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Potential hiking trails near Hennessey, Milliken reservoirs
A fisherman tries his luck at Lake Hennessey on a rainy day. The Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District is planning nearly six miles of trails at Lake Hennessey. Register file photo | Buy photos
Thursday, November 05, 2009
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Wild lands surrounding two city of Napa reservoirs — Lake Hennessey and Lake Milliken — may be opened to the public for hiking, biking and horse riding.

The Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District is planning nearly six miles of trails at Lake Hennessey and 10 miles of trails at Lake Milliken, including a stretch that would be part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
City officials are supporting public recreation at Lake Hennessey, located 30 minutes from Napa on Highway 128, as long as trails are routed away from the reservoir that supplies water to more than 75,000 people.

The city won’t hear the district’s request for public access to the much wilder and steeper terrain at Lake Milliken on Atlas Peak Road until it can evaluate how things have gone at Hennessey.
The first trails at Lake Hennessey could be ready for public use by the summer of 2011, Dave Finigan, president of the district’s board of directors, told the Napa City Council Tuesday night.

The Lake Hennessey trails would begin at a new park, Moore Creek, a 673-acre property on Chiles-Pope Valley Road purchased by the district a year ago.
The district will need to complete an environmental study and get a county use permit before it can start to build facilities at Moore Creek. The City Council must also give the project final approval.

Phil Brun, a deputy director of public works, said he could support trails at Lake Hennessey as long as they were kept away from the dam, a water treatment plant and a field of solar collectors and the water.

Currently, the city allows small boats on the lake, but prohibits swimming and water skiing.

The city owns some 4,000 acres at Lake Hennessey. The trails would be confined to land north of the reservoir. A caretaker at Moore Creek would supervise the park.

These reservoir proposals would maximize the use of land already in the public domain for public recreation, Finigan said.

The district wants the trails at Moore Creek, Lake Hennessey and Lake Milliken to be open to hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. The city accepts multiple uses at Hennessey, but wants to put off discussion of Milliken until later.

Once it has final approvals from the county and city, the Park and Open Space District will spend $50,000 to open up Moore Creek and construct one-third of a mile of trail connecting the property to a dirt road at Lake Hennessey.

Another two miles of trail would be built as money became available, Finigan said.

The district is continuing to negotiate with private property owners adjacent to Lake Milliken to buy land for an access road and staging area off of Atlas Peak Road, John Woodbury, the district’s general manager, told the council.

The district would need to raise funds to construct 10 miles of planned trails at Milliken, which is a 15-minute drive from Napa, behind Silverado Country Club. None currently exist.

The district bought the Moore Creek property for $2.8 million, using a $1.65 million grant from the state Coastal Conservancy and state park bond money.
21 comment(s)

Skip M. wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:29 AM:

" I spent my youth exploring Milliken creek, the reservoir, and canyons. Hennessey came into range when I got old enough to drive. I know you are not supposed to swim in Hennessey, but did not know that about Milliken until after I had taken a skinny dip or two in that pond.

Our kids today are very deprived of many of the simple pleasures we enjoyed when I was a lad. It seemed back then that very few places were out of bounds. And people then did not seem so concerned if someone skirted the edge of their property on the way to a mountain hike. But then again, we also knew to close the gate as we passed through, and respect the land and critters on it. It was not cool to spook the livestock.

But that was then, and now the fences are eight foot chain link, and lend that was once open is closed off as well. We need more open and unstructured range, especially for our young people. There are always trails. The deer and other critters make them. That is what we used to follow. "

Demo Cracy wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:00 AM:

" No Equestrian puleeze. People and road apples and water don't mix. "

Napa_Citizen wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:11 AM:

" Bikes belong on pavement.... "

hawkeye wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:28 AM:

" Let's be happy we're getting an expanded opportunity for outdoor activity. Besides, mountain bikes were designed to go off-pavement. My bike belongs on rough dirt trails. I'll take the horses and bikes too, anytime! After all the years of hikes and being a scout, dodging road apples is a no-brainer. "

eas001 wrote on Nov 5, 2009 9:12 AM:

" Hikers, horses, bikes, AND dogs can mix on trails if there is enough space and all involved are respectful of each others rights to use the trails! "

littlered56 wrote on Nov 5, 2009 9:19 AM:

" Miliken is where my Mother was raised. She lived with her Uncle and he owned the land. She use to tell us about walking down the hill to the one room school house. They use to come into town every Saturday by horse and wagon, leaving in early am and arriving back in the dark with lanterns on the wagon.
I have walked every mile of the plalce. I went with my Dad to fish there the last day they allowed fishing.
My Great Uncle gave the land to the county of Napa free before the Dam was built.
I sure hope the natural beauty of the place is kept as it is. I hope it is kept for walking only. "

Common Sense wrote on Nov 5, 2009 9:51 AM:

" Definitely include horses! "

kevin wrote on Nov 5, 2009 10:06 AM:

" What about Rector Dam?

