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Robert Louis Stevenson State Park (Highway 29) –
In 1880, Robert Louis Stevenson, beloved author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped, spent several months with his bride on Mount St. Helena,
camped out in a dusty, deserted bunkhouse from the Silverado Mine. When
he wrote Treasure Island, he described some scenes from Mount St.
Helena. On the Table Rock Trail, hike for a mile to get a spectacular
view of the Napa Valley. About a mile up the Mount St. Helena Trail,
there's a monument to Robert Louis Stevenson. |
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Petrified Forest (Petrified Forest Rd.) – When
Mount St. Helena blew its stack about 3 million years ago, it spewed tons
of lava and ash all over the valley. Buried in ash, the wood cells of redwood
and pine trees were replaced with crystallized silica – the trees turned
to stone. In 1870, a petrified stump was discovered, and gradually entire
trees, some over 60 - 65 ft high, have been carefully uncovered. Walk on
shaded trails (strollers okay) to view the "petrified forest."
Picnic tables and a gift shop with oodles of shining polished stones, including
petrified rocks. |
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Tour a Geothermal Plant (Middletown) – In Middletown,
17 miles north of Calistoga, is the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center. From
the Visitor Center, a bus takes you up into the hills for a free tour of
a working geothermal plant. Along the way, you'll see huge pipes that carry
steam to the geothermal plant, where the steam turns the turbines to generate
electricity. At the plant, wearing yellow hard hats and safety glasses,
walk past the generators and turbines (earplugs are provided), and peer
into the control room (lots of knobs and buttons). Tour lasts about 1 1/2
hours, and is fascinating for older kids, or kids who like mechanical stuff.
Tours run every day except Tues. and Wed. Call for reservations: (866) 439-7377.
Come at lunchtime to enjoy the picnic area outside the Visitor Center. |
