Coppertone and I returned to the marshes to map more of the trails we had missed out on during our last visit. This time we intended to hike the northern most extreme of Napa River and San Francisco Bay Trail. During our previous hike in August we turned around before getting to the river. We parked along the street on Green Island Road where we left off and continued north.
It's really not terribly long before getting to the Napa River and its distinctive railroad bridge. The structure here is not simply an elevated path over the river. Instead, it's a vertical-lift bridge that lowers a critical section of track into place when a train needs to cross. At other times the section is raised high in the air giving ample clearance for any boat traffic on the water.
The Napa River trail officially ends here but just on the other side of the tracks is the Fagan Marsh Trail. There is an unofficial, but clearly worn path between the two. At first, the trail here just parallels the one we took getting out there, so there appears to be little need for it. However, it eventually turns away from the main trail and that's where its value truly lies.
The path heads in the direction of the Napa Airport, where private planes be can seem coming and going at frequent intervals. A small farm, complete with chickens and horses provides a bit of a rustic counterbalance to the upper crust avionic comings and goings. We spot several rabbits darting at high speeds from one clearing to another as we pass by.
The time of year and recent rains may all play a part, but it seems like the waters around Fagan Marsh had more birds to unit of marsh that others we've seen in our hikes here. Plovers and ducks were present in large numbers. The ducks seemed particularly skittish when we passed "near" on the trail. The fact that the trail here probably draws far fewer people likely plays a role in the birds seeking out this more remote spot.
The Fagan Marsh Trail dead ends at a locked gate that leads into the Napa Airport. Here one can get a relatively close up view of the planes on the runway. The previously mentioned skittish ducks seemed less concerned about the private jets coming and going than us.
We doubled back on the Fagan Marsh Trail to a second connector trail between it and the main path.
