All Hail Helena

Hike to the Summit of Mount Saint Helena

09.27.2018

Ready to get in that last long hike before the days get a little too short? Make it count by conquering one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area: Mount Saint Helena. On clear days this 11-mile (round-trip) trek has you seeing all the way out to the Bay and Sierra Nevada.

Start on Stevenson Memorial Trail, named for the author who famously stayed in the area circa 1880, Robert Louis Stevenson. It’s a mile leading uphill through a canopy of trees. At Mount Saint Helena Trail (a fire road) you’ll keep gradually ascending. The good news is it never gets ridiculously steep, and the other good news is that the whole time you get to enjoy views of the Palisades mountain range and the valley below. The higher you climb, the better the scenery.

About a mile from the peak, there’s a fork in the trail. Continue to the right to get to the highest peak, or, if you’re up for it, turn left for a worthwhile detour. (This adds about a mile to your hike, making it 11 instead of 10 miles round-trip.) At the lower peak, you’ll find a couple of perfectly perched picnic tables looking all the way out to San Francisco, the Bay, and Mount Tam. Return from the detour and follow the trail to the highest point, where the valley and mountains unfurl into the distance.

Drive 8 miles north of Calistoga on Hwy. 29, into Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. The parking lot is on the right, and you’ll have to cross the road to get to the Stevenson Memorial trailhead. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave
Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!
View
Afternoon on the Island
What is it about tiny islands in the middle of lakes? There’s something that just draws you in. It’s even more fun when getting there is half the adventure because you have to reach it by canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or a ranger-guided boat tour!
View
Easiest Best Hike in the World
Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road
View
San Francisco's Middle Earth
No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.
View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

Locals' Feature: Jim Litchfield, Owner of Reno Fly Shop
If there's a river, you're likely to find Jim Litchfield there. As the owner of Reno Fly Shop, Nevada's premier fly fishing outfitter and shop, Jim's passion for rivers knows no bounds: he's fished in places near and far, including Alaska, Bolivia and Christmas Island. But home is beautiful Reno, where he has been running Reno Fly Shop and leading tailored river float and fly fishing adventures (including beginner-friendly options) for over a decade.
View
Can't Top This
San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.
View
Volcanic Activity
Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.
View
Oh Ryan
Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...
View