It was really nice to get in a hike last weekend. With no soccer game and no work, it was the perfect opportunity to get in some good family outdoor time. Hubby picked out a hike to Table Rock located near Calistoga, CA and it was a fun one!
The drive from Davis to the trail head was about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Coming from Highway 29 the trailhead is located in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. There are two sides to park and we parked on the right side. The parking lots are pretty small. We arrived after 11am and it was full when we got there, but managed to snag a spot from some hikers that happened to be leaving.
It was easy to spot the trail head sign from the parking lot.
The hike starts out in the forest and about .4 miles in it opens up to a nice clearing leading to a neat view point.
We saw some cool flowers nearby.
From the clearing the trail climbs. At 1.12 miles in we came across these cool rocks by the trail. The boys enjoyed scrambling up them and it was nice just taking in the views.
After playing on the rocks for a bit, we continued on the the trail. The trail then descends and we come across some cool rock mazes. Again we stopped so the boys could have some fun walking a couple of the rock labyrinths.
There is one stream crossing. There isn't too much water, so it's an easy crossing for all.
I really liked how the terrain changes in this hike. It started in forest and then cleared up and then goes back into another forest area and you can see in the pic below how green this part was.
There is another climb before getting to Table Rock.
There is a split in the trail and you can continue onto the Palisades trail. However to get to Table Rock, you need to go right and not towards that direction.
According to my Garmin, it is 2.35 miles to the top (this is including all of our stops). I really liked the scramble up to the view point and thought the rocks we were stepping on were really cool.
The views were awesome and there are lots of great places to just sit and take it all in. We enjoyed our lunch at the top.
Family shot at the top.
Taking in the views.
We had our lunch, took some pics, and then headed back down.
Total mileage for our hike up to Table Rock was 4.71 miles. It was a fun family hike and would definitely recommend it to others. I enjoyed the different terrain. It can be challenging for some,= with the ups and downs, since you will get it both ways, but the views are worth it!
Happy hiking!
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