Ritchey Creek Campground — Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

Lovely campsite with very sweet camp hosts. Always waved when they drove by.

Chose site 17 because of the beautiful tree seen in another review but was felled prior to our arrival, so no big tree. We did however get a beautiful view of the stars.

Two things to note, some of the sites (didn’t look like all of them had this issue) have an incredibly fine dusty dirt that gets on absolutely everything, it made our feet, legs and sandals completely beige from the dust and we had to wipe them with wet wipes before going into our tent and tracked a fair amount into our car upon leaving.

The other thing we were disappointed with was that we had to pay for showers on top of already paying over $50 for our site for one night, we felt that was a pretty big con and that it should be included in the fees.

Overall, you can’t get closer to the wineries and it was an otherwise lovely site.

This rv site was awesome.It's quiet beautiful, lush green. Be aware tho. It's full of poison oak!!!! But yiu can get around it.
There are no hook ups. But the sights are mostly shaded, so it was a great help and I did not go in a hot time of the year. They have good hours for use of generators as well We Brought our electric bikes and rode to the geyser in Calistoga and to multiple wineries It was a great way to travel

Nice sites in Oak, Madrone and Manzanita forest. As many have mentioned, it’s also a Poison Oak farm, but if you keep to the trails and roads it’s fine. Many sites are not level. Road is narrow. Bathrooms clean, showers although clean were not inviting. ATT was a bar, occasionally two. Was able to make a call if I stood still. Minutes away from Calistoga and St. Helena. We imagine it’s a very busy place in peak season, but a nice quiet getaway in winter.

WE just stayed two nights camping and had a great time, site was good, bathrooms and showers were clean.   Good access to wineries close by.  Only real downside was that because of the dry conditions we could not have a campfire.

It was not a problem for us but ATT reception was poor, could not get messages at the site but sometimes could while moving around the campground.

Great spot for cheap and restful accommodation while Visiting wine country. Yurts, and campsites, pull thru and rv sites. Not super cheap cuz you are in California but way more affordable than any hotel and 5 minutes from Calistoga, thru vineyard lined lanes. Lots of hikes for a hike level. Mosquitos started coming out but tolerable. Nice trickling river and peaceful pondering spots. Great bathrooms but bring lots of quarters for showers, helpful staff! Rico you are the best for giving me firewood!

The location of this campground is amazing, if a trip to Napa Valley's wine country is on your bucket list.  The camp sites are okay, but road and access is narrow for many sites and the gravel pads aren't particularly level.  We stayed at site 049 which is a nice quiet spot away from the restrooms -but has trees, rocks, and bollards obstructing ability to cut the wheel and back in.  The restrooms were fairly clean and stocked with TP, but no soap or papertowels, so plan to bring those.  Also the park is prominently overtaken with poison oak... we knew what to look for and very cautiously avoided it, but it is everywhere, so if you're not familiar with poison oak, be warned.

Overall, an okay experience but I would not repeat at this location.

Love this campsite. Large sites. Close to great restaurants and wine tasting.

Fresh and clean

Water fountains/spigots relatively easy to find near most campsites. Bathhouse is next to site 10, operates with quarters. Site 7 is fairly flat, not terrible wide but plenty of room to put out slide and walk around RV. Further in on sitge has picnic table and more space. No fires right now, obviously, put propane is ok.

I've camped here more times than I can count.  I remember camping here during several wine-soaked weekends with large groups of friends, back in my younger days.  We rode our bikes through the Napa valley, stopping at multiple wineries along the way.  Then, after a day of riding and wine tasting, we retired back to our campsites for an evening of grilling and drinking of local wines (of which there are many, many excellent choices). I've only tent camped here; I've not brought my Airstream because I don't think there are spots that are large enough for it.  However, I do recall seeing trailers and RV's here in the past, so it can accomodate rigs of smaller sizes.

There's nothing dramatically beautiful about this park, but if you like California country living - oaks, madrone, rolling hills, and lots of sunshine - than you'll enjoy it here.  It's a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, and is quite literally in the Napa valley, on its northern end, near Calistoga.  You'll easily be able to get to all the restaurants and wineries in the valley. You won't be disappointed with a couple of nights camping at Bothe-Napa.

One important note: I have not been here since the fires that have ravaged Napa and Sonoma every year since 2017.  There has been at least one fire that burned very near this park, causing it to close temporarily.  I don't know how bad the impact to the park has been, as I've not seen it first hand.  As I write this in summer 2021, the campground is open, so hopefully the fire and smoke damage was minimal.   As I've mentioned in many of my other posts, the sad reality of the ongoing drought in California is that summer camping is not the experience it used to be.  It's still fun, but I would argue winter or early spring is now the best time to visit places like Bothe-Napa.  The creeks will be flowing, you'll be allowed to have a campfire, and the vegetation will be greener and lusher.

Per my rating system, I give this 4 stars as it's not a place you'd plan a trip to from out of state, but it is a place you should consider visiting as part of a larger trip to Napa/Sonoma.  For locals, this is a top tier spot.

