# Looking for a couple routes out of Napa



## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

Plan on taking some people up to ride around Napa on Saturday.

Any good suggestions? 60 or so miles. Maybe a tough route, and a moderate rout, since I dont know who all is coming with me.

Thank you!


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## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

I plotted this on KLlMb, anyone Ride this? l would also Like to Ride the Silverado trail

Start at Oakville
proceed on Oakville Grade
and go 3.7 miles, climbing 871' and descending 418'
to Dry Creek Rd & Mt Veeder Rd (604').
Turn left onto Mt Veeder Rd
and go 8.4 miles, climbing 931' and descending 1,168'
to Mt Veeder Rd & Redwood Rd (367').
Turn left onto Redwood Rd
and go 2.5 miles, climbing 5' and descending 205'
to Redwoord Rd & Browns Valley Rd (167').
Turn right onto Buhman Rd
and go 3.1 miles, climbing 169' and descending 188'
to Buhman Rd & Henry Rd (148').
Turn right onto Henry Rd
and go 2.5 miles, climbing 144' and descending 179'
to Hwy 12 & Duhig Rd (113').
Go straight on Duhig Rd
and go 3.8 miles, climbing 163' and descending 221'
to Ramal Rd & Skaggs Island Rd (55').
Go straight on Ramal Rd
and go 3.7 miles, climbing 73' and descending 115'
to Dale Rd & Burndale Rd (13').
Turn right onto Burndale Rd
and go 6.4 miles, climbing 101' and descending 30'
to Sonoma (84').
Turn right onto Hwy 12
and go 4.2 miles, climbing 127' and descending 1'
 to Cavedale Rd & Hwy 12 (210').
Turn right onto Cavedale Rd
and go 7.4 miles, climbing 2,077' and descending 594'
to Trinity Rd & Cavedale Rd (1,693').
Turn right onto Trinity Rd
and go 1.5 miles, climbing 64' and descending 192'
to Trinity Rd & Dry Creek Rd (1,565').
Go straight on Dry Creek Rd
and go 2.5 miles, descending 961'
to Dry Creek Rd & Mt Veeder Rd (604').
Turn left onto Oakville Grade
and go 3.7 miles, climbing 418' and descending 871'
ending at Oakville (151').
For a total of 53.4 mi, 5,143 ft climbing and 5,143 ft descending.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

I'm assuming you mean the town of Napa. 

Head east on 128
left on Capell Valley Rd
right on Berryessa Knoxville Rd
left on Pope Canyon Rd
right on Chiles Pope Valley Rd
straight (?) on Howell Mt Rd
left on Silverado Trail back to Napa

Don't know the distance.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Oakville Grade is a serious climb. Something in the range of a 12-15% grade. Whatever it is, it hurts. You don't want to start your ride that way.

I'd start in Yountville, and basically do that ride backwards. Yountville is a much better place to start. Ride the 29 frontage road, make your way over to Dry Creek and do the section through Carneros, then over Mt. Veeder, then descend and pick up Dry Creek again. Take Dry Creek back to where you first got on, then make your way back to Yountville.


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## balzaccom (Oct 11, 2006)

I live in Napa--If I were going to be around, I'd be happy to join you--but I am flying in that morning. 

I agree that the first option is a bear--starting out straight up the Oakville Grade isn't much fun. And the last option includes a crazy section at first--that climb up 128 can have a lot of cars, some of them pulling boats on trailers. No fun on a narrow road. 

I'd suggest that you start from Napa and go up the Silverado Trail, then turn right on 121 to Lake Hennessy...bear left on Chiles Valley Road, and then follow that out into Pope Valley, the across Pope Canyon Road down to Berryessa and along Berryessa Knoxville Road back to 121, which takes you back to the Silverado Trail, and then back to Napa. I think the total there is just about 60 miles, plenty of reasonable climbing, nothing brutal. 

There are restroom at Lake Hennessy ( no water) and at Lake Berryessa at some of the campgrounds.


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## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

Thank you all for the local knowledge. Might save oakville grade when I know some intermidiate riders wont be along. and agree on 128, it is bad enough in a car when we are driving to skyline for some MTB'ing


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Or maybe take Howell Mt. Rd out and 121 back so not to do 121 twice. The descent from Angwin to Pope Valley is fun, too.


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## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

how is this one? is the 128 that bad from yountville to berryessa?

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/yountville/734126719017757614


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

You should do the Tour of Napa 100K route.

From Yountville, go through town and around the hill on Yount Mill to 29. Up 29 to Rutherford, then take the cross road to conn to silverado. Then go up the hill to the lake on 128. Take Pope Valley Road all the way out to Aetna Springs. Turn around, go back to Ink Grade. Then White Cottage to Howell, descend Deer Park, at the bottom take Sanitarium, veer off to Crystal Springs, and go to Silverado. Take Silverado all the way to Yountville cross and you're home.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

desmo13 said:


> how is this one? is the 128 that bad from yountville to berryessa?
> 
> http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/yountville/734126719017757614


That's a good route, go for it.

If you're concerned about boaters, they head toward the lake in the morning and away from it in the afternoon, so that might influence your direction of travel. Clockwise if morning start, counterclockwise if afternoon start. I've never altered a route because of them, though. 

Edit: I think I confused 128 with 121.

My route above should be:

Head east on 121 (not 128)
left on Capell Valley Rd
right on Berryessa Knoxville Rd
left on Pope Canyon Rd
right on Chiles Pope Valley Rd
straight (?) on Howell Mt Rd
left on Silverado Trail back to Napa

Your routes good, though.


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## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

What a great ride.. sorta...

Weather called for only am showers, but light to none in the northbay.. So we went for it. and.. it was pouring. driving up we had sun, untill yountville. but since we drove, we were commited to ride. Parked at the veterans hospital were miserable with wind and rain before even left Yountville. 

On Silverado trail, had to watch out for all the flooding and running water in the bike lane. Oh, and decent headwind. 128 wasn't too bad with traffic, but would hate to ride it on a nice weekend with double the cars. by chiles(?) road, fun factor was waning. Rain was harder, and temp was dropping. So instead of going to Berryessa and up, we cut through Chiles. 

What a treat! fun road to push the tempo on, no traffic, and we seemed to be riding into the break in the clouds.

After Pope valley, I may have a few of my riding buddies be more cautious with my routes in the future. Mt. Howell tore them a new one. And I couldnt believe how burned I was getting for such a short climb. It felt like going up the back side of Hamilton, or 2 times up Diablo. Maybe it was the low motivation from the rain, or the racing up chiles rd with one of the other strong riders, or that I had on a heavy winter jacket because I had to loan my other 2 jackets to the riders who showed up without.

But I was happy for that climb. It really added to the good feelings you get when a ride is over.

The descent could have been fantastic, but once again, water rushing across the road, blinding road spray from passing cars, Slick pine-needle carpets on the inside of corners.

As for a show of thanks from Mother Nature, she gave us a tailwind all the way back down Silverado Trail to Yountville.

Really, a very hard 50 miles today, but happy with the two gems of Pope Valley and Mt. Howell.


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## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

couple pics


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## Todman007 (Jul 16, 2006)

*Napa Riding*

Come back in the summer, the route is a keeper, + warmer temps=nicer ride.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

A couple of 200 K brevets coming up in the area. This weekend the Davis Bike Club (www.davisbikeclub.org) is having a ride from Davis to Pope Valley and back. Next weekend the Santa Rosa Cycling Club (www.srcc.com) is having a ride from Healdsburg to Napa and back. It ends at the Bear Republic brew pub. Racer 5 IPA is yummy. This is an awesome (and flat) ride through the Sonoma, Alexander Valley, and Napa Valley wine country.


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