Yes — Bothe-Napa Valley State Park has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: $10 per vehicle day-use ($8 seniors, $4 ADA). Wine and other alcohol are allowed (see the rules below).
Checked September 2026 from napaoutdoors.orgStated on the venue's own website
$10 per vehicle day-use ($8 seniors, $4 ADA); free if you walk or bike in; California State Parks annual passes honored. Summer pool is an extra $5 per person.
Groups
Individual tables (about 50, per the park brochure) are first-come, first-served; campsite tables are reserved for registered campers. One covered group picnic site (shade ramada, sink, electrical outlet) is booked by calling the park at (707) 942-4575; its current fee and headcount limit are not published online.
Dogs
Leashed dogs (6-ft max) allowed in the day-use/picnic area, campgrounds and roads; not on trails or in the pool area (service animals excepted).
Hours
Day-use 8am-sunset daily; visitor center weekends (hours vary by season); pool 1-5pm on weekends and holidays, Memorial Day-Labor Day
Season
Day-use area open year-round, 8am to sunset. Pool open weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 1-5pm. Wood fires are banned during fire season (from July 13, 2026 until the fall rains); charcoal and propane cooking remain allowed.
House rules
Alcohol: allowed unless posted. California State Parks regulation 14 CCR §4326 bans alcohol only where a superintendent's order is posted ("no alcoholic beverage areas"), and no posted order for Bothe turned up on the State Parks or District websites, so check signs at the kiosk and picnic area. Fires only in park stoves or grates; in fire season wood fires are banned but charcoal and propane are fine. Dogs on a leash of 6 ft or less in day-use areas, campgrounds and roads only, never on trails or in the pool area. Collecting anything, mushrooms included, is prohibited.
What the picnic area is like
The day-use picnic grounds line the entrance road beside Ritchey Creek, next to the seasonal pool and visitor center, with dozens of tables and barbecue stoves spread under mature shade trees. A covered group ramada with a sink and an electrical outlet handles bigger parties, and creekside redwood trails and the path to the Pioneer Cemetery start a few steps away.
Picnic tables
Shade trees
BBQ grills
Covered pavilion
Restrooms
Parking
Hiking trails
Wheelchair accessible
Good for: Families · Groups · Budget-friendly · Dogs
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About Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
A wooded state park on Highway 29 between St. Helena and Calistoga, run by the Napa County Regional Park & Open Space District under an operating agreement with California State Parks. It offers one of the few large public picnic grounds in the upper Napa Valley, with grills, a reservable group ramada, a summer pool, camping and more than 10 miles of trails.
About 50 picnic tables with barbecue stoves and water spigots
Covered group ramada with sink and power, booked by phone
Lifeguarded pool on summer weekends ($5 per person)
History Trail walks to Bale Grist Mill; Napa Valley Vine Trail joins the day-use road
$10 per car; free if you arrive on foot or by bike
A relaxed Calistoga estate known for sparkling wine and Cabernet, with some of the best shade in the valley. The bookable Picnic & Bottle Service gives you a private table under huge old elms for 90 minutes. Bring your own food and buy a bottle there, or add the table to a tasting.
A small St. Helena estate focused on Italian varieties like Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio, on a quiet road near the Napa River. The bookable Al Fresco Dining Experience gives you a private table under a big walnut tree for your own packed lunch, paired with a seated tasting.
A working 1840s water-powered grist mill on a wooded creekside site just north of St. Helena, now a state historic park operated by the Napa County Regional Park & Open Space District with the Napa Valley State Parks Association. Weekend visitors can watch the miller grind grain, buy stone-ground flour and picnic at tables around the mill.
Bring your own foodPurchase requiredNo reservationDogs OK
The famously buttery-Chardonnay family winery, set on a garden-covered knoll off the Silverado Trail north of St. Helena. Rombauer doesn't serve food, but it welcomes a picnic with an outdoor tasting. At $25 it's also one of the best-value tastings in Napa.
Yes — Bothe-Napa Valley State Park has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: $10 per vehicle day-use ($8 seniors, $4 ADA). Wine and other alcohol are allowed (see the rules below).
Can you bring your own food to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park?▾
Yes. Outside food is allowed at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park.
Can you drink wine at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park?▾
Yes, alcohol is allowed at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. Alcohol: allowed unless posted. California State Parks regulation 14 CCR §4326 bans alcohol only where a superintendent's order is posted ("no alcoholic beverage areas"), and no posted order for Bothe turned up on the State Parks or District websites, so check signs at the kiosk and picnic area. Fires only in park stoves or grates; in fire season wood fires are banned but charcoal and propane are fine. Dogs on a leash of 6 ft or less in day-use areas, campgrounds and roads only, never on trails or in the pool area. Collecting anything, mushrooms included, is prohibited.
Do you need a reservation to picnic at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park?▾
No reservation is needed to use the picnic area. Individual tables (about 50, per the park brochure) are first-come, first-served; campsite tables are reserved for registered campers. One covered group picnic site (shade ramada, sink, electrical outlet) is booked by calling the park at (707) 942-4575; its current fee and headcount limit are not published online.
Is there a fee to picnic at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park?▾
$10 per vehicle day-use ($8 seniors, $4 ADA); free if you walk or bike in; California State Parks annual passes honored. Summer pool is an extra $5 per person.
Are dogs allowed at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park?▾
Leashed dogs (6-ft max) allowed in the day-use/picnic area, campgrounds and roads; not on trails or in the pool area (service animals excepted).
Sources & accuracy
We last checked this listing in September 2026 (freshest source: District park page with July 13, 2026 fire notice; park infosheet dated July 2025; District status page 9/25/2026). Policies change — especially for groups and holidays — so confirm with Bothe-Napa Valley State Park before you go. How we verify.
Picnic rules at a glance
What the picnic area is like
About Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
Make a day of it
Pick up picnic food nearby
More picnic spots nearby
Frequently asked questions
Sources & accuracy