01
Best easy access from Brooks
Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park
Capay Valley Along Highway 16 North Of Brooks • Riverfront County Park With Canyon Trails • Closest All-Around Option
A quick drive from Brooks brings you to creekside paths, short climbs, and picnic spots in a steep, scenic canyon.
Lower Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park is the go-to choice when you want to be on trail in minutes rather than hours. Easy riverside paths and short hill climbs give you views of the canyon walls, oak woodlands, and often grazing deer or soaring raptors. In summer, many hikers pair a morning loop with a shaded lunch by the water before heading back down the valley.
02
Best rolling open-country hike
Cowboy Camp – Cache Creek Natural Area
Capay Valley Between Brooks And Highway 20 • Open Grassland And Oak Ridge Hiking • Best For Wide-Open Views
Gently climbing trails wander out of Cowboy Camp into big-sky country with sweeping views over the Cache Creek hills.
From the Cowboy Camp trailhead, you quickly leave the highway behind and climb into open country dotted with blue oaks. The rolling terrain makes it easy to customize your outing, whether you want a mellow out-and-back or a longer loop along the ridgelines. Come in late winter or spring for green hills, wildflowers, and the clearest views toward the Snow Mountain country to the north.
03
Best rugged adventure
Redbud Trail – Cache Creek Wilderness
Upper Cache Creek Canyon Near Highway 20 • Steep Wilderness Canyon Hike • Best For Experienced Hikers
A demanding out-and-back plunges into the Cache Creek canyon, rewarding effort with solitude, wildlife, and big river vistas.
The Redbud Trail is the wild side of the Cache Creek area, with rocky descents, sustained climbs, and minimal amenities. Hikers willing to put in the work are often rewarded with sightings of tule elk on the hillsides and golden eagles riding thermals above the gorge. It can be brutally hot in summer, so locals favor cool-season trips when the creek is running strong and the slopes are turning green.
04
Best workout hike
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve
Near Winters Along Putah Creek • Steep Ridge Loop With Dramatic Views • Best For Fitness And Scenery
A short but stout loop climbs sharply from creekside oak forest to panoramic ridgelines above Lake Berryessa.
Stebbins Cold Canyon’s signature loop wastes no time gaining elevation, making it a favorite conditioning hike for locals. The first stretch follows a shaded creek before switchbacks haul you up to open ridges with broad views over Putah Creek and the north end of Lake Berryessa. Expect rocky footing, exposure on the upper slopes, and a real sense of accomplishment when you close the loop back at the canyon floor.
05
Best lakeside stroll
Smittle Creek Trail – Lake Berryessa
East Shore Of Lake Berryessa • Shoreline Path Through Oak Woodland • Best For Relaxed Half-Day Outings
A gentle lakeside route follows coves and inlets, mixing water views with shaded oak groves and easy grades.
Smittle Creek Trail is an appealing choice when you want more of a scenic ramble than a climb. The path contours along the edge of Lake Berryessa, slipping in and out of small coves where you can pause to watch boats or birds working the shoreline. It’s an especially pleasant option on cooler days, when the filtered sunlight and calm water make it easy to linger and explore side paths down to the lake.