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Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
Nearby Parks:
Bothe Napa Valley State Park
Annadel State Park
Boggs Mountain State Forest
Las Posadas State Forest
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
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| State Park Overview: |
 | Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is the place where the famous author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped spent his honeymoon in 1880. Although nothing remains of Stevenson?s cabin, the site is identified on the trail to the summit.
The area features rough terrain, with evergreen forests in the canyons on north-facing slopes and chaparral on the south-facing slopes.
There is a five-mile hike to the top of Mt. St. Helena from which one can see much of the Bay Area. On good days the top of Mt. Shasta can be seen, 192 miles in the distance.
To protect the park's wildlife and other natural resources, dogs are not permitted in this park.
Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing
The best seasons are spring and fall. The winter provides the best vistas, but also the greatest chance of snow and chilling wind. |
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| Trails: |
| Stevenson Memorial Trail
To Stevenson Memorial is 2 miles round trip; to summit of Mt. Saint Helenais 10 miles round trip with 1,300-foot elevation gainYou can see the imposing mountain towering above the wineries. Mt. Saint Helena is a landmark, a wild backdrop behind the neat cultivated vineyards of Napa Valley.
The best view of the wine country is from the top of 4,343-foot Mt. Saint Helena, reached by a five mile trail that winds through stands of knobcone pine to deliver summit panoramas of not only Napa Valley but the High Sierra and San Francisco Bay as well.
While winter is not the most popular of seasons for touring the wine country, it is the best time for looking down at it from the top of Mt. Saint Helena. Crisp, clear winter days mean breathtaking views from the summit. Local Sierra Club members schedule an annual New Year?s Day hike up the mountain?surely an invigorating way to celebrate the year past and welcome the year ahead.Most of the summit and broad shoulders of Mt. Saint Helena are protected by Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. Stevenson, best remembered for his imaginative novels, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island, honeymooned in a cabin tucked in one of Mt. Saint Helena?s ravines in the summer of 1880.
Quite the world traveler, Stevenson, constantly seeking relief from chronic tuberculosis, globe-trotted from Switzerland to the south of France to Samoa. The native Scot followed his heart to California to marry an American woman, Fanny Osbourne.
Short of money, the newlyweds honeymooned in the abandoned mining camp of Silverado, moving into an old cabin and using hay for a bed. While so encamped, Stevenson filled a diary with local color and later penned an account of his experience, The Silverado Squatters, which introduced him to American readers.
Stevenson flled his notebooks with descriptions of the many colorful Napa Valley denizens?from stage drivers to winemakers?he met. Perhaps the biggest infuence upon Stevenson during his stay on Mt. Saint Helena was the mountain itself; it became the model for Spyglass Hill in his novel Treasure Island.
Today you can take a short (one mile) hike into California literary history by joining the trail leading to the secluded site of the Stevensons? honeymoon. Wrote Stevenson: ?At sunrise, and again later at night, the scent of sweet bays filled the canyon.? A memorial in the form of an open book commemorates the author?s stay on the mountain and marks the site of his cabin.
Travelers interested in learning more about Robert Louis Stevenson and his work should head for the Silverado Museum in St. Helena, located seven miles south of Calistoga. The museum features books, letters, and other memorabilia of Stevenson?s life.
Stevenson Memorial Trail is particularly enjoyable for the first interesting mile as it winds through the forest to the memorial. The next four miles of trail?a well-graded fire road leading to the summit?are frankly a bit monotonous; however, the grand vistas, becoming better and better as you climb, more than compensate. |
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| Area Accommodations |
| B&Bs / Inns | | Chelsea Garden Inn - Chelsea Garden Inn is a wonderfully unique Napa Valley inn featuring onebedroom suites with private entrances, private baths, fireplaces and secluded pool. Both Napa and
Sonoma wineries are nearby | |  | Aurora Park Cottages - Calistoga, CA
More than a B&B - Aurora Park Cottages is your private vacation retreat at the top of Napa Valley. Located in a country setting in beautiful Calistoga - the spa capital of California. FREE CHAMPAGNE AND CHOCOLATES! Please tell us you found us on www.stateparks.com and we'll have some chilled champagne and chocolates awaiting your arrival at Aurora Park Cottages.
Web Site: http://www.aurorapark.com |
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| | Melitta Station Inn - This charming B&B inn was a 1890's railroad depot.All rooms have queen beds and private baths.Central for wine country of Sonoma, and Napa Cty, coastal scenery and redwoods.Ideal for S.Rosa visitors | | Hope-Merrill & Hope-Bosworth Inns - Facing each other across Geyserville Avenue are the charming Queen Anne Craftsman style Hope-Bosworth House and the strikingly restored Eastlake Style Victorian Hope-Merrill House. | | Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant - A landmark Sonoma Russian River Wine Valley Bed & Breakfast Inn and Restaurant
| | Glenelly Inn & Cottages - The Glenelly has 8 traditional b& b rooms and 2 newly constructed garden cottages, all with private entrances & baths, full gourmet breakfast. Lovely views and gardens enhance your stay. | | Village Inn & Restaurant - Delightful, historic 11-room Country Inn recently restored to yesteryear's charm. Spectacular views of Russian River & Redwoods. Specialty dinner restaurant, full bar & award winning wine list. |
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| Local Visitor Information Web Sites |
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| Related Links: |
| ... in California's famed wine country - Mount St. Helena and Robert Louis Stevenson State - Mount St. Helena and Robert Louis Stevenson State Park: A history and guide by Ken Stanton Bonnie View Books St. Helena ... additions to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, you will find ... | | Hike the Napa Valley - Books of Hiking and History in California's famed wine country - Experience the beauty, legend, character and origin of one of the most beautiful places in the world ... region. Mount St. Helena and Robert Louis Stevenson State Park: A history and guide At the ... | | Northern California's Lake County - Parks and Public Lands - Northern California's Lake County Parks and Public Lands recreation area information. ... 8853 Hwy 53, Lower Lake 994-0688 Robert Louis Stevenson State Park Seven Miles north of Calistoga on Hwy 29 ... | | Lake County California Visitor Guide - Parks and Public Lands- State Park - Robert Lewis S - Lake County Visitor Guide. Travel guide to parks and public land around Clearlake in Northern ... EVENTS ACCOMMODATIONS RESTAURANTS ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON STATE PARK Robert Louis Stevenson State ... | | Features @ Bothe - Napa Valley State Park - ... s. Twelve miles away is the undeveloped Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, offering hikers magnificent views year-round ... Park, and the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. The NVNHA is a non ... | | Area Campgrounds | | |
| Directions: |
| The park is seven miles north of Calistoga on Highway 29. |
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