The park is named after Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped. In 1880, Stevenson and his new wife Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne spent their honeymoon living in a cabin at a played-out mine on the mountain along with Fanny's son Lloyd Osbourne. Although nothing remains of the cabin, the site is identified on the trail to the summit. Stevenson's book Silverado Squatters contains stories he wrote about his experiences during his visit to the area.
The area has rough terrain, with evergreen forests in the canyons on north-facing slopes and chaparral on the south-facing slopes.