Sugarloaf Mountain Trail, Napa

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Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 7.4 miles / 11.9 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: Winemakers know that Napa Valley is a great place to be all year round, hence it's possible to find great hiking conditions here on virtually any month of the year.

Skyline Wilderness Park is located in the hills immediately east of the town of Napa, and our guide provides a circuitous loop close to the park's boundaries, rewarding hikers with great terrain from oak forest and grassland to lakes and mountain tops.

Elevation gain:
• 1,800ft (from 150 - 1,600ft)

Tips: • We'd recommend avoiding hiking this park on the hottest days, because the weather can be brutal and shade along the is limited.
• Skyline Wilderness Park is also a great location for equestrians, mountain bikers and even sports a popular disc golf course.

Points of Interest

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Trailhead

The trailhead is accessible from inside the Skyline Wilderness RV park at the end of Imola Avenue.

A day-use fee is charged per vehicle as you enter, at which time you should pick up a copy of the park map. Adequate parking is always available.

Head towards the trees at the south end of the parking lot and pick up the track leading to the Skyline Trail.

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Lake Marie Road

Turn right onto the narrow trail leading away from Lake Marie Road, and you'll soon be climbing toward the hilltops.

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Skyline Trail

Our guide traces Skyline Trail as it skirts the southern boundary of the park, over hillcrests and ridgelines, providing peek-a-boo views of the surrounding countryside.

Skyline Trail is listed as part of the ambitious Bay Area Ridge Trail project, which is working to create a 550 mile long mountain trail route around the entire San Francisco Bay Area. So far over 330 miles have been designated, but many gaps in the route still exist.

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Lake Marie

The stone chimney is all that remains of the house by the side of Lake Marie, which you'll pass before reaching the lake itself.

The lake offers some welcome shade and is a picturesque spot from which rest and enjoy a spot of lunch.

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Chaparral Trail

Continue on the Skyline Trail, heading away from Lake Marie.

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Thatcher's Rim Rock Trail

After taking a left at the junction onto Thatcher's Rim Rock Trail, you'll be greeted with the steep southern slopes of Sugarloaf mountain which rise 650ft above you.

The first 400ft is particularly challenging and requires some careful, steady negotiation, but the route shouldn't be be too difficult to conquer - especially if you're equipped with a good pair of hiking boots.

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Sugarloaf Mountain Summit (1630ft)

You've finally made it to the summit of Sugarloaf! Pat yourself on the back, reward yourself with the great views, and then revel in the knowledge that the hike is all downhill from here.

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Fig Tree

After descending the Rim Rock Trail and cross directly over the Lake Marie trail you'll arrive at the Lake Marie Crossroads marked by the location of a lone fig tree.

Turn right onto the road, and follow its route downhill until you close your loop trail and can return back to the trailhead.

Pictures in this guide taken by: Trailspotting

Trailspotting content © Stuart Green 2010 including text, images, videos and route detail.

How does this work?

A much more pleasant approach is to go in opposite direction as this guide suggests. Take Thatchers Rim Rock Trail from the Lower Marie Creek and Manzanita Trail junction. Taking the northern approach of Sugarloaf is a much more gradual incline, saving the incredibly steep and slippery southern face of the mountain for a downhill attempt.

The views from the peak are obscured by trees... but the trail views are awesome, just before reaching the peak on the northern side of the mountain.
Visited on Apr 11, 2013

by gmendoza on Apr 12, 2013