The Bay Area Ridge Trail climbs abruptly into Rockville Hills Regional Park into a woodland of gnarled blue oaks overlooking rugged bluffs of volcanic rock. The trail leaves the park just as abruptly, descending to the paved and landscaped Vintage Valley Trail as it passes through suburban Fairfield.
We are hiking the 405-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail. Sign up to follow our progress here.
TRAIL MAP (date hiked)
- Rockville Hills Regional Park and Vintage Valley Trail (Nov. 5, 2022)
Our Journal
Day 2 of our three-day hike-a-palooza in Napa and Solano counties arrived with clouds and drizzle.
The gray and damp fall weather accentuated the moody feel of Rockville Hills Regional Park as we rose above the rocky bluffs. Leafless blue oaks seemed ready to reach out and snatch a hat or a trekking pole.
The park, originally designated to become a golf course, is a maze of trails. The Ridge Trail is well-signed, but we still ended up on one round-about detour as we tried to stay on course. Hikers and mountain bikers seeking shortcuts have made a mess of the switchbacks as the park descends to the Vintage Valley Trail.
The last two miles of trail runs through a nicely landscaped park located beneath power lines that bisect a series of neighborhoods. Street parking made for an easy Uber ride to the trail head, where the parking lot was full despite the rain.
Our pub at the end of the trail included dinner at Grace’s Table in the city of Napa followed by vintage rock ‘n’ roll by Dave Mason and his band at the Uptown Theatre.
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