This was Part 2 of a "Test My Gear Close to Home" camping experience.  It's close enough to the wine country aspects of Napa to be an easy overnight without the excruciating Napa Valley hotel prices.  Google doesn't like finding the entrance, but I got the street address off the website and eventually made it.  The gentleman at the gate was lovely; the camp hosts kept to themselves.  My only drawback was that the showers were foul (cobwebs and spiders everywhere).  It's very quiet and woodsy.  I couldn't see my neighbors.  I was awoken (as is the norm in NorCal) to gobbling turkeys at dawn.  Easy access to hiking trails.  A shuttle stops at the park to take people into town for dinner if they don't want to drive after drinking.  The ground is volcanic rock and super hard in the dry weather.  I broke a couple tent poles and couldn't pull the rest out of the ground, so they're now donations.

This is our second time here. It's so nice to be right in the Napa Valley. We found a great trail close by at Lake Hennessey. If you're a wine drinker, during non-COVID times you can catch a wine bus from here! There's a pool for warm summer days and some awesome trails.

Great place to stay at when visiting the Napa wine valley that is halfway between St Helena and Calistoga, two nice tourist towns. There are nice hiking trails in the park though they are closed currently (Dec 2020) due to the fire in the area. There was no damage to the campground even though the fire burned into the grounds. The weekends usually are full, it clears out Sunday evening so during the weekdays it is really nice. Staff are really nice. Be careful of the poison oak, it is prevalent there as it is so anywhere in Northern California.

My husband and I stayed here for Christmas, and loved our little yurt. It was very clean, and the bed was actually pretty comfy. It came with a cot as well. The bathrooms were super clean and also really nice. I was impressed. There were hardly any other people staying there at the same time, so we pretty much had the campground to ourselves.

It was pretty chilly at night in December, and the yurts don't really stay warm, but maybe slightly warmer than if staying in a tent.

My only complaint is noise from the road. It runs right by the campground, and pretty audible even inside the yurt. I recommend ear plugs.

Tent camped here several times before I got my trailer. Fantastically close to many great wineries, and minutes from Calistoga. The park has a great swimming pool that my kids enjoyed, and I heard there was a fun hike to the mill located elsewhere in the park. Heads up for RV campers- the park is hilly, and some of the parking spots aren’t flat, so make sure you check sites like campsitephotos first to make sure you get a spot that works for you.

We just stayed here for 2 nights, great location very close to Calistoga and not to far from Saint Helena! Next time i would love to try out a cabin or yurt. Cons are lots of poison oak and lots and lots of wasps! Bring a trap and be prepared to constantly tell the kids to stay away from the bushes. Great creek near by (we spent most of our time stacking rocks) and great hiking trails i believe it’s a 5 mile loop up ritchy creek. Very cool to see hundreds of frogs everywhere at night. Overall had a great time. Pool was awesome, staff was friendly, facilities were clean! Wood was overpriced but hey that’s the Napa Valley for you!

Just stayed here for 3 nights over 4th July weekend. Sites are nicely spaced apart, amenities are great - very clean, new and well looked after. The location itself is fantastic, just a few miles from Calistoga and St Helena. There is a creek which the kids enjoyed playing in and some good hiking.

There was some poison oak in the campground, but this was easily cleared (and not as bad as have seen in other locations). We also had some wasps and bought a trap at the local hardware store which largely solved the problem. Think both these issues are a result of the campground having just reopened following COVID-19 as the Rangers seemed very helpful.

Overall we had a great stay, and would go back.

Nice place

Beautiful and close to downtown Calistoga however the campgrounds were infested with poison oak. Maybe just the time of year and because of so much rain this year? Not sure but it was thick and lush everywhere.

I haven't actually been there for 3 years, but the reason for that is that we felt like we were being hemmed in by other campers and swarms of screaming children on every side.... we left after the 1st night. YUCK

Nice state park north of Napa, the few car tent sites are nicely situated near a creek. Good space between sites. Easy and fun camping.

Yurts and cabins available. Close to road so a little noisy. Great for a less expensive stay. Saves money for wine tastings...

Great little place in the redwoods in beautiful majestic wine country. Campsites are clean, bathrooms are being renovated at the moment but the ones completed are nice. You need reservations but there are a few walk in campsites up at the end that go on first come first serve basis. Great hiking in the redwoods along a nice creek. Close to Calistoga and St Helena for all your needs.

Small, cozy campground located in the heart of wine country. Site contains fire pit, picnic tables, and bear locker. Several prominent wineries located near by as well as a charming town called Calistoga. Sites and bathrooms were well maintained. Good option if you're doing Napa on a budget!

We have rented at this campground many times. Never had any trouble getting a reservation in spring or fall. Camping here leaves lots of money for food and wine splurges!

Traditional campground, yurts and a seasonal pool make this a fun place to go with the kids. Camp sites are on the smaller side. Take a walk to check out the Pioneer Cemetery and nearby mill. St. Clement Vineyards is a fun stop on the way out of town and is kid-friendly.

Stayed here in December. It was cold and drippy that time of year but it's a nice campground. We had a nice quiet stay but we wimped out and went into town for breakfast on our last morning there. Would definitely go back.