Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
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Activities: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Wildlife Viewing
Location: 4824 Lake County Hwy #4774, Calistoga, CA 94515 (Google Map here).
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Fees & Details: There are no fees at Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. The parking lot is a dirt lot on Hwy 29 marked with signs.
Contact: (707)942-4575/StateParks@ncrposd.org
Amenities: Limited parking is available. There is no potable water available at the park and no restrooms on site. No trash services available at this park, please pack out what you bring in.
Park Rules: Bicycles are allowed only on the road to the peak and on the Oat Hill Mine Trail, not on single track trails. Collecting rocks, mushrooms or other natural objects is prohibited. No dogs are allowed in RLS State Park.
Volunteer with Us! If you would like to join the volunteer list for the local State Parks (operated by NOSD), click here.
Maps and Park Notes: Google Map to trailhead, Park trail map, Printable list of suggested trails
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is 5,272 acres and contains stunning views of Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties from the summit of the highest peak in the California Wine Country, Mount St. Helena. On clear days, the Pacific Ocean, the Sierra Nevada mountains, Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen are also visible & in the wintertime this is one of the few hikes that can be enjoyed with snow.
The geology in this area is unique and is a part of what is known as the Sonoma Volcanics, formed between 2.6 and 8 million years ago. Visitors can see some very unique rock formations in the Palisades and Table Rock, and will be able to appreciate the scope and size of this geological formation on the climb up Mt. St. Helena.
Trail Notes
Hiking and biking are the main activities and the trails to the north climb to the summit of Mount St. Helena, while the trail to the south lead hikers to Table Rock, the volcanic cliffs of the Palisades, and a connection to the Oat Hill Mine Trail and the outskirts of the City of Calistoga.
This large park has a variety of environments and the two sides are very different in views and experience. On Mount St. Helena the trail leads through Douglas fir, live oak, madrones, tanbark oak and manzanita trees, while on the Palisades trail, visitors will see grassy hillsides, oak groves and chaparral with amazing volcanic rock formations.
Note: Bicycles are allowed only on the road to the peak and on the Oat Hill Mine Trail, not on single track trails.
Click here for a printable list of trail suggestions and here for a map of the trails in the park.
History of the Park & Namesake
The Park was named for famed Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson after he his bride spent their honeymoon in an abandoned bunkhouse of the Silverado Mine. A marble memorial marks the site of the bunkhouse and hikers can explore this short trail while in the park.
Stevenson’s stay in 1880 inspired the writer’s travel memoir The Silverado Squatters, and Mount St. Helena is thought to be a portrait of Spyglass Hill in Treasure Island.
This park is a part of the California State Parks system and Napa Open Space took over as operator of the park in 2020. Napa Open Space and the Napa Valley State Parks Association have worked closely with one another to help maintain and improve the three State Parks here in the Napa Valley since 2012 when they were faced with closure by the State due to budget concerns.