Sunrise Hot-Air Balloon Flights Over the Vines & Cycling the Car-Free Napa Valley Vine Trail

Between seated winery tastings, two outdoor experiences let you take in the beauty of Napa Valley from the air and on two wheels: a dawn Hot-Air Balloon flight and pedalling along the flat, car-free Napa Valley Vine Trail.

1. Sunrise Hot-Air Balloon Rides Over the Vineyards (Pre-Dawn Check-In)

Look up at the sky over Yountville and Oakville on any calm morning within an hour of sunrise and you will see a dozen colourful balloons drifting silently from 100 metres (tree-top level) up to 900 metres (3,000 feet) above the geometric patchwork of vineyards. Licensed operators, including Napa Valley Aloft (launching right from historic V Marketplace in the heart of Yountville), Balloons Above the Valley and Napa Valley Balloons, run 3.5-hour morning experiences (check operator websites for current fares):

• What to Expect & Weather Refund Policy: meet before dawn for coffee and pastries, watch the giant balloons inflate with roaring propane flames, and float with the morning breeze for 45 to 60 minutes as the sun rises over the Vaca Mountains. If dense morning Bay Area fog rolls into southern Napa on your morning, pilots either launch from sunny Pope Valley just over the eastern ridge or offer a full refund or reschedule, so book your balloon ride for the first morning of your trip to keep Day 2 or 3 as a backup window.

2. Cycling the Car-Free 'Napa Valley Vine Trail' (Downtown Napa to Yountville & St. Helena to Calistoga)

Never ride a bicycle directly on the narrow, high-speed shoulder of Highway 29. Instead, use the Napa Valley Vine Trail, a flat, paved, 3-metre-wide car-free cycle and pedestrian path separated from road traffic:

1. The Southern Stretch (Kennedy Park & Downtown Napa to Yountville, 20 km / 12.5 Miles One-Way, Flat): hire a regular bicycle or pedal-assist E-Bike at Napa Valley Bike Tours (in Downtown Napa or Yountville) and glide right alongside the Wine Train tracks and Oak Knoll vineyards into Yountville (stopping at Bouchon Bakery, Laird Family Estate and Trefethen along the path).
2. The Northern Stretch (St. Helena to Calistoga, 13 km / 8.2 Miles One-Way): links Pratt Avenue in St. Helena past Bale Grist Mill Redwoods and Sterling Vineyards all the way into downtown Calistoga.