Robert Stone spent time around Lake Berryessa writing this book a year or so ago. I met him at dinner at Cucina Italiana while he was staying at Rustridge Ranch and Winery. It must be a tough way to make a living - traveling to beautiful places with your dog, hiking and writing!

He was kind enough to allow me to excerpt a couple of the Lake Berryessa hikes he included. This book is filled with fantastic hikes all over Napa and Sonoma Counties. I also included his praise of Rustridge Ranch and Winery.

Peter Kilkus

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Day Hikes Around Napa County by Robert Stone

www.dayhikebooks.com

Napa Valley is recognized as one of the premier wine growing regions in the world and a prime tourist destination 50 miles from San Francisco. The broad valley spreads alongside the lush Napa River oasis between two mountain ranges. Agricultural lands blend smoothly with a myriad of regional and state parks and thousands of acres of public greenspace.

Day Hikes Around Napa Valley provides the descriptions and directions to access the area’s hiking opportunities. Trails can be discovered throughout the valley, across mountain ranges, alongside bays and rivers, and through cool forests. Highlights include steep canyons, secluded redwood forests, the largest freshwater lake in California, a massive petrified forest, rugged rock formations, historical sites, protected wildlife habitats, and expansive ridgetop vistas to the Pacific and San Francisco. A wide range of hikes accommodates amateur to avid hikers, from urban strolls to panoramic peak trails. Also included is comprehensive trail access information for dog owners.

Each hike includes:

• detailed map

• accurate driving and hiking directions

• distance/time/elevation statistics

• list of relevant maps

• summaries to help hikers find a trail appropriate to their ability and desire

• several overall maps to show the hikes in the greater area

Since 1991, Robert Stone has been writer, photographer, and publisher of Day Hike Books. Robert has hiked every trail in the Day Hike Book series. With twenty-three hiking guides in the series, many in their third and fourth editions, he has hiked thousands of miles of trails throughout the western United States and Hawaii. Robert is a Los Angeles Times Best Selling Author, an award winning author of the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers (RMOWP), an award winning author of the Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC), and an active member with the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association (NOWA). Robert resides in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and the California Central Coast.

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33. Barton Hill

LAKE BERRYESSA

Hiking distance: 0.9-mile loop

Hiking time: 30 minutes

Elevation gain: 80 feet

Dogs: allowed

Maps: U.S.G.S. Walter Springs

Summary of hike: Lake Berryessa is a man-made reservoir on the rural and wild eastern side of Napa County. Prior to the inundation of the reservoir, Berryessa Valley was a productive agricultural region. Monticello, the main town in the valley, was abandoned in order to construct the reservoir. Monticello Dam, built in 1957, rises to a height of 304 feet and spans over a thousand feet across Devil's Gate Canyon on Putah Creek at the southern end of the reservoir. The 26-mile-long lake covers 19,250 acres and is among the largest lakes in California.

The lake is nestled between Blue Ridge and Cedar Roughs. It is surrounded by nearly 29,000 acres of federally owned or managed lands. Oak woodlands and chaparral-covered slopes surround the steep and rocky southern end of the lake. The shallow north end has a grassy shoreline with gentle, sloping banks.

Barton Hill is a rounded, 500-foot grassy knoll dotted with oaks on the northwest shore of Lake Berryessa. Located between the inlet streams of Putah Creek and Eticuera Creek, Barton Hill juts out into the lake. This easy hike circles the scenic knoll, overlooking inlets and coves populated with migratory birds and shorebirds. Throughout the hike are gorgeous vistas up and across the lake to the surrounding mountains.

Driving directions: RUTHERFORD: From the Silverado Trail east of Rutherford, drive 11.2 miles east on Sage Canyon Road (Highway 128) to Berryessa Knoxville Road. Turn left and continue 13 miles to Pope Canyon Road, just after crossing over Pope Creek. Continue 3 miles straight ahead-staying on Berryessa Knoxville Road-to the posted Barton Hill Trail on the right by mile marker 15.87. Park in the pullout on the right by the trailhead.

