Solage Magazine

HIKE HInts If your hike is in a state or county park, call ahead to the ranger station. These folks are happy to let you know whether the fog has lifted enough to afford a clear view, which wildflowers are abundant, or if it’s just too darn hot to make it to the top. Look out for poison oak, wear sun protection, and always take sufficient water and food to get you through a long hike. (there’s a four and a half–mile version as well, with a loop that links to other trails) through tan oaks, dogwoods, redwoods, and maples that offers a glimpse of Mount St. Helena and opens up to a great view of the Napa Valley and the Ritchey Canyon watershed. Access Bothe-Napa Valley from Highway 29 between Calistoga and St. Helena. valley, Mount Tamalpais, and the glistening San Francisco Bay. Access Skyline from Imola Avenue off of Highway 221 or Highway 29. bESt nO-SWEAt hikE The breezy, one-mile hike on the Nature Trail in the 73-acre Napa River Ecological Preserve can be completed in about an hour. It affords visitors quick access to a lovely and peaceful trail situated between the Napa River and Conn Creek near Yountville. Signs posted by the Napa-Solano Audubon Society help hikers identify the birds that flourish in this olders. The Wildlife Conservation Board purchased the property bESt hikE fOr WiLdfLOWErS It’s difficult for some old-timers to believe their eyes when they see Skyline Wilderness Park—with its 850 acres of wildflowers, native trees, views, and lakes—because it sits on the original site of Napa State Hospital. Today we can enjoy the oasis and its 12 hiking trails. A moderate three-mile hike along the Buckeye Trail to Lake Marie, just past the Martha Walker Native Habitat Garden (a treat by itself), leads through a growth habitat, which boasts large valley oaks and wildflowin 1974, and the hills are alive with more than 100 species of birds, including wood ducks, swallows, woodpeckers, owls, few miles from Highway 29 in Yountville. — hummingbirds, and Wilson’s warblers. Access to this trail is a serenade of Ithuriel’s spears, blue-eyed grass, California poppies, yellow Mariposa lilies, and lupine. The hardiest of hikers should continue on the eight-mile loop up toward Sugarloaf owls clover. Climb Rim Rock Trail for stunning views of the Mountain. Watch for yellow johnnytuck and purple-tipped For more information, check out www.parks.ca.gov, www.landpaths.org, or www.bahiker.com. 14 S O L AG E http://www.landpaths.org http://www.parks.ca.gov http://www.bahiker.com

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