The area that we call the Napa County Lake District is within the Putah Creek Watershed, shown by the red line on the map to the right. It is primarily a natural area, with some vineyards, grazing land, and more than 80,000 acres of public land, including a 20,000 acre lake.

Nestled in the middle of the Lake District, and surrounded by wilderness quality ridges and hill tops to the east and west, lies Lake Berryessa - a federal recreation area poised to be re-developed to provide opportunities for nature-based recreation such as hiking, camping, paddling, horse-back riding, swimming, etc. Lake Berryessa is also likely to become the focal point for exploring the rest of the public land in the Lake District.

The Napa County Lake District is part of the larger Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area (BRBNA), a natural area of some 750,000 acres spead over portions of five counties, half of which is public land. The BRBNA is the subject of a voluntary conservation partnership (the BRBNA CP) in which BT&C is a partner, dedicated to conserving the natural, recreational and agricultural lands within the BRBNA. Trails planned in the Lake District form the core of the regional trail system being planned in the BRBNA, starting with the Bureau of Reclamation's proposal for a 150 mile Lake Berryessa Shoreline Trail.

Access to Public Land

Most of the 80,000 acres of land in the Lake District is held by two federal bureaus of the Dept. of the Interior - the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) plus a state agency, the California Dept. of Fish and Game (DFG). The fourth major public landholder is the UC Davis Nature Reserve System (NRS). Despite the extensive public land holdings, there are few formal trails in the Lake District, and finding access to the public land can be difficult.

Berryessa Trails and Conservation is working on developing trails, public access and other recreational facilities in this area.