Mount St. Helena (Summit Trail)
Robert Louis Stevenson SP, Calistoga · near Calistoga · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 10.2 miles
- Elevation gain
- 2,300 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring/fall · Snow possible in winter; punishing heat on the exposed fire road in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Undeveloped State Park; free roadside parking, no day-use fee. Fully exposed fire road with no water. Dogs not permitted on trails.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Highest summit in the greater Bay Area (4,339 ft) · Stevenson honeymoon memorial · Immense summit panorama (Shasta/Sierra on clear days) · Bay Area Ridge Trail
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Start at dawn in summer — the road is fully exposed with zero water. Winter clear spells give the legendary long-distance views.
The guide
The tallest peak crowning the Bay Area's northern rim — a long fire-road grind that on a clear winter morning yields one of Cal…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mount St. Helena (Summit Trail) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.6527, -122.5999