Ultimate Napa Wine Trail Adventure by Bike or Car(?)

NAPA VALLEY ULTIMATE WINE TRAIL ADVENTURE by Bike or Car (?)

We’ve always thought Napa a very beautiful place but not necessarily for bike trails. It seems flat and full of, well, beautiful vineyards and wineries- and that’s about it. Or, so we thought, until June 7 (2015) when we finally embarked on a trail we had saved from an old charity group bike event (map) never used. Looking at this map, above, the trail looks pretty bland on paper with a lot of main streets. We bi-passed the JS School and just started on Wine Country Road and then later cut off another ‘miracle mile’ that goes up to the Veterans home, since we’ve been there before. But, all in all, for average bike riders as us, it took about four hours, including plenty of rest bits along the way, including, yes, an official ‘Bike Rest Stop’ near the beginning along Solano.
Well, they say that a picture speaks a million words, or something like that, so instead of filling up a more space here with words, just scroll through the photos and you’ll see what’s in store. Lots of surprises along the way, but even pictures won’t do this trail justice. All your senses will come alive and be working once you get out there.
It’s still late spring as we write this so enjoy the great wildflowers that remain. Beware, however of the ‘Road Closed‘ middle of the trip, on Oakville Crossings, but have no fear. The great thing about biking is that you can go places less traveled by car. Simply lift your bike over the barriers and continue on to Silverado Trail. Most of this trail can be traveled by car, we suppose – it would be a very long hike- but biking is the definite preferred way to navigate. And, there are a lot of bike rental places in the Napa area, such as near downtown Napa, not far from where the trip ensues. (You’ll be passing through about four towns – Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford). ENJOY! And, tell us how you liked it – maybe our favorite long (for us) bike trip ever taken. Oh yes, many wineries you can stop at along the way, too, which helps up to that last statement…. RD actually buts up right along the trail, as if it were built in to the ride, even plenty of bike racks to park your bike. We just happened to have an bike with a basket so we took our picnic lunch (bought sourdough bread and cheese at the Ranch Market in Yountville) which we finally ate on the last leg on the lush grass in front of Trefefen (sp) Winery, but lots of other places along the way, too.