With the end of the year rapidly approaching we made one final push just before Christmas to get in two more Nifty Ninety hikes. The timing could not have been better—after three consecutive days of rain, the clouds finally parted, the sun came out, and we were able to spend two nights camping in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenwood. The plan was similar to the one we had followed when we camped in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and used it as a base to reach multiple hikes in the area, such as Coyote Peak, Mt. Saint Helena and Table Rock. It would not be as ambitious of a hiking schedule, but we’d get closer to our goal of tackling all 90 peaks.
It was around noon when we arrived. After picking up our parking pass from the Visitor Center we headed to our spot—#3, a premium camping spot—and proceeded to set up camp and have lunch. The premium spots are supposed to be a bit bigger than the regular ones, and at $10 more, it worked out well since I noticed that we were in the sun (which maybe any other time of year might not be as desirable, but was highly appreciated in Dec when the outside temperature was in the 50s during the day) and the regular spots across the field were in the shade. We were also next to a creek that we could hear gurgling as it flowed past us, and not far from the bathhouse that had showers (which we didn’t use) and well-maintained restrooms.
After lunch we walked to the trailhead on the other side of the creek and proceeded to hike to Bald Mountain, our 76th peak.
That night, as the temperature dropped into the 40s, we had dinner around a big fire before crawling into our cozy 4-season tent. Since it was the weekend before Christmas there weren’t that many people camping (thank goodness), and the evening was peaceful.
The next morning we woke up to another beautiful, blue-sky day. We had a leisurely breakfast of blueberry pancakes and then drove 10 minutes to Hood Mountain Regional Preserve, located right next door. It’s actually possible to hike between the two parks. We spent the afternoon hiking to the top of Mount Hood, number 77, and when we were done, drove straight to The Fig Cafe in Glen Ellen for dinner. We got there shortly after they opened at 5:00 P.M. and indulged in a well deserved meal of butternut squash soup, roasted brussel sprouts, wild boar sugo with fettucine, duck confit, butterscotch pot de creme and persimmon bread pudding. Our bellies were so happy. Back in our tent, tucked cozily into our sleeping bags, it ended up being an early night for us.
Our final morning was slightly cloudy, a sign that it was time to go. We couldn’t leave the park though, without hiking to the waterfall.
Advertised as 0.3 miles, it definitely felt like we walked a lot farther than that. Perhaps this was due to the trail being all being downhill, winding through the moss covered forest, going deep into the canyon (I kept thinking we would have to climb out of this).
Eventually we reached the waterfall, a meager outpouring of water but I could see how it could be impressive after a bigger rain. It was pretty nonetheless. Fortunately, for some strange reason, the hike back up was as hard as I was expecting and definitely didn’t take as long as I thought it would.
Finally, back at the car, we left the park, but not without stopping in Kenwood for lunch and a glass of wine at VJB Cellars, followed by wine tasting at their sister property, Wellington, in Glen Ellen. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic two days of camping and hiking in wine country.