inside of this piece of California history.
What's Nearby?
This state park is in the heart of the Napa Valley. You can even catch a shuttle bus from the park to the city of St Helena for dinner and a stroll through town. Within a 45-minute drive, you can be at the Pacific Ocean on the Russian River. Jack London State Park is also about 45 scenic minutes from Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. If you're up for something on the wild side, you can have an animal encounter at Safari West, about 25-minute drive.
Helpful Resources:
I gathered the information for this article from a couple of different sources, as well as visiting it with my family. The Bothe Napa Valley State Park is managed by Napa County Regional Park, they have been a great resource, and I was able to find some valuable information from them. They do a noteworthy job of taking care of this historical park.
