Recently my husband and I moved to Napa, Ca. Most people know Napa is one of the wine capitals of the country, but there is also a lot of great hiking there. The Skyline Wilderness Park is one of the most well-known parks. It does cost $5 to enter, but with 25 miles of well-kept hiking trails, it’s a great deal. Plus, if you visit Napa and want to do something fitness related such as hiking, running, or mountain biking, the Skyline Wilderness Park is an excellent opportunity to do that.
Since there are 25 miles of Trails at the Skyline Wilderness Park, I’ll probably have more posts of other trails I explore.
I’m always interested in the history of places I visit and there is a lot of history to the Skyline Wilderness Park.
It started in 1979 when the land beside the State Hospital was declared to be surplus. The community got together and bought the property to create a park. The Skyline Wilderness Park finally opened in 1983. At first, the Skyline Wilderness Park was only open for hiking, biking and horseback riding but later, there were new additions such as an RV Camp area, tent area, and even picnic area.
About the Skyline Wilderness Peak Trails:
Horseback Riding: There are 16 miles of riding trails, and you can view vistas, including Mt. Tamalpais, Mt. St. Helena, Mt. George, North San Francisco Bay and the Napa Valley. The Skyline Wilderness Park even holds 4-H horse competitions throughout the year.
Biking: These bike trails at the Skyline Wilderness Park are tough. My husband is an avid mountain biker, and even he commented on how tough they are. There are 16 miles of rocky terrain to bike too.
Hiking: Of course, the reason we can to Skyline Wilderness Park was for hiking. There are 25 miles of hiking trails.
Some Other Fun Activities to do at Skyline Wilderness Park:
- Archery Range: There is a 42 target NFAA approved field range
- 18 hole Disc Golf
- Martha Walker Garden Habits: It’s now a popular place for students and people to visit and view the Garden
We got to the Skyline Wilderness Park around one. It was busy, but not too crowded. There were still plenty of parking spots open. Everyone was wearing or had masks. The Skyline Wilderness Park is the first park I’ve seen where everyone had masks. We didn’t encounter many people on the trails, but when we did, everyone (including us) was respectful to keep covered.
This was the first trip to Skyline Wilderness Park, so we decided to do the Skyline Trail.
The Skyline Trail has:
- 3.34 miles
- It begins at Lake Marie Road. The first mile is a significant climb, so be prepared. I wasn’t going to wear my trail shoes, but luckily I did. The Hoka Speedgoat was perfect. The climb goes up about 700 feet at 16% grade. It’s tough, but the views from the Skyline Trail are some of the best we’ve seen in Napa so far. You end up at just over 1000 feet of elevation.
- If you’re looking for an easier climb, the Lower Skyline trail is a 13% grade.
It was beautiful, and the Skyline Wilderness Park has already become a local favorite of mine. I can’t wait to explore more trails and see what else it has to offer. Who knows, maybe I’ll even do some easy trail running there.
You can see more hikes here.
Questions for you:
Do you have any fun parks in your backyard?
Have you ever been to Napa or the Skyline Wilderness Park?