That would be an excellent place to hike and fish! "

mjvande wrote on Nov 5, 2009 10:06 AM:

" Bulldozers are ALSO designed to go off-road, but that doesn't mean that we want them running around our reservoirs! Mountain bikes, with their knobby tires, accelerate erosion, and don't belong anywhere near a reservoir. In EBMUD's watershed, they are restricted to pavement. That's the way it should be everywhere. "

pharper wrote on Nov 5, 2009 10:12 AM:

" Road apples are really not that bad; I'd rather step in horse plops than dog poop. I think this would be beautiful land to ride my horse around and I would love the opportunity to do so.

And Napa_Citizen - Not mountain bikes. :) "

littlered56 wrote on Nov 5, 2009 11:26 AM:

" The water at Miliken is about as pure as it can get..please no not allow dogs and horses or any thing else that could leech into the water supply. Why can we not have a natural preserve to walk through? This land was given to the county for the damn to be built and for a place for people to go for fishing not for riding horses and walking dogs.Let alone riding mountain bikes.
I will be paying strick attention to what the supervisors deside. "

antipc wrote on Nov 5, 2009 12:46 PM:

" What about hunting? "

local yokel wrote on Nov 5, 2009 12:56 PM:

" Hmmn - "The water at Miliken is about as pure as it can get" - well yes, apart from the coyote poo, raccoon poo, feral pig poo, bobcat poo, mountain lion poo, deer poo, jackrabbit poo, skunk poo, rodent and all kinds of bird poo, including ducks and geese who have quite nasty poo, sometimes containing botulism.

Given that the water is purified before we get to use it, I feel the recreational use of the lake for so many users sounds a great idea.

So many so called 'public lands' are only available to the priviledged few, this will be wonderful for local folk who love to get outdoors but can't go too far.

I will be out there with my horsie, looking out for the bald eagles and ospreys - (yup, they are on these lakes,) and glad to share with other users. "

vocal-de-local wrote on Nov 5, 2009 1:52 PM:

" littlered56, I greatly appreciate your feedback. If anyone has a right to make suggestions about the destination of this land, it's you. Stay on top of this issue.

I agree wholeheartedly about keeping the trails for people only because horses will cause erosion and the feces of pets could present a hazard to water. Also, dogs like to chase wildlife, at least my dog does. I have to keep her strictly on a leash while hiking anywhere because she doesn't mind me! But not everyone feels the same way about protecting wildlife as I do. "

Wyoming cowboy wrote on Nov 5, 2009 2:17 PM:

" You folks need more nice trails for horseback riding. "

rideon wrote on Nov 5, 2009 4:21 PM:

" I too think that they should open these areas for all to enjoy. Including Horses! I enjoyed many years of riding my horse all over Milliken dam. Yes, inside the dam area. The dam keeper had many horses that he kept at the city owned property. You have already had horse poop in the water. Not to mention the cattle ranches above the dam. Glad to hear that the water is still so pure. RIDE ON... horsepower!! "

dude69 wrote on Nov 5, 2009 5:01 PM:

" I cannot seem to finf miliken lake on google earth. Perhaps someone can post the coordinates? Try this one using google earth. 38°29'23.37"N 122°22'14.80"W "

B-side wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:23 PM:

" dud69, it is north east of Silverado Country Club. Follow Miliken Creek up through the hills and you'll find it. I hiked in Miliken often back in the 80's. Beautiful area up there. The vast majority of tourists that come to Napa never see the most majestic beauty this valley has to offer. Miliken and Rector are amazing places. "

kevin wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:59 PM:

" The last time I hiked down to Kimball Reservoir in Calistoga they still had cattle standing in the lake "doing their business".

I figure that's why they all drink Calistoga bottled water... "

Landshark wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:09 PM:

" One thought would be to utilize the same progressive people that have turned Lake Berryessa in to a "vacation destination" that is just like Lake Tahoe only much different.

Businesses are gone, resorts are closed and and the grounds are anomalous.

No money, no plan just the Bureau of Reclamation and the highest level of incompetence achievable.

Where's the correlation you ask, NAPA County Supervisors, Mr. Mike Thompson and the mysterious back room deals that have crippled receation throughout Napa County in search the utopia of hiking, birding & kayaks with blatant disregard of fishing & water-sports.

The NVR has reported on planned trails surrounding Lake Berryessa for several years and here we wait for Reclamation's next award of contract to provide substandard recreation facilities.

Hoooo-ahh, pinnacle planning Reclamation (aka Wreck-la-mation).

Ten years into thier plan and still no positive milestones by Reclamation.

Bitter? no, tired of misconceptions and mistruths......YES. "

littlered56 wrote on Nov 5, 2009 9:59 PM:

" I stand corrected,, Miliken was gift deeded to the "City" not the country. My Great Uncle was Oliver Hoffman he served as city councelman and then Mayor of Napa.
After the Damm was built there were NO animals allowed past the gate for years this was the rule. Miliken was private property for many years.
I guess the dam keeper changed all that. I just wish it could remain as it was intended for. the land was very valuable and given in good faith for a specific reason......hummmmm!!! "

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