Napa

Biking in Napa

When you haven’t biked in over a decade and decide to use it as a means of being fit, you would probably not need more than a bike and a half-decent trail. What if, however, you were thrown in a valley dotted with wineries and vineyards, smelling of the crisp summer month under the warm July sun? Napa. It only makes the decision ten-fold easier.

You can complete anything from 1-5 trails in a day in the Napa region, depending on how slow you want to take the ride. We started biking at about 1.40 pm on a saturday, and were told that we could cover 2 trails (one 14 mile and another 6 mile) in about 3 -3.5 hours if we did just that. One word of advise: if you haven’t biked in a looong time (like me) and wake up one morning and decide to bike 20 miles, be prepared to set aside a couple days to recuperate! Here’s an account of the trail we took and the sights we saw through these trails – it was a lengthy bike ride, but absolutely worth it.

We started at the intersection of Washington & Madison and proceeded on Madison. Within a few minutes of biking, we hit Yount street where we made a left. This is where the most scenic part of the trail unfolds. As you proceed through the wilderness earmarked by minimal to no traffic, cool winds, shaded grooves and scenic sights you will wish this continues forever. This stretch is about the most shaded part of the entire trail, so make the most of it. Yount street turns into Yount mill road and is dotted with few wineries along the way.

As you exit this Yount mill road onto Highway 29, make a right and stay in the bike lane. Having cars whizz past you at 65mph when you are on a bike is well, best experienced on the bike. I couldn’t help but r’ber the numerous times I was in the non-bike lane and wondered how the bikers managed to ‘opt’ to bike. Well, every dog has its day  Its a different experience biking through a highway and this route offers you a little bit of everything – highways, shaded parts and cross roads. After about a couple of miles on 29, make a right at Oakville cross road, where Napa valley winery is on your right. Ah, now begins the sun, and the obvious tanning. For as far as I could see, the trail seemed pretty open, barring a few random, sporadic trees on the side. Yes, there were wineries every so often but umm.. they didn’t do much to shield me from the sun. Oh well.

About after what seemed like forever, the Silverado trail board up ahead brought some smiles. What we had driven all the way from San Francisco for. Finally. Make a right onto the trail and proceed. The bike lane here seems about almost twice the size of the bike lane on 29, and thrice the one on Oakville cross road. To be honest, Silverado was a little bit of a disappointment. Its not so much a bike trail as it a highway with a wide enough bike lane. There are stretches of non-so-flat bits, but for the most part, it seemed like a flat road. Numerous wineries line this highway/trail and some of them are an utter delight. Walking through the vineyard to reach the wineries, it seemed quite a surprise to see the number of people there were. Probably owe it to the weekend. Some wineries even serve appetizers with the wine. And when you’ve biked about 12-15 miles on a hot July afternoon after a brunch, these could be a blessing.

After going south on Silverado for a long while, you will reach the intersection of Oak Knoll Avenue and Silverado. Make sure to hang a right onto Oal Knoll unless you want to grab a bite in which case, you go down a couple of miles on Silverado to a cafe/bakery.

Oak Knoll was slightly better in terms of being shaded. It doesn’t last too long though, since you will see 29 up ahead. At 29, make sure you cross the highway and get onto the street parallel to 29, Solano avenue, since this is the bike-friendly route. Solano is right after the rail road crossing that borders 29. Make a right onto Solano, and continue until you hit Madison, where you make a right. Make a left where Madison hits Washington and you’re back onto Yountville’s most happening street. Downtown seemed like a great end to this exhausting but wonderful bike path. A number of restaurants, cafes and bakeries line Washington so its a delightful treat after a 20 mile bike ride.

Whew! We had finally made it. After over a decade of not biking, a 20 mile ride seemed like a great start. I hope I’m able to keep up with this hobby. Will let you guys know.