Name: Moore Creek Trail
Rating: 4.2

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Features River/Creek · Spring · Swimming · Wildflowers

Family Friendly An easy trail with plenty of places to stop and play in the water. Shady and cool on hot summer days.

Moore Creek Park is managed by the Napa County Regional Park & Open Space District in partnership with the City of Napa Water Division. Please obey all park regulations. There is absolutely no swimming or water contact allowed in nearby Lake Hennessey. This includes dogs, horses, and any other animal under your supervision. So do your swimming in Moore Creek, not the lake.

Description

This is not a steep trail (400 feet of elevation gain/loss) so it offers opportunities to slow down and enjoy the creek, trailside flora and fauna, and views up the steep slopes to the sky on either side of the narrow canyon.

This trail starts at a trailhead off of Chiles Pope Valley Road just north of Lake Hennessey. The trailhead features a large parking area and restrooms. It shares this trailhead with the southern end of the Valentine Vista Trail.

The first mile or so of this trail, up to the Ranch House (private residence), is actually a dirt road. Past the house, and the northern end of the Valentine Vista Trail, the road fades into a trail and you soon come to a crossing of Moore Creek. There is no bridge (here or at any of the crossings to come), so your options are a balance beam, rock hopping, or a ford (wading), which might be tricky during a high water event.

Past this crossing, the trail follows along the creek for about 0.3 miles to another creek crossing, then climbs a little above the creek to another crossing of it in about 0.4 miles. It then wanders along the creek some more to yet another crossing of the creek, after which the trail climbs above the creek and stays there for the rest of the way to it's end at the Top Secret Swimming Hole and one end of Dan's Wild Ride.