Looking down Pope Canyon at Lake Berryessa and Blue Ridge
From the brown and yellow gate at the trailhead of the Pope Canyon Trail, proceed about 0.1 miles west (away from the lake) on Pope Canyon Road to the next turnout on the left. The turnout is a few feet east of the "Napa 06.75" mileage marker. Park at the gate or in a larger pullout across the road. The Access Trail begins at the rusty white gate at this turnout. The gate is marked with a somewhat obscure hiker sign. Go to the left on an old roadbed which makes a broad curve to the right. Leave the roadbed where it turns left towards the water and follow the trail to the right and northwest up Pope Creek. After descending a slippery drop with the assistance of an attached rope and continuing upstream across rocks about 100 yards, the Access Trail is visible across the creek going up through a wide opening in the trees. If you reach a sign labelled "Private Land Beyond This Point", backtrack about 100 yards.
Cross the creek at this point by bushwacking through the brush and wading the creek. Use extreme caution wading if the water flow is high or consider abandoning the hike. Crossing Pope Creek during the rainy season is often impossible and remains a boot filling experience until, usually, some time in May. Ascend the trail to an old carriage/jeep road. Turn left and follow the road uphill.
After about a 1/2 mile climb, the trail reaches a saddle and passes through a broad meadow. The path then descends down a canyon on the far side of the saddle and ends at the boundary with private land. A side trail takes off on the left just past the meadow and continues up into the Cedar Roughs. The trail soon ends, however, and the thick brush along the ridge makes hiking a challenging but rewarding bushwhack along the main ridge of the Roughs to view a grove of genetically pure Sargent Cypress.
From the meadow, a 1/4 mile climb up the small peak to the northwest (on the right side of the Access Trail as one first enters the meadow) requires little bushwhacking and offers splendid views in all directions (see photo above). The peak is marked VIEWPOINT on the trail map below.
When returning down the Access Trail, the side trail which descends to the creek leaves to the right as the creek first comes into view and the road takes a broad turn to the left. Iron gate posts beside the road are beyond the point where the Access Trail branches down to the water.
A four page brochure entitiled "Cedar Roughs" with more information about the Cedar Roughs and the Access Trail, including a map, is available from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is highly recommended that hikers obtain this brochure before hiking into the Roughs. To request a copy online, go to the BLM Ukiah Map Request Page. The written description and the map from the brochure are also available online from the BLM site.
*Degree of Difficulty: Moderate climb to meadow with elevation gain of 450 ft.; strenuous bushwhacking beyond into the Cedar Roughs.
*Trail Condition: unmaintained and unmarked, follows old road, trailbed obvious but rough in spots, needs trimming in spots.
