Future Parks & Land Banks
The Napa Open Space District has been hard at work over the past several years in acquiring additional properties. These properties have strategic value in protecting and preserving our natural areas & watersheds and also offer potential for recreational opportunities for the public. Napa Open Space is grateful for all of the support we have received in the form of land donations and grants, which make acquiring these properties possible.
The properties below now belong to the District and are in various stages of having permits reviewed and approved for future use as parks and public lands. The process for getting permits finalized and improvements made to open these spaces can be lengthy, but we’re excited about these lands and the potential they have for future enjoyment by all.
The Cove
The Cove is a 160 acre rustic camp property located on Mt. Veeder that has a storied history as a vacation and camping location in Napa County. The property includes the peak of Mt. Veeder, and offers spectacular 360 degree views. The story of The Cove stretches back more than 100 years as a family vacation camping area and continues to evolve today. The Napa Open Space District owns the property and is making improvements and repairs after the devastating fires of 2017.
Extensive work has had to be mounted at The Cove in order to deal with the aftereffects of the fire, and District staff continues to improve this property with the hopes of reopening it in some form in the future. To read more about the history of The Cove, click here.
Mayacamas Preserve/Amy’s Grove
Mayacamas Preserve is a 224 acre collection of parcels owned by the District on the western side of the valley in the Mayacamas range. The genesis of this preserve was the Chamberlain family’s generous donation of Amy’s Grove in 2015, a 51 acre parcel that contains a beautiful grove of redwoods and is named in honor of their daughter. Since that time, the District has acquired two other adjacent parcels, and the three combined form what is now known as Mayacamas Preserve.
District staff and volunteers have been working for several years to transform this property into a public park in the future. If you would like to see Mayacamas Preserve before it becomes a park, we will be hosting periodic guided hikes through our 3rd Saturday Hike program.
Smittle Creek (Cedar Roughs)
This 443-acre land holding was acquired by the District in 2015 using a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board.
It protects an area of oak woodlands, grasslands and chaparral as well as offering the potential for the first practical public access into the 6,500 acre Cedar Roughs Wilderness managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Since acquisition, the District has removed a substantial amount of trash from the property, and prepared resource surveys in preparation for obtaining a Use Permit to construct trails and open the area to the public.
The Spanish Valley Land Bank (Woodbury Properties)
This land bank of 2,790 acres in three distinct areas was donated to the District in 2010 so that future generations can enjoy this exceptional area. It is connected to another 3,200 acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management and set aside for open space but previously landlocked with no public access.
The Spanish Valley Land Bank is made up of three separate units described below: Woodbury Preserve, Crystal Flats, and Stone Corral.
John Woodbury Preserve
The Woodbury Preserve unit comprises 1,900 acres of open grasslands surrounded by oak woodland and chaparral covered hills west and south of Lake Berryessa Estates. Spanish Valley links together several hundred additional acres of scattered tracts owned by the federal government, and preserves an exceptionally rich and healthy ecology.
Crystal Flats Unit
Crystal Flats covers 684 acres along both sides of Putah Creek north of Snell Creek and includes an unimproved campground used by Lake Berryessa Estates property owners.
Crystal Flats has a day use area and boat launch used by the Lake Berryessa Estates property owners and the District’s long-term objective is to support appropriate recreational use by both the existing adjacent property owners as well as the general public.
Stone Corral Unit
Stone Corral covers 206 acres east of Lake Berryessa Estates along the western banks of Putah Creek.
Stone Corral has a day use area and boat launch used by the Lake Berryessa Estates property owners and the District’s long-term objective is to support appropriate recreational use by both the existing adjacent property owners as well as the general public.
Additional Information and Articles:
- County accepts land donation for ‘Amy’s Grove’ (Napa Valley Register, October 15, 2015)
- Far-flung open space area presents a world of possibilities (Napa Valley Register, March 16, 2015)
- Trincheros donate 3,600 acres to county (St. Helena Star, January 6, 2011)