Touring * Fitness * Speed * Street * Slalom *

From Highway 29 heading north, pass by the town of Napa and exit right on Trancas Street, which becomes rural after you drive a few blocks east. At the intersection of the Silverado Trail, turn left and park off the right side of the road on one of the gravel pullouts, or drive as far north as you wish to park further up the trail.

In the Napa Valley, you can skate past vineyards and wineries along the Silverado Trail on smooth asphalt with mostly wide shoulders. Despite the name, the Silverado Trail is a road. The beauty of the region is a year-round spectacle. In springtime, the vineyards exhibit row after row of twisted trunks with freshly pruned vines outstretched like arms, awaiting the next crop of grapes. Under each, the dark bark is offset by the unabashed yellow blossoms of wild mustard. As the season progresses, the rolling green hillsides surrounding the valley turn California gold, and the vines themselves decorate the valley floor in emerald grids. In autumn, they take on the colors of fall in all their glory.To avoid the heavy weekend automobile traffic on the Silverado Trail, it's best to start your tour early in the day. Pay attention near driveways, where gravel is left by the treads of farm equipment going about the wine-making business. Traffic and midday heat are less of a problem in winter and spring, although you may encounter some muddy patches after a rain. Few people will want to skate the entire 27-mile length of the Silverado Trail in one day, although it's the site of a popular Bay Area in-inline skate race (Calistoga-Napa Road Skate) held several times every year.

For shorter trips, park on the shoulder near one of the cross roads, such as Oakville Cross Road. There are only a few rolling hills at the lower end of the Silverado Trail, where the shoulders stay wide and clear. However, the northern portion of the trail between Howell Mountain and Crystal Springs Road gets slightly twisty with narrower shoulders (the width varies from one to three feet). You might want to scout your route by car first. This area has been recently repaved with nice smooth asphalt.

Slalom skaters will enjoy the parking lot at the Mumm Winery between Oakville Cross Road and Conn Creek Road. The driveway has a sloping hill that curves down to a smooth parking lot, faintly marked by the herringbone tracks of other skaters who couldn't resist the allure of gravity. After you explore the Silverado Trail, drive across Oakville Crossing to Highway 29. At the Oakville Market, a gourmet grocery store and deli located one block north of this intersection, you can purchase a wonderful variety of snacks or sandwiches. Less than a mile north of Oakville is the Mondavi Winery, where wine tasting and public toilets are available. Picnic facilities can be found at Conn Creek Winery (12.5 miles north of Trancas Street on the Silverado Trail).