Completed: April 29, 2023 | Elevation: North Peak – 4,343′, South Peak – 4,003′ | Trail: Mt. Saint Helena Trail (+ spur to South Peak) Out-and-Back | Distance: 10.2 miles
We were camping in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and had gotten up early, but by the time we had breakfast and made sandwiches, it was after 8:30 A.M. when we headed out. Fortunately, it was only a 20 minute drive to the Mount Saint Helena trailhead in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, named after the author of Treasure Island who honeymooned there back in the 1800s.
The first 0.5 mile of Stevenson Memorial Trail was a series of gradual switchbacks through the woods. Once it leveled off we found ourselves in a small clearing where we saw the memorial to Robert Louis Stevenson. The text was hard to read but this is what’s etched into the book-like tablet: “Doomed to know not Winter only Spring, a being trod the flowery April blithely for a while took his fill of music, joy of thought and seeing came and stayed and went nor ever ceased to smile.” RLS
Our journey continued until we met up with Mount Saint Helena Trail, a wide, exposed path that climbed gradually up to the summit and offered expansive views of the rolling hills of wine country.
About 3.5 miles in we saw the turn off for South Peak, which we would do on our way down. In the distance, we could see the communication tower on top of North Peak.
It took us another 30 from here to make it to the top, which is marked by a rocky outcropping and the replica of a plaque left by Russians who ascended the peak in the mid-1800s. From here we had panoramic views of the surrounding counties and could see the snowy tops of larger mountains on the horizon. We didn’t linger long, not keen to stay within close proximity of an active tower.
As we headed back, we made a quick detour to South Peak. There wasn’t much to see from here and the top itself is quite uninteresting, being somewhat denuded and marked with another tower.
On our way down we stopped to have lunch in the shade of a tree. It was around 12:30. There were quite a few people heading up. I mentally applauded them for hiking in peak heat. This time when we reached Bubble Wall, a large rock face pock-marked with holes, we saw a group of climbers. I could see why this would be a great natural climbing wall—the “bubbles” were the perfect hand and feet holds.
A short while later we returned to Stevenson Memorial Trail and the cooling shade of the forest. The hike had been hot and we had easily gone through our two liters of water each. Back at the car, we took a break and refilled our bottles, while mentally preparing ourselves for our hike to Table Rock, our third and final peak in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.
Coda
While it’s a long and continuously uphill climb, it’s not actually a very hard hike. Having said that, it’s still best to do when the weather is cooler. Other than the portion that’s in the shade of the forest, the rest of the trail is exposed.