In Napa, Wilderness Above the Wineries

In Napa, Wilderness Above the Wineries By KERMIT PATTISON http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/travel/escapes/08Napa.html?em&ex=1181620800&en=326611186d3c2b9e&ei=5087%0A AFTER hours of tromping through the hills of Napa County, beneath towering redwoods, over mountain creeks, past ruins of 19th-century homesteads, there still wasn't a single grape to be seen. Finally, from the top of a mountain peak, there was the wine country at last. Grids of green vineyards stretched for miles. Far below, perched on a hilltop, stood a white stucco winery that seemed small as a matchbox. From the highway, Napa seems to be wall-to-wall vineyards. But from the trails that snake through the hills of the county, you can see just how little of it is actually covered in vines — only about 9 percent. I had detoured into the hills to appreciate the Napa terroir in a new way — by hiking it. Napa offers a rare pairing of wine and wilderness. The climate and topography that make the region so ripe for viticulture also have created misty forests, petrified trees, striking rock formations and peaks with sweeping views of the vineyards. “The hiking in Napa Valley is phenomenal,” said Ken Stanton, author of the guidebook “Great Day Hikes In and Around Napa Valley.” “There are places that still look like they did a hundred years ago.” Better yet, hiking Napa means you don't have to sleep in a tent. Several excellent hikes lie within a short drive of the valley's renowned bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants and wineries. You can easily design an itinerary that captures the duality of Napa: a series of day hikes in the hills fueled by nights of food and wine on the valley floor. A good place to begin is in the heart of wine country, at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, five miles north of the craftsman homes and Victorian mansions of St. Helena. In the woods of Bothe, you can imagine Napa as the early settlers might have seen it. The park nestles against the western slope of the valley, where some of Napa's oldest wineries, like Beringer and Schramsberg, dug their first wine caves in the 1800s. Development and vineyards are slowly claiming more of Napa's acreage, but in Bothe that process has been reversed, and wilderness has reclaimed the land. In the brush beside a trail stands an old stone wall, perhaps a relic of a former vineyard. A one-mile hike on the state park's history trail passes a pioneer cemetery, the site of Napa Valley's first Methodist church, and ends at the Bale Grist Mill, built in 1846. At the mill, the overshot water wheel and millstones still grind corn and wheat. Bothe is one of the few places in the valley to see redwoods. These great trees covered much of Northern California until they were decimated by logging after the Gold Rush. Bothe's redwoods sprouted after the area was logged in the 1850s, yet even these second-growth trees inspire awe. THE forest was shrouded in cool mist as I hiked beside a bubbling creek. A great blue heron took off from the rocky bottom and flew upstream, maneuvering its great wingspan through the twisting ravine. (On a previous visit, a pair of deer dashed across my path.) After a two-mile walk to Coyote Peak, a break in the trees revealed a dazzling view of the vineyards from 1,170 feet. The roads below were crowded with weekend traffic, but the summit was silent except for the wind whooshing through the treetops and the faint rumble of the occasional wine tanker truck passing far below. In the distance, the wooded slopes of the Coastal Range faded into the horizon, one ridge after another, in ever duller shades of green. At the head of the valley loomed Mount St. Helena, at 4,343 feet one of the tallest peaks in the Bay Area, shrouded in clouds like the Mount Olympus of the land of Bacchus. Luckily, the comforts of the valley floor are never far away. A five-minute drive south of the park takes you to the California campus of the Culinary Institute of America, on the edge of St. Helena. When I visited, a chef in a white toque prepared sopa de ajo inside a demonstration kitchen, and the bakery case brimmed with goodies baked by pastry students. In Napa, no hiker should have to subsist on trail mix. Before Napa became famous for wine, its economy depended on another natural resource: mining. In the late 19th century, cinnabar (the ore used to make mercury), gold and silver mines dotted the mountainsides of the upper valley. Today, the old wagon roads now form some of the region's best hiking trails. In 1880, Robert Louis Stevenson and his bride, Fanny, honeymooned in an abandoned bunkhouse at the Silverado mine on the slopes of Mount St. Helena. They'd gone there to flee the fogs of San Francisco, which were thought harmful to the writer's sickly and perhaps tubercular lungs. “The woods sang aloud, and gave largely of their healthful breath,” Stevenson wrote of his first ascent up the mountain. “Gladness seemed to inhabit these upper zones, and we had left indifference behind us in the valley. ... There are days in a life when thus to climb out of the lowlands seems like scaling heaven.” Or maybe it was just the wine. The bunkhouse is long gone, but the site is part of Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. Dappled sunlight filters through the trees, and the cool mountain air smells of pine, just as Stevenson described it more than a century before. The next hike began near Stevenson's former