ANGWIN: From the Pope Canyon Road and Chiles & Pope Valley Road junction-east of Angwin-drive 9.3 miles east on Pope Canyon Road to Berryessa Knoxville Road at Lake Berryessa. Turn left and continue 3 miles to the posted Barton Hill Trail on the right by mile marker 15.87. Park in the pullout on the right by the trailhead.

Hiking directions: Walk down wooden steps past the Barton Hill trail sign to the oak-dotted hillside. Head down the sloping meadow overlooking Lake Berryessa and the rugged eastern mountains across the lake. Near the shoreline, at the base of the Barton Hill, veer left and follow the footpath to the east end of the promontory. Go left and head north along the base of Barton Hill, skirting the edge of the cliffs above a rocky beach. Descend to the beach in a deep cove. Cross the beach or take the parallel footpath along the edge of the hillside cliff. Continue to the protected calm water at the west end of the cove. Walk up Gibson Flat, an open grassland rimmed with oaks. Pass through the Gibson Flat trailhead gate at Berryessa Knoxville Road. Walk 0.15 miles left on the road, completing the loop at the Barton Hill trailhead.

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35. Smittle Creek Trail:

Oak Shores Park to Smittle Creek Park

LAKE BERRYESSA

Hiking distance: 5 miles round trip

Hiking time: 2.5 hours

Elevation gain: 100 feet

Dogs: allowed

Maps: U.S.G.S. Lake Berryessa Smittle Creek trail map

Summary of hike: Berryessa Knoxville Road parallels the west shore of Lake Berryessa and offers access to marinas, campgrounds, beaches, and the park headquarters. Oak Shores Park and Smittle Creek Park sit on the west shore of Lake Berryessa. The large day-use parks are popular recreation areas with sandy beaches, picnic areas, and fishing sites. Oak Shores Park has eight different recreation areas with a hundred picnic sites. The two lakefront parks are connected by the Smittle Creek Trail, a 2.6 mile trail that follows the shoreline of Lake Berryessa (back cover photo). The trail explores gorgeous inlets, quiet coves, and crosses over oak-covered knolls. Throughout the hike are closeup views of Big Island and Small Island, where bald eagles are frequently sighted.

Driving directions:

RUTHERFORD: From the Silverado Trail east of Rutherford, drive 11.2 miles east on Sage Canyon Road (Highway 128) to Berryessa Knoxville Road. Turn left and continue 7.5 miles to the Oak Shores Day Use Area on the right. (It is located 0.8 miles past the visitor center.) Turn right to the entrance kiosk. From the kiosk, turn left and drive 0.8 miles, following the signs to Coyote Knolls. Park in the paved lot by the Smittle Creek Trail sign and kiosk on the right.

NAPA: From the Silverado Trail and Trancas Street in Napa, drive 12.5 miles northeast on Highway 121 (Monticello Road) to a T-junction with Highway 128. Turn left and continue 4.8 miles to Berryessa Knoxville Road. Turn right and continue 7.5 miles to the Oak Shores Day Use Area, following the directions above.

Hiking directions: Take the well-defined path northbound, and loop around a finger of the lake. Staying close to the water, loop around a second finger through groves of live oak, manzanita, and grassland. Leave the two-fingered inlet, and skirt a small bay overlooking the two oak-studded islands of Big Island and Small Island. Follow the edge of the main body of Lake Berryessa, and loop around another finger of the lake. Cross a wooden footbridge over the seasonal drainage. Zigzag up the hillside and descend through the forest to the back end of another cove. Cross a bridge over the drainage and climb a couple of switchbacks. Return to the edge of the lake, and continue on the sloping hillside to a beach on the main body of the lake. Climb steps, traverse the hill, and loop around another inlet. Walk over a bridge and cross over two consecutive hills, passing two more inlets. The trail ends at a picnic area with sandy beaches at the Smittle Creek picnic area.

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