// Scenic Bicycle Tour of Calistoga in the Beautiful Napa Valley
Posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Written by Cheryl Carmo
For a fun, casual bicycle ride, Calistoga, CA, offers a varied terrain for all riders, from the quaint downtown and surrounding area with smooth roads and little traffic, to mountainous hard-core trails. There are routes designed for the entire family. Our first stop in the morning was Calistoga Roastery for coffee and a bite, then up a block to the Calistoga Bike Shop on Lincoln Avenue. We told the bike pro that we wanted to stay close to town, see some of the wineries, and vineyards, so he set us up with a mapped bike route for our comfort level. We rode our own hybrid bikes, but they accommodate any bicycling needs. The route took us north on Cedar St through neighborhoods and bike paths to the fairgrounds and the St. Helena Golf course (which we played the day before), and convenient to refill your water bottle or grab a snack. Bike path signs are easy to follow.
A section of the bike trail opens up on Washington to Dunaweal where you can open it up and pedal. Sterling Winery is at the crossroad, if you want to stop for wine tasting.
We continued on Dunaweal to Silverado Trail, turned right on Pickett and left on Rosedale. This is a really nice, flat, non-busy, open road through the vineyards just off Silverado Trail.
It takes you back up to Silverado Trail to the Pizza Joint. The map had us turn left on Lake, but we continued up Silverado Trail until we came to Mora Ave and turned left. The map accurately warned that Hwy 29 has little shoulder and fast traffic, but it wasn’t too intimidating up to Mora. Mora was a really nice ride back to Grant. We went north on Grant up to Tubbs Lane and made a left to Old Faithful Geyser.
From this point, we rode back down Grant and stopped again at the golf course. We made a few stops on our route where we were lucky enough to find a water spigot or winery landscape hose to wash down my bike. Somewhere along the trial a nincompoop left their dog’s poop on the trail, which found its way on my tires and bike. Luckily, none hit up my backside. The occasional landscape hose helped to wash off most of the residuals; which is where the power hose at the golf course came in handy! A good wash down, water bottle refill, restroom break, and we were on our way.
When we got back to town we stopped at the Pacifico Restaurante Mexicano and decided it was the perfect spot to finish our tour. We rolled our bikes in the side gate, checked in at the front desk, and sat outside in the fresh air to relax. We ordered Margaritas, ceviche, and fish tacos; the best we ever had!
We started out from the Calistoga Bike Shop around 1:30 pm, and got back into town and stopped at the Pacifico around 5:00-ish. The ride was nice and easy, with breaks now and then to take in the beauty of the Napa Valley. It was casual and we were in no rush. It was a great overnight trip: Played 9 holes on Saturday, had a fabulous dinner at the Bistro, stayed and relaxed at Dr. Wilkinson’s (no mud baths this time, but the room rate was the right price!). We took advantage of the mineral pools Saturday night, and again Sunday morning before checking out to begin our bicycle ride.
If you’re in the mood for a bicycle weekend get-away, Calistoga is a beautiful place to go.
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