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Home Get Involved Wonders & Wanders Mt. St. Helena |
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Mount St. Helena, Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
Overview Basics
Getting There Driving: Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is located at the intersection of Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties. It lacks public restroom facilities, so it's a good idea to stop at the public restrooms in the town of Calistoga before you venture north (across from the Sharpsteen Museum, which is at 1311 Washington St.). From Calistoga, head north on Highway 29 for seven miles. You’ll see a sign for Robert Louis Stevenson State Park at 3801 Saint Helena Hwy, and there are parking areas on both sides of Highway 29. Park in the left-hand lot, which is closest to the trailhead.
The establishment in 1823 of the Mexican mission in the nearby town of Sonoma marked the beginning of the end for the Wappo. Mexican soldiers under the command of General Vallejo fought the Wappo, but in 1836 the warring parties signed a peace treaty. General Vallejo started giving away land in Napa shortly thereafter, dispensing thousands of acres of land as "ranchos" to friends and acquaintances. In 1836 there were approximately 8,000 Wappos in the Napa area; conflict and disease reduced their numbers to 500 by 1850, and by 1908 less than 40 Wappo remained. Settlement of the Napa area was sparse until after the Gold Rush. Farmers raising crops and livestock settled on farms throughout Napa valley, and the first vineyard was planted in 1852. Mining for silver and cinnabar (the ore from which mercury is made) brought miners to the area in the late 1850s and 1860s. The railroad came to Napa in 1864, connecting the growing communities stretching from Vallejo to Calistoga. An electric rail line was added in 1902 connecting Benicia with Calistoga. As the car ascended in popularity in the early twentieth century, the rail lines disappeared; today the Wine Train is all that remains of the railroad in Napa.
Robert Louis Stevenson Park Start on the Mount St. Helena Trail toward the monument. It starts as a graded switchback that takes you towards the Robert Louis Stevenson memorial site. Stevenson, a Scottish essayist, poet and author of fiction, adventure and travel books, won fame with tales like Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It's said that Mount St. Helena was the basis for Treasure Island's Spyglass Hill. In late winter and early spring, you may be lucky enough to come across seasonal streams filled with runoff from the spring rains, cascading toward the Napa River as they run alongside portions of the trail. Travel through the mixed evergreen forest and as you do, watch for fragrant bay laurels, giant madrones and Douglas firs. When you come to a clearing, you'll see a historical monument marking the abandoned miner's shack where Robert Louis Stevenson once spent seven weeks recovering from tuberculosis. He and his new bride, Fanny Osbourne, honeymooned here in 1880 while Stevenson regained his health. He documented their stay in The Silverado Squatters, a pleasant description of their adventures and domestic life.
Notice that knobcone pines and chaparral plants such as manzanita and chamise become more common as you scramble up the streambed. Chaparral is a plant community composed of evergreen shrubs and short trees that are adapted to fire and drought-resistant. In fact, chaparral actually needs fire to propagate; a wildfire's extreme heat breaks down the tough coatings on the evergreens' seeds, making them permeable to water and able to grow. Chaparral (from the Spanish "chaparro," or thicket of oak shrubs) grows in areas with poor, rocky soil, hot dry summers, and limited rainfall (12-14 inches/year). As a result, it's found in just five places that have the right combination of warm landmass and cool ocean: California, South Africa, Western Australia, Southern Europe and South America. After less than half a mile, you'll reach a wide fire road. Carefully note your surroundings before you proceed; as you return this way later, the turn-off into the small streambed you just left would be easy to overlook. You may want to leave a handkerchief or some biodegradable trail marking tape to highlight the trail entrance. Turn left and walk uphill on the fire road. Note that from here on, the trail is exposed; be sure to protect yourself from the sun. This area features evergreen forests in the canyons lining the north-facing slopes, while chaparral dominates the south-facing slopes. Find a manzanita or chamise (chaparral). What adaptations to water scarcity can you see? Perhaps you've noticed that the branches, even the terminal branches that hold leaves, are thick, tough and woody. The small leaves may be small and leathery, and, they might hang vertically. All of these adaptations help minimize transpiration, water loss caused by the hot sun. Also because of water scarcity, manzanita living on the mountain's higher slopes will be more shrub-like than tree-like. As you climb, notice that prevailing winds from the west tend to sculpt plants that are higher on the mountain, making them look like they're almost ducking to escape each gust.
