W6/NC-118 Berryessa Peak

Berryessa Peak is the highest peak in the Lake Berryessa region. It is at the north end of the lake, on the east side. The trail to the top is somewhat long (7.25 mi, 3200'), but it is not a difficult hike. The trailhead is along Berryessa Knoxville Road, and is not marked. There is a gate with some small signs on the other side that confirm you are in the right place. Parking is on the side of the road.

Parking and the start of the trail.

The first few miles are in some valleys. It appears this route was chosen because it is the best route that stays on the state and BLM land. The trail was well marked and maintained, with periodic wooden posts marked "BPT" at intersections or difficult areas. At a spur to the main ridge, the trail switchbacks a few times, then climbs directly up the crest of the spur. Near the top, there is a fence crossing with a stile over it.

Fence stile crossing.

At this point the trail begins a long sidehill traverse just below the top of the ridge. Along this section, the trail passes through easments granted by the ranch owners, so stay on the trail. Other hikers have complained that this section is not very nice, since it is not on the top of the ridge. I think that it was pretty because the central valley is not particularly picturesque, and is usually covered in haze anyway. The view from the Napa side of the ridge is of almost totally undeveloped land.

Plaque along the way.

This section also shows how much work was put into building the trail. Making such a long section of sidehill trail on such a steep hill is not easy to construct or maintain. The trail descends into a small gap at the end of the sidehill section, which was quite damp after the recent rains. There were some steep sections with loose dirt in this area as well.

View down to Lake Berryessa.

On the other side it climbs steeply up to the summit ridge, with an occasional switchback. Here you will finally get some views to the east. After traversing a few bumps along the ridge, it descends a short distance to the tower access road, which it follows the last mile to the summit.

First view of the summit, from the sidehill traverse.

There are some open areas at the actual summit, and I found a bush to hold up my pole, and a flat area to sit in. I strung up the dipole, and got on the air. I operated in the usual order, 30, 20, and 40, and made contacts on each, including two summit-to-summits. I then tried VHF, and made one contact on both 440 and 220. Since I got a new phone over Christmas, I wanted to try out some of the features, so I took a bunch of pictures, including a photo sphere which I added to Google Maps.

Lake Berryessa.

 By the time I was done playing radio and taking pictures, the wind had picked up and I was getting cold. It also looked like some clouds were rolling in from the south, so I started the hike back down. By the time I got back to the fence stile, the peak was enveloped in clouds. I'm glad I got up to the top early enough to get some good views. Back at the trailhead I didn't stop at my car. Instead I walked up the road to go activate Peak 1140.

Trailhead: Berryessa Peak Trailhead. Not marked on the road, but Google knows where it is.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the Berryessa Peak Trail to the summit. Except for the intersection with the access road, junctions and major turns are all marked.

Red Tape: None. Stay on the trail while passing through the easments.

Setup on the summit.