Valentine Vista Trail

The Valentine Vista Trail is one of the trails in Moore Creek Park, an Open Space District park in Napa Valley. It starts at the Moore Creek Park Trailhead and climbs up open grasslands and rolling hills for three miles, crossing several creeks along the way. In the spring and summer, the hills are alive with bright green grass and bursts of golden wildflowers that look spectacular against the cerulean skies. Boulders and sheer rock faces create dramatic scenery on particularly steep hills. Oak trees cling to the hillsides and provide occasional shade.

At higher vista points, you'll be able to see the pine forests carpeting the hillsides for miles around. Benches provide spots to sit and take in the scenery (as well as a chance to rest and give your good boy and girl some pets). High points in this park are well-known vantage points for spotting the area's bald eagles. Other wildlife that live in the park include black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes.

If you choose to lengthen your hike by continuing along the Moore Creek Trail, you'll be dazzled by entirely different scenery. Ancient madrone trees stand guard before mossy rock walls dappled in mystical forest sunlight. In this riparian habitat, you might see bright orange salamanders near the creeks, which course through rocky glens and create small rapids. If you continue all the way to the "Top Secret Swimming Hole" indicated on the publicly distributed map, this will add 1.8 miles to your hike, making the round-trip hike 9.6 miles total.

Note that the trails in Moore Creek Park are still being developed and will likely grow and change over time. Sometimes they are closed when there is either flooding or a high risk of fire. Be sure to check online or at the trailhead for updated information. Since it's a somewhat new park (it was opened in 2013), it's not especially well known, so you'll enjoy relative solitude on your hike, probably encountering only a few other hikers and their dogs along the way. You'll feel lucky that you discovered Moore Creek Park and the Valentine Vista Trail and will cherish the memories of the time you spent in this magical place.