honeymoon cabin at the Highway 29 trailhead. Mr. Stanton calls this 11-mile trek from the slopes of Mount St. Helena down to Calistoga “the premier hike in Napa Valley” because of its varied terrain and spectacular views. The trail winds through two miles of forests and chaparral to Table Rock, a massive overlook with a condor's-eye view of the upper valley from 2,465 feet. From the valley floor, I'd looked up at mountain mansions that seemed to occupy the super-rich stratosphere; now I looked down on their tiny rooftops. A short distance away stood the T-Rex rock, a formation named for its resemblance to the dinosaur and a reminder of the valley's prehistoric origins. Millions of years ago, volcanic eruptions buried the land in lava and ash. (Visitors can appreciate the power of these cataclysms with a short hike through the petrified forest near Calistoga, where trees toppled by violent blasts were buried in ash and turned to stone.) Contrary to popular myth, however, these mountains are not extinct volcanoes. Rather, Napa's two ranges — the Vaca on the east and Mayacamas on the west — were thrust upward by the plate tectonics in what some geologists liken to gigantic freeway pileups of volcanic and marine rocks. This diversity of soils, along with microclimates created by the terrain, is reflected in the distinctiveness of Napa's wines. The trail from the slopes of Mount St. Helena continues below one of the most stunning relics of this geologic history: the Palisades, a rampart-like volcanic formation high above Calistoga. Peregrine falcons nested in the craggy heights, and raptors soared on the thermals. The trail wound through dewy meadows dotted with wildflowers, mossy groves fed by mountain springs and hillsides strewn with boulders. The hike passes the ruins of a homestead built in 1898 by a Swedish sailor. Only foundation stones remain, shaded by oaks, and they make fine picnic benches. Across a meadow, one small part of the homesteader's dream survived: a few of his apple trees were blossoming with spring flowers. The footprints of history are also visible on the Historic Oat Hill Mine Road, which descends from the homestead five miles to Calistoga. The old path once served one of the world's largest mercury mines, and the rocky surface still bears the ruts of wagon wheels. Of course, there are less strenuous ways to enjoy the views. After the hike, my wife and I dined on the deck of the Auberge du Soleil resort on the eastern slopes above Rutherford. We sipped a local cabernet and watched the sun sink over the mountains to the west. In those distant peaks awaited the most spectacular vistas of all. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park straddles the mountains between Napa and Sonoma. As a hawk flies, it lies only four miles from St. Helena. But the journey, like fine wine, can't be rushed. By car, it's 25 miles. The highest point at the Sugarloaf Ridge park is the 2,729-foot Bald Mountain. If the climb didn't take my breath away, the view from the windswept summit did. To the east, the vineyards of Napa Valley spread out in panoramic view. Huge wine tanks appeared small as grape seeds. A plane buzzed over St. Helena just below eye level. To the south, more than 40 miles away, the skyscrapers of San Francisco and the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge poked through the fog. To the west lay the vineyards of Sonoma Valley, Santa Rosa and the Pacific Ocean. A steady stream of hikers trudged up to the peak and stopped to admire the views. “It's amazing,” said Joanne Thompson, a tourist from the Boston area, as she stood on the peak. “You can see 360 degrees.” You could drink in the entire wine country in one gulp. I spent an hour on the summit before reluctantly returning. Of course, I had one consolation: that night I'd be sipping the fruits of these valleys once again. High And Dry Non-Wine Trails THREE California state parks offer nondrinking ways to experience the Napa Valley. Information on all three is available at www.parks.ca.gov. BOTHE-NAPA VALLEY STATE PARK This 2,000-acre park has about 10 miles of trails shaded by forests of redwood, Douglas fir, oak and madrone. Horseback riding and camping are permitted. Directions: 3801 St. Helena Highway North, Calistoga. The park is on Highway 29, five miles north of St. Helena. ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON STATE PARK At this 5,272-acre park, shade is limited and some areas are hot in summer. No restrooms or camping. The Mount St. Helena Trail (5.3 miles, 2,100-foot elevation gain) follows a fire road to the summit. Table Rock Trail (2.2 miles, moderate difficulty) winds though forests and chaparral to a scenic overlook. It connects to Palisades Trail (four miles, moderately strenuous), which connects to Oat Hill Mine Road (4.5 miles, moderate). Hikers also can access Oat Hill Mine Road from a trailhead at Highway 29 and Silverado Trail in Calistoga. Directions: Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is seven miles north of Calistoga on Highway 29. Look for trailheads on both sides of the road at highest part of the highway. Information for both parks: (707) 942-4575. SUGARLOAF RIDGE STATE PARK In this 2,820-acre park, camping and horseback riding are permitted. There are about 25 miles of trails. The hike to summit of Bald Mountain is 2.8 miles and moderately strenuous. Directions: End of Adobe Canyon Road off Route 12, Kenwood. The park is seven miles southeast of Santa Rosa. Information: (707) 833-5712.