Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Both these parks have picnic areas and admission to one includes the other.
Bale Grist
tures a 36ft-high
water-powered mill wheel
dating to 1846 - the largest still operating in
North America; Saturdays and Sundays (and sometimes Fridays and Mondays) from 10am
to 4pm, it grinds flour. A mile-long trail leads to adjacent
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
ming pool
($5), and
camping
, plus hiking through redwood groves.
If you're two or more adults, go first to Bothe and pay $8, instead of the per-head charge
at Bale Grist. The mill and both parks are on Hwy 29/128, midway between St Helena and
Calistoga. In early October, look for living-history festival
Old Mill Days.
Old Faithful Geyser
GEYSER
under 5yr $14/8/free; 9am-6pm, to 5pm Nov-Mar; )
Calistoga's mini-version of Yellowstone's Old Faithful shoots boiling water 60ft to 100ft
into the air, every 30 minutes. The vibe is pure roadside Americana, with folksy hand-
painted interpretive exhibits, picnicking and a little petting zoo, where you can come nose-
to-nose with llamas. It's 2 miles north of town, off Silverado Trail. Find discount coupons
online.
Petrified Forest
FOREST
$10/5; 9am-7pm summer, to 5pm winter)
Three million years ago at this now roadside-Americana attraction, a volcanic eruption at
Mt St Helena blew down a stand of redwoods. The trees fell in the same direction, away
from the blast, and over the millennia the mighty giants' trunks turned to stone. Discover
them on a short interpretive trail through the woods. The first stumps were discovered in
1870. A monument marks Robert Louis Stevenson's 1880 visit, which he described in
The
Silverado Squatters
.
It's 5 miles northwest of town, off Hwy 128.
Safari West
WILDLIFE RESERVE
