I’ve run/hike/walked up Timberhill Park probably close to 50 times since living in Napa Valley. I strongly believe it’s one of the most underrated trails in Napa. It’s rarely crowded, and if you see another person there, you consider it “busy.”
.”About Timberhill Park Trail:
You can find a map here. Timberhill Park Trailhead is in a neighborhood, and there is street parking at the trailhead. I’ve never seen more than 2 cars there. It’s 1.5 miles long (.75 up and back down). In the .75 up, you gain nearly 350 feet of elevation (so it’s steep). For the most part, it’s a paved road. There is one small section where it’s a dirt trail.
You can run, walk, hike, walk your dog, ride a bike, or really whatever you want at Timberhill Park as long as you stay on the trail. Since the rest of the land is private property with cows, it’s advised to stay on the trail. The cows do get aggressive during mating season (Spring). When they are mating and calving in the Springtime, it is harder to get to the top. The cows will often block the path.
The Timberhill Park Trail views are beautiful, and I would argue, some of the best in the Napa Valley city area. For the walk of 1.5 miles, you can see the entire downtown and out towards the mountains. Plus, it’s never crowded, and it’s a paved trail.
Since it’s an out and back, it’s hard to get lost. In fact, you really have to try to get lost. I usually break it down to the first .3, which is a gradual incline. Then it gets slightly steeper before the small first section (no more than 20 steps). After the dirt section is about .3, which is the steepest section. The open space starts actually to open up, and you think, “this is beautiful,” but it does get better. The last .2 is a slight incline to wear you reach the top but, for the most part, the flattest part of the journey.
As you can see, I do believe Timberhill Park is underrated and has some of the best views in Napa. If you get a chance, I highly suggest taking a walk or run up there.
You can see more hikes and trail runs here.
Questions for you:
Have you been to Timberhill Park in Napa?
What is your favorite trail?
Definitely a cool little park, but it is kind of weird in terms of layout. I think it was an old right of way that the county is responsible for but is no longer used for cars, kind of like Oat Hill Mine Road (which would be wagons, in that case).
I heard at one point they wanted to make a neighborhood up there but it was too challenging with the road and terrain. Have you heard that before?