Ride a century-old train, watch a geyser blow, then decide if Napa is really about the wine

It’s not all about the wine

Napa sits about an hour from San Francisco and Sacramento, right in the heart of Northern California’s wine country. You already know about the vineyards.

Everybody does. But the valley pulled in 3.7 million visitors in 2023, and a good chunk of them came for things that have nothing to do with a glass of cabernet.

You can float over the hills at sunrise, ride a century-old train, watch a geyser blow, and hike to a peak where three mountain ranges line up on the horizon. The wine is just the opening act.

The Patwin word that gave a valley its name

The name “Napa” traces back to the Patwin people, who used the word “napo” for “house.” Nathan Coombs laid out the original town site in 1847 at the farthest navigable point on the Napa River.

Before that, George Yount planted the valley’s first grapevines in the late 1830s, and the town of Yountville carries his name today.

By 1968, the valley had created America’s first agricultural preserve, locking in farming as the top use of the land.

Now the valley stretches north from the city of Napa through Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga, with about 77,000 people calling the city home.

Float 3,000 feet above the vineyards at dawn

Balloon rides launch just after dawn, when the wind is at its calmest.

You rise over rows of grapevines and rolling hills, climbing as high as 3,000 feet over the course of about an hour.

On clear mornings, Mount St. Helena stands to the north, the Mayacamas Mountains line the west, and the Vaca Range fills the east.

With the right wind, you can catch a glimpse of the San Francisco skyline and the distant Sierra Nevada. Companies have been flying balloons here since the 1970s, so the operation runs like clockwork.

Ride restored Pullman railcars to St. Helena

The Napa Valley Wine Train covers 36 miles round-trip from downtown Napa to St. Helena and back.

You sit in railcars built by the Pullman Company between 1915 and 1917, with Honduran mahogany paneling, brass accents and etched glass partitions.

A rare 1952 dome car gives you a panoramic view through a glass roof. The rail line itself dates to 1864, originally connecting San Francisco travelers to the valley.

Passenger service started in September 1989, and the route passes through five towns along some of the most well-known vineyard land in the country.

Oysters and olive oil at the Oxbow Public Market

Downtown Napa has a walkable riverfront, tasting rooms, galleries and the restored Napa Valley Opera House. Over in the Oxbow District, the Oxbow Public Market packs more than 20 independent vendors under one roof.

You can pick up locally sourced produce, artisanal cheese, olive oil, fresh bread, and everything from tacos to raw oysters.

The market sits right along the Napa River with an outdoor deck, and it regularly hosts live music, cooking demos and seasonal farmers markets.

The Culinary Institute of America has a campus nearby, which tells you something about the food culture here.

A 15-foot bronze grape crusher guards the valley entrance

The Napa Art Walk puts juried sculpture on the streets of downtown for free. New installations rotate every two years, and the program has been running since 2009.

At the south end of the valley, the Grape Crusher statue rises 15 feet on a hilltop. Artist Gino Miles created the bronze figure, and it looks out over the American Canyon wetlands and San Francisco Bay.

Up the road in Yountville, another art walk lines Washington Street with more than 35 outdoor sculptures and installations. You don’t need a ticket or a reservation for any of it.

Hike to a peak where you can see Mount Shasta

Robert Louis Stevenson State Park covers 5,272 acres and takes you to the top of Mount St. Helena, the tallest peak in California wine country.

On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean, the Sierra Nevada and even Mount Shasta from the summit.

The park carries the name of the author who honeymooned near an abandoned silver mine here in 1880 and later wrote about it in “The Silverado Squatters.”

Entry is free, but there’s no potable water, so bring your own.

Down in the valley, the Napa Valley Vine Trail is a paved path connecting Calistoga to the Vallejo ferry terminal, with more than 30 miles finished as of 2026.

Kayak the Napa River through the valley floor

Skyline Wilderness Park sits in the foothills east of downtown Napa, with hiking and biking trails plus archery, disc golf, camping, fishing and horseback riding all on the grounds.

If you want to see the valley from water level, the restored Napa River draws kayakers and paddleboarders through the heart of town.

Cyclists can ride the Silverado Trail, a scenic road originally built in 1852 as a wagon route during the silver rush.

Time your visit for late winter or early spring, and bright yellow mustard flowers will carpet the valley floor from one end to the other.

Watch a geyser blow 60 feet every half hour

The Old Faithful Geyser of California sits in Calistoga at the north end of the valley and erupts roughly every 30 minutes.

Each blast sends hot water up to 60 feet, powered by geothermal energy from volcanic activity deep underground. The National Geographic Society has called it one of only three “Old Faithful” geysers in the world.

The native Wappo people used the hot springs and mineral waters here for healing long before European settlers arrived.

Sam Brannan founded Calistoga in 1859 as a health spa resort, and his famous tongue-twisting blunder supposedly gave the town its name.

Grind your own cornmeal at an 1846 mill

The Bale Grist Mill went up in 1846, making it older than the Gold Rush.

Edward Turner Bale built it from local Douglas fir, coast redwood and native stone, and it still works.

On weekends, volunteers run milling demonstrations and guided tours, and you can take home a bag of freshly ground cornmeal, polenta or flour.

A 2.4-mile round-trip trail connects the mill to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, passing a pioneer cemetery and the site of the first church in Napa Valley.

The mill is on the National Register of Historic Places and approaching its 180th anniversary in 2026, with a major restoration underway to preserve its redwood siding and wooden water flume.

Swim in a state park pool surrounded by redwoods

Bothe-Napa Valley State Park sits between St. Helena and Calistoga, with year-round camping, picnicking and more than 10 miles of trails through redwood groves.

It’s one of only two California state parks with a swimming pool, open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Just down the road, the Petrified Forest preserves ancient redwoods turned to stone by a volcanic eruption roughly 3.4 million years ago. The forest has welcomed visitors since 1914, and the same family still runs it.

The volcanic geology ties the geyser, the hot springs and the petrified trees into one connected story.

Mustard blooms, morning fog and BottleRock

Napa Valley earned recognition as California’s first American Viticultural Area in 1981.

A Mediterranean climate, mountains on both sides and morning fog rolling in from the San Francisco Bay give the valley its look and feel.

The farm-to-table food culture here runs deep, rooted in the same agricultural traditions that shaped the land for generations.

BottleRock Napa Valley and Festival Napa Valley bring live music, performing arts and community celebrations throughout the year.

Whether you float above the valley, ride through it on a vintage train or hike to its highest peak, Napa goes far deeper than any single glass of wine.

Explore Napa Valley in Northern California

You can reach Napa from San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport or Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa.

Highway 29 runs the length of the valley from south to north, and the Silverado Trail runs parallel along the eastern side.

Spring brings the mustard blooms, summer and fall are peak season, and winter means smaller crowds and green hillsides.

Many of the best stops cost nothing, including the state parks, the Art Walk, the Grape Crusher statue and the Vine Trail. Check the official website for seasonal hours and event schedules before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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