While Mount St. Helena is of volcanic origin, it's not actually a volcano. Sound confusing? Well, while there used to be a volcano in this area, it wasn't Mount St. Helena, which actually arose as successive layers of lava solidified over manifold ridges and older rock sediments. Later movements of the earth's crust folded and fractured these layers, stratifying the volcanic sediment and eventually raising Mount St. Helena to its current height. Geologists call this area the Clear Lake Volcanic Field, and it is home to many volcanically active features like geysers and hot springs. The same volcano that created Mount St. Helena also petrified the trees in the Petrified Forest north of Calistoga. Continue along to the third hairpin turn in the fire road. At this curve (about 1.6 miles) you'll find Bubble Rock, an 85-foot tall formation that's popular for technical rock-climbing. Climbs range from a gully that's quite easy at a 5.2-5.3 rating, all the way up to sheer 5.12 rock faces. As you climb them, behind you is a sweeping vista that includes Calistoga, Napa and Mt. Tamalpais. If you decide to forgo the rock climb, take a short break here and look down into the Napa Valley. Notice the abundance of vineyards and other fertile agricultural lands. The volcanic activity that created Mount St. Helena and the Palisades blew ash and volcanically generated nutrients all over the valley, enriching the soil for agricultural use. (For more information about how geology affects grape-growing, please see Professor Terry Wright's Web site.)
Pull out your topo maps if you'd like to use them to identify some of the area's prominent geological features. Due south is Mt. Tamalpais—can you see the three humps that inspired the Greenbelt Alliance logo? And straight down the valley toward Napa you’ll notice Mt. Diablo, the tallest mountain visible to the southeast. Continue up the fire road. Just a few minutes of walking gives you one of the best views of the Palisades. These cliffs are home to the endangered peregrine falcon and have also been known as the Peregrine Cliffs. The continued existence of this beautiful geological formation is also a tribute to 30 years of efforts by citizen activists to preserve California's natural beauty. At various times, much of the land at the base of the cliffs was threatened by wasteful sprawl development. However, thanks to watchful (and vocal!) community members, various government agencies and the Napa County Land Trust were alerted to the threat. After decades of battles and some strategic land acquisition, this area has been permanently saved. 2002 marked the opening of another great place to hike the greenbelt—the Palisades Trail, which runs from Calistoga to the St. Helena Trail trailhead. It's a tribute to efforts originally begun by the Palisades-Swartz Canyon Citizens Committee, and in fact, Greenbelt Alliance founder Dorothy Erskine was instrumental in getting this early effort rolling. In 1969 she lobbied the Nature Conservancy for a loan of $8,000 to buy the Halfway House, a historical building on the trail that once housed Chinese laborers.
Also, look at the eastern slopes below you and note their serpentine soil. Serpentine, which is California's state rock, is formed by water mixing with peridotite at extremely high pressure and relatively low temperature. This type of rock usually parallels fault zones; it fractures, weathers and erodes to produce a typically thin layer of nutrient-poor soil. It's usually low in calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus, limiting the types of herbaceous and woody plants that can grow in it. As you pass a smaller rock formation on your left, there's another great view of the Palisades. Take a brief water break here; you are nearing the top.
The right-hand fork leads to the northeastern summit—the highest point on Mount St. Helena. To reach it, continue on the trail to the north. You'll encounter two more junctions on your way to the northeast peak, but stay on the main trail towards the summit. After a little less than a mile you'll come to a sharp bend in the road. Continue past this bend for another half-mile. You will pass a radio tower on your right before you reach the antenna-covered crest of Mount St. Helena. Here, hidden on the southwest side of a large shed, you'll see a plaque commemorating the establishment of the Russian settlement of Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast, as well as an 1841 Russian ascent of the peak. Amazingly, on clear days you may see the top of Mt. Shasta, 192 miles distant. On your return trip, retrace your steps, and be sure to watch carefully for that turn-off from the fire road on your right. It occurs right before a hairpin turn; if you’ve walked more than a mile past Bubble Rock, you’ve probably missed the trail.
Recommended reading: Mt. St. Helena and Robert Louis Stevenson State Park: A History and
Guide Stevenson at Silverado
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