Our 3rd Saturday Hike series has been a monthly staple for some time now and we’re always looking forward to getting together to explore the outdoors with everyone!
Join us at various parks and trails as we explore the diversity of the beautiful and historic county we call home.
Throughout 2020, we were forced to get creative with these events and have compiled quite the library of “virtual 3rd Saturday Hike” videos for you to enjoy anytime. Learn about the history, geology, and flora of Napa County, go on a virtual bike ride on the Oat Hill Mine Trail, see the Bale Mill in action, and more. All of our videos are below and you can click and watch from home.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Plan your 2026 hike schedule!
Get out your calendars and make plans to join us for some or all of the monthly guided hikes that are part of our 3rd Saturday Hike series. We’ve planned out the entire year and are looking forward to seeing you on these free group hikes. In honor of our 20th anniversary, we’ve assembled some of our greatest hits, the most popular hikes, as well as adding in some interesting new additions with NOSD partner groups. See the 2026 slate of hikes here.
Keep your eyes peeled for the RSVP links to go live for these upcoming 3rd Saturday Hikes! These will be open for (free) registration early in the month each month.
March 21: Oat Hill Mine Trail Geology and Wildflowers
Interested in geology? Love wildflowers?
We figured we’d combine a couple of our favorite interests while highlighting Oat Hill Mine Trail again. Join Sarah Clark on this steep but spectacular ramble where you can rock out and let the flowers power you up the trail.
We have two hikes for you to enjoy with us this April!
April 11: Falling in Love with Lichens
Join us for a closer look at the beautiful and fascinating symbiotic world of lichens. Lichens are neither plants nor animals, so what are they?
We will take a casual walk along the Redwood Trail in Bothe Napa Valley State Park to dive into the Realm of the Little Things. We may even encounter some lichen neighbors, the liverworts and hornworts along the way. Don’t worry, they are friendly. Bringing a hand lens or a magnifying glass can be helpful, but not necessary.
Leading our hike will be Loren Gerstein a Certified California Naturalist and a member of the California Lichen Society. Since attending his first lichen hike in 2021 at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, he has spent countless hours studying and photographing lichens. He enjoys opening up others to this often overlooked part of our natural world.
April 18: Zim Zim Falls
This is a great hike featuring wildflowers, stream crossings, and a waterfall. Definitely one not to miss!
The trail follows Zim Zim Creek north of Lake Berryessa and has multiple stream crossings, with wildflowers lining the trail.
This is a moderate to difficult 7.5-mile hike with approximately 1250’ elevation gain and multiple stream crossings which require hikers to rock hop, remove their boots, wear waterproof boots, or hike with wet feet and is an out-and-back hike.
The hike will be led by Certified California Naturalist, Nate Lillge. Nate is the Program Director for Tuleyome, a non-profit based in Woodland that has been helping conserve, enhance, restore, and enjoy the public lands in the Northern Inner Coast Range Mountains and western Sacramento Valley since 2002.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch, and water for this outing since it will be a longer day than usual. Hiking boots or sturdy, close-toed shoes are required. Dry socks and shoes are recommended for the drive home. Dress for variable weather.
Check Out Our Library of Past Virtual 3rd Saturday Hike Videos Below:
Mines and Minerals – Aetna Springs – March 20, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
Join us for a little known hike—and one of our naturalist’s favorites—Aetna Springs, which is on the backside of Oat Hill Mine Trail. Sarah will guide us on a tour of its geology and history of mining. Come check out the other side of Napa County with us!
This month’s 3rd Saturday Hike will be a different format than the usual. We’ve put together a slide presentation discussing the geology and history of this area that you can view at your own pace.
- See Sarah’s brief introduction video here.
- Then check out Mines and Minerals of the Oat Hill Mine Trail – Aetna Extension
Instructions for playing the slideshow: Once you open the link, you can click the “Present” button in the upper right hand corner. Then click on “Present from Beginning” to start the slide deck from the beginning. Click on the screen with your mouse, or use the right/left arrows to advance the slides.
Please note: Aetna Springs trailhead and the Oat Hill Mine Trail segment between Holm’s Place and Aetna Springs is currently closed to public use because of fire damage.
Fire Ecology – February 20, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
Join Rosa Schneider, CA State Parks, Senior Environmental Scientist from the Bay Area District as she shares her fire ecology knowledge and talks about the impacts in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park shortly after the Glass Fire.
Click here for the February 3rd Saturday Hike video.
You can also see the Glass Fire Story Map that Rosa helped create for State Parks.
Ferns! January 16, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
Everybody loves ferns, of course, but if you can’t tell a Polystichum munitum from a Woodwardia fimbriata, Napa Open Space District naturalist JoeJoe Clark is here to help. Join him for a review of fronds and fiddleheads at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, where many ferns are growing out of the ashes of the Glass Fire. JoeJoe will show you some of his favorite ferns. Hint: they are all his favorites!
CLICK HERE for the virtual hike about ferns!
Oaks & More- December 19, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
Get ready for a wetter wintertime virtual hike as NOSD staff JoeJoe and Jay explore Moore Creek Park and discuss Oaks, Pine, Lichen & Mistletoe!
CLICK HERE for the video/virtual 3rd Saturday Hike!
Wetlands Ecology – August 15, 2020 (Interactive Google Earth Hike!)
Explore Wetlands Edge Park in American Canyon on a virtual tour through Google Earth!
This interactive experience is a guided “hike” through the park detailing the ecology and wildlife, sharing some of the history of the location, and is chock full of added videos and educational pieces that you can explore while visiting the park.
Join NOSD staffer Sarah for this virtual exploration of this amazing park and learn and wander at your own pace.
CLICK HERE for the Google Earth virtual 3rd Saturday Hike at Wetlands Edge Park.
Virtual Hike with Ravens & Napa RCD – July 18, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
Join Ashley Kvitek, Napa RCD’s Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator, and Napa open Space for a virtual hike to visit the Rector Ridge Ravens! We’re hoping that this hike will serve as an introduction to an upcoming in person hike to learn more about ravens in depth.
Ashley studied Ravens by following them around in a canoe for three months in North Cascades National Park as part of her master’s program in environmental education. Ashley will guide an informal discussion about Raven life cycles, their extensive language, public perceptions throughout the world, their ecosystem functions, and much more!
Many thanks to our friends and co-hosts for this 3rd Saturday event at the Napa Resource Conservation District!
CLICK HERE for the video/virtual 3rd Saturday Hike!
Virtual Introduction to Suscol Headwaters Park – June 20, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
Join NOSD staff JoeJoe & Jay as they take you on a brief virtual hike up to the new Suscol Headwaters Preserve. This newly opened park above Skyline Wilderness Park affords spectacular views of the entire Bay Area and beyond and has some unique geological and terrain features.
CLICK HERE for the video/virtual 3rd Saturday Hike!
3rd Saturday Bike! Mountain Biking – May 16, 2020 (Virtual Ride!)
We’re switching it up this month and adding wheels to our 3rd Saturday adventure! Join Alex Dunn as he takes us along on a ride on this technical trail that many cyclists may not have ridden. Get a taste for the outdoors, see a trail that may be new to you, and stay connected with our outdoor spaces together in new ways.
Many thanks to our friends and co-hosts for this 3rd Saturday event at the Redwood Empire Mountain Bike Alliance (REMBA).
CLICK HERE for the video/virtual 3rd Saturday Bike!
Oat Hill Mine Trail:
The 8.3-mile-long Oat Hill Mine Trail follows the original route between Calistoga and the western end of Aetna Springs Road in Pope Valley. The trail provides a magnificent recreational experience for hikers, mountain bicyclists and equestrians, although the trail is rough and rocky in many places, and can be quite challenging. Visitors can enjoy sweeping views of Napa Valley along the lower Oat Hill Mine Trail, while the middle and upper sections of the trail cross striking volcanic formations.
Oat Hill Mine Trail>>
Wildflowers/Geology Mt. Saint Helena – April 18, 2020 (Virtual Hike!)
CLICK HERE to view our first virtual 3rd Saturday Hike! We know that it’s not quite the same as being out on the trail together, but we wanted to bring some of the outdoors to your computer screen & continue to “get together” for our 3rd Saturday outings.
Many Thanks to JoeJoe, Sarah, and Jay for getting out to safely film this virtual hike!
Filmed at Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Calistoga>>
Wildflowers or Rocks? How about Wildflowers Rock! On this hike video you don’t have to choose one theme over the other, because we’ll provide both. Join botany enthusiast JoeJoe Clark, and geologist Sarah Clark for this combo hike to Bubble Rock and beyond. See
the impressive post-fire flower show annotated by JoeJoe, of course. Meanwhile Sarah will discuss how California formed, the mineral resources in the area, and a bit about northern Sonoma volcanics.