The Napa Open Space District is celebrating our 20th anniversary this year! In honor of this milestone, we’ve been revisiting bits of our history and journey through to present day in our newsletter and social media feeds. The below was originally published in our February, 2026 newsletter. If you would like to receive the monthly newsletter in your inbox, sign up using the form at the bottom of this page.
Ours is the story of possibility. Sometimes known in our early days as “the little district that could” (yes, just like the train engine). We’ve worked for the past two decades to build an Open Space District from whole cloth, protecting and sharing the natural open spaces we’re all so lucky to have here in Napa County.
Voted into existence in 2006, the Napa Open Space District was born into the world with very little in the way of resources, but an almost blank slate of potential. In those days, Skyline Park and the State Parks were really the only parks with full trail networks to enjoy, and while there were certainly publicly owned lands, most were not accessible for recreational use.
The District had one full-time staff person, a tiny budget, and a mandate to create a functional park and open space district.
In that first year, the District focused on projects that could be mounted with little cost, but where we could start to make a difference and lay the groundwork for the future. We started conversations about operating agreements where we could step in and manage public trails like portions of the Napa River and Bay Trail, and started talking with the county about opening the abandoned Oat Hill Mine Road as a recreational trail for public use.
Looking at older maps from 2006-2008, some trails did exist, but many were not maintained and many more were not publicly accessible.
By our second year, we were off to the races countywide and working at a pace that hasn’t slowed down since.
In 2008 alone, the District acquired the original 672 acre property that would become Moore Creek Park near St Helena; opened the new Oat Hill Mine Trail in partnership with Napa County (which launched our volunteer program with more than 2,500 volunteer hours rehabilitating and improving the trail); was awarded a grant to design and develop what would become Wetlands Edge Park in American Canyon; received the easement that would make the Berryessa Peak Trail possible; started planning work on Eco Camp Berryessa; acquired the Berryessa Vista Wilderness property; began work on securing an easement for the River to Ridge Trail in the City of Napa; hosted our first educational programs; and the list goes on!
The little district that could, it turns out, actually could! And we haven’t stopped could-ing since.
The current maps of NOSD’s publicly accessible parks and trails go out of date almost as quickly as we can produce them!
It’s striking to look back at the early documents and annual reports from the first few years of District operations. It’s a never-ending stream of thinking creatively about partnerships and finding the places where our District could step in and further efforts to protect open spaces and/or increase public access. The list of community members, sister agencies and organizations becoming partners, and new activities and ideas grows exponentially each year in those documents and blossoms into the parks, trails, and activities that we enjoy today.
Looking back at the history of our District shows what’s possible with determination and creativity, a proof of concept of what’s possible to build. And as we’ve opened more publicly accessible areas, we’ve only seen demand and appetite for even more growth from all of you. We’re very much looking ahead to the future and will continue to find ways to protect more lands and open up more trails as quickly as we’re able.
