Hike to Grist Mill

Pioneer Cemetery
The pioneer cemetery lies a short distance from the southernmost parking area in the park.
User: Austin Explorer - 4/2/2017

Location: Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

Rating: 3stars
Difficulty: 3stars  Solitude: 2stars
Miles Hiked: 3.65 Miles  Elapsed Time: 3 hours, 9 minutes

Comments:

Coppertone and I came here to hike without much of a plan.  After consulting the park map we decided to check out the pioneer cemetery and continue on to the Bale Grist Mill.

The History Trail connects the cemetery with the Grist Mill and roughly parallels Highway 29.  The trail does drift far enough away from the highway to provide some peace and quiet from road noise.  It turned out to be rougher and hillier than expected.  We both came to the conclusion that we have some work to do to get back into hiking shape.

The grist mill was an entertaining and informative stop at the halfway point of our hike.  A few docents had the mill in complete working order and showed oats being ground into a fine powder in a matter of minutes.

Since we had started the day with a wine tasting at nearby Rombauer we were a bit tired and it was getting later in the day we decided to just hike back to the car and call it a day.

As we were driving out of the park I noticed what appeared from a distance a stick in the road was in fact a small snake.  To ensure it was not run over by subsequent vehicles I got out and ushered the small rattlesnake into the grass on one side of the road.



Log Photos
Trail View
Creek Crossing
Pioneer Cemetery
Headstones
Bale Grist Mill
Working machine
Vegetation