To the north of the San Francisco Bay, area is a county called Napa, created in 1850 when California was granted statehood. The first settlers grew a variety of crops, but over the ensuing years, many realized Napa’s potential for growing grapes. George Yount was the first white resident in the Napa area, and built the first log cabin. Some time in the 1860s, he planted the first grapevines. Take one of the Napa bike tours through Rancho Caymus in Yountville where he lived.
The Napa area is quite small and covers less than 800 square miles, 90 square miles of which are water, which is used to irrigate the many world-class vineyards that thrive there today. There are only five major roads that run through the Napa valley. You could choose to travel along one of those on your Napa bike tour, or seek out some of the less traveled routes.
Any of the Napa bike tours are designed for flexibility. If you only wanted to take on bike tour during your stay, there are many choices of places to see and you will find most of the tours are an easy, pleasant ride. You can bring your own bike along if you are taking a local vacation, or you can choose to hire a bike at one of the many tour offices.
Many places will arrange your tour for you, including bicycle rental and first class accommodation in one of the many hotels in the Napa region. If you want to include one of the Napa bike tours along with a wine tour, that’s easily arranged. Although mixing cycling and wine would spell disaster for me!
If you don’t know the Napa area, a good idea is to take one or two of the Napa bike tours with a guide, and then go off and do your own thing for the rest of your vacation. There is every choice and permutation; you will be able to find the perfect vacation easily and you could even choose to stay in nearby Sonoma for a couple of nights.
A popular choice is to take one of the tours through Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park on one of the many trails, or visit the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park.
Cycling or motorcycling are the best ways to look at the fabulous Napa Valley scenery and visit its cities without worrying about parking space (or the price of gas!) Many new bike trails are being developed as cycling the Napa area has become a popular pastime. Taking the Silverado trail is only recommended for experienced cyclists though, as it is heavily trafficked and hilly, with many twists and turns.
The most popular trails are through the original settlement of Yountville, where many Napa bike tours meet, and go through American Canyon, Napa the state capital, Calistoga or through beautiful St. Helena.
Combine one of the exhilarating Napa bike tours with a guided tour with some of the famous wineries in the district, will make you want to return often. Make sure you have some strong panniers on your bike so you can take home a couple of bottles of the area’s most famous wines, to enjoy after your Napa bike tours.
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