Silverado Trail | |
Length Mi: | 29 |
Direction A: | Southeast |
Terminus A: | at Soscol Road in Napa |
Junction: | at Trancas / Monticello in St. Helena |
Direction B: | Northwest |
Terminus B: | (Lincoln Ave.) in Calistoga |
Location: | Napa County |
The Silverado Trail is a scenic route that travels 29 miles along the Eastern edge of the Napa Valley, parallel to and several miles to the east of California State Route 29.[1]
The road began as a trail built in 1852 after flooding made the main Napa Valley road impassable. Later, it served as a wagon trail to link cinnabar mines on Mount St. Helena to San Pablo Bay, the northern portion of the San Francisco Bay,[1] and was the first permanent road from Napa to Calistoga.[2]
Silver was discovered in Napa Valley in 1858, and wine production began in the 1870s, making the road an important trade route. Charles Bolles, a highway bandit also known as "Black Bart", preyed on the road's travelers in the 1880s. Safety improved when motorized bus service began in 1910. A Phylloxera plague and Prohibition forced most but not all of the local wineries out of business.[2]
The area thrived with the growing prominence of California wine. One of the wineries on the road, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, made Napa Valley world-famous in 1976 when it won the Judgment of Paris, a promotional wine competition among French and California wines. Today, at least 40 of the Valley's more than 200 wineries are along or near the road.[2] Each year in March, the route also plays host to the annual Napa Valley Marathon.
Location | Postmile | Intersection | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Napa | at Soscol Road in | Southern terminus | ||
Coombsville Rd. / 3rd street | ||||
1st street | Copia, Ritz-Carlton Hotel (approved project)[3] | |||
at Trancas St. / Monticello Ave. | ||||
Oak Knoll Ave. | Silverado Country Club, Clos Du Val Winery, Andretti Winery, Black Stallion Winery | |||
Yountville | Yountville Cross Rd. | Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stags' Leap Winery, Silverado Vineyards Winery | ||
Oakville | Oakville Cross Rd. | |||
St. Helena | ||||
Zinfandel Lane | ||||
Pope St. / Howell Mountain Rd. | ||||
Deer Park Rd. | Duckhorn Vineyards | |||
Calistoga | (Lincoln Ave.) | |||