Raven’s RV
The ongoing education and adventures of two rank newbie RVers

1. Travelog: Here is what we did in Calistoga.

2. Orientation: Here, have a map. Calistoga is along CA-128, and you need to turn at CA-29 (Lincoln Avenue). Any further and you overshot and will have to negotiate residential streets. (Guess how we know?)

3. Driving a rig: Generally not a good idea except for getting to the campground. Apart from the main drag, most streets are narrow residential streets. There is no RV-sized parking downtown.

4. Camping: There is one campground in Calistoga, at the Napa Valley Fairgrounds. At least one big rig driver was complaining that his vehicle wouldn’t fit, though we had no trouble in our 26′ class C. Call and ask first. When we were there, sites with electricity and water were $27; add $3 for sewer. The campground is basