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Map Satellite Included in this area are the non-historical and undeveloped portions of the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and the State lands along Mill Creek. Much of the area is chaparral, with Arctostaphylos manzanita, mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus betuloides, chaparral pea, Pickeringia montana, and buck brush, Ceanothus cuneatus, among the more prominent members of the community.
Along Ritchie and Mill Creeks is a forest varying from almost pure stands of redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, to stands of Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, with gradations between the two. Other trees in this forest include bay, Umbellularia californica, California nutmeg, Torreya californica, madrone, Arbutus menziesii, and California buckeye, Aesculus californica.
The rare Lilium rubescens is found in the park.
Animal life is relatively abundant and typical of the region.
Geologically, the area is underlain by Pliocene basalts and breccias of the Sonoma volcanics, with occasional outcrops of the older Franciscan formation. On upper Mill Creek there are hexagonal basaltic columns, similar to those of the Devils Postpile.
Integrity: There are historical areas and recreational facilities in the lower elevations and, as the Ritchie Creek section has been used for recreational purposes for over 40 years, the vegetation has suffered some impact.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present.
March 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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