The Cove

The Cove

The Cove

Open for group camping by reservation only.

Park Amenity Icons

Activities: Hiking, Wildlife Viewing, Group Camp, Group Picnic

Location: Mt Veeder, Napa

Hours: By reservation only. Email info@napaoutdoors.org for reservation information.

Fees & Details: Group camp activities will be available once The Cove reopens for use.

Maps and Park Notes: The Cove was badly affected by the 2017 wildfires and is currently closed to public use while we make necessary repairs and upgrades.

Collage of 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.

Read below to learn more about the history of this camp as well as the extensive plans that we’re working on to rehabilitate, reforest, and repair The Cove so that it can be reopened for public use.

We’d Love Your Support: The Cove will require extensive work over the next few years to help make it safe for public use & to add improvements to the group camp area so that families, student groups, and gatherings can return to enjoy this special place. If you are interested in volunteering with us or would like to donate, please use the links or email us at info@ncrposd.org.

Open Road Episode Featuring The CoveOpen Road with Doug Mconnell

 

The Cove is featured on Open Road with Doug McConnell as he meets with our very own John Woodbury to discuss the history of this storied camp and explore the peak of Mt. Veeder.

Click here for a link to the official NBC webpage.

 

 

History of The Cove

The Cove History Collage

Once referred to as the Napa Redwoods, The Cove and surrounding area was a major summer resort destination for nearly a century. In the 1860’s-1870’s the nearby Lokoya Lodge, Solid Comfort Resort and Mt. Veeder Resort were popular family destinations for visitors from San Francisco and elsewhere.

In 1964, the Girl Scouts of Northern California acquired The Cove using funds raised from selling their famous cookies. The rustic group camp of The Cove provided a natural sanctuary for local youth, their families, and other community-based groups to create long lasting memories. In full operation, The Cove served over 7,000 youth and 2,000 adults per year.

In late 2016, local Girl Scout leaders approached the Napa Open Space District concerned about the impending closure of The Cove if they sold the property. The District made arrangements to purchase the property in order to keep this piece of our community’s heritage available for generations to come.

As the District was in the process of acquiring this property, the wildfires of 2017 swept through our county and burned the campground and forest, destroying the dense forest and all of the improvements that had been made to the campground.

Despite the fire damage, The District continued with the purchase and became the fee-title owner in December 2017 – protecting this unique area in perpetuity and making it available again soon for youth groups and families to enjoy.

Despite the fire, The Cove is still a uniquely beautiful and valuable natural environment with great potential for recreation and learning.

Fire Damage & Rehabilitation

We’re rebuilding this storied community camp for generations to come.

Fire Damage and Rehabilitation at The Cove

While fire damage has forced The Cove to be closed for now, we’re very optimistic about the future!

Prior to the fires, the infrastructure was in poor condition and much of it needed to be repaired or rebuilt entirely. The forest itself was also in poor health, the effects of logging and fires in the previous 100 years leading to a forest that was primed for the 2017 fires.

The Napa Open Space District has already begun work at The Cove with clearing out hazardous dead trees, reforestation projects, and the beginnings of infrastructure rebuilding and improvement. Like so much of our work, many of these projects will involve our volunteer groups and be a community effort to make the necessary repairs.

Rehabilitation, Repair, and Improvement Work at The Cove:

– Removal of hazardous trees: Nearly all of the trees in the campground were killed int he fire and must be removed before The Cove can reopen. This work has been ongoing since 2017.

– Reforestation: We’re reforesting The Cove to eventually have a diverse forest of mixed age/species trees to return it to it’s natural state and encourage a healthier and more robust natural forest.

– Repair/Improve the water system: Rebuilding and improving the water system to meet modern standards with treated water and increase firefighting capacity. This extensive project includes rebuilding the spring box to current code, installing new water tanks, pumps, and treatment equipment as well as installing new pipes.

– Construct new sleeping quarters: While the intent is to keep the camp as rustic as possible, several new sleeping shelters would be useful to make the camp more usable year-round, and to serve kids who don’t have camping equipment nor experience.

– Repair trails: The Cove provides access to the peak of Mt Veeder and the three trails that existed prior to the fire were already eroding and unsustainably designed. We are currently working on rerouting and redesigning the trails to be safe and sustainable for years to come.

 

Additional Materials & Articles about The Cove: