Napa River and Bay Trail: A Birdwatcher’s Paradise by Napa Valley
If birding is your thing or you want a hike with less elevation, then the Napa River and Bay Trail might be the perfect hike for you! Located a 25 minute drive away from Napa, this 5.6 mile hike is very flat and traverses the many well-maintained paths along the marsh, providing great views of the Bay and the seabirds that call it home. Additional highlights of the hike include the Glass Beach, which is covered in seaglass and glistens in the early-morning sunlight. A fellow hiker also informed me that she has seen otters present in the bay from the trails, but I was not lucky enough to see them on this visit.
Beautiful marsh views in the early-morning light
On a bright and early Saturday morning, I embarked on this hike in the American Canyon area, which is just south of Napa. I arrived very early just after sunrise around 6:30am and had no trouble finding parking at the lot. Later in the morning when I was leaving around 9:00am, there were still some spaces available, though it was a bit more crowded. The parking lot had a large porta potty available for use. This hike is very exposed with minimal shade, so I highly recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. There are some picnic benches near the parking lot, so you can bring food to enjoy.
The landscape by the entrance to the trail is very open with lots of tall grass
This hike follows the well-maintained paths in the marsh that take you along the different marshy areas along the bay. There were some other people out at the same time as me running or walking dogs. You first walk into the park past the gate and travel along woods of Eucalyptus trees and open marsh until you reach the first main body of water on the right-hand side. There were all types of seabirds around in the water or flying overhead, which made for some great photos.
One of the many seabirds that I saw while on this hike
Then, you transition to a less-wide path that takes you to the glass beach. This path is surrounded by marsh on both sides, providing more birding opportunities if you are lucky. The glass beach is at the end and was breathtaking in the early morning light. The beach is covered in little pieces of sea glass of all colors that glowed with the light. The sounds of lapping water added to the aesthetic and made it very peaceful. At around 7:00am in the morning, I was the only person out at the glass beach, so I was able to explore it unbothered. There were a couple of seabirds on the beach and a squirrel up on a fence enjoying the morning view.
Green sea glass on the glass beach
A squirrel on a nearby fence enjoying the view
After enjoying the glass beach, the hike takes you back along a parallel path and then turns left to travel along the water. From the vantage point on the path, you can see all of the birds that are living in the marsh. I saw pelicans, stilts, and herons, just to name a few, which made for some great photos. If you’re lucky you’ll see a large hawk/eagle – unfortunately, I was not able to get a clear photo to identify it. There are also swans in some of the inlet areas, and there were little cygnets during my visit (late June).
Seabirds searching for their morning meal
Little cygnets in the water next to the path
Once you reach the end of the trail, you turn around and then make your way back along the bay to return to the parking lot. The hike takes a slightly different path along a couple smaller bodies of water where you might see more swans or other little marsh birds. I was also lucky enough to see a large jackrabbit in the brush to add to the many other animals I saw on this hike.
A jackrabbit sitting on the side of the path in the thick brush
Overall, this hike is not strenuous – it is completely flat and the wide-open gravel trails make walking very easy. It may be warm when it is hot out, especially since there is no shade at all. The wind also gave me a bit of trouble on this particular day by threatening to blow off my big hat at a moment’s notice with a sudden gust. I would recommend this hike if you like birding because there are so many birds out in the marsh. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message via email or Instagram DM.
Happy hiking!
There were so many opportunities for birding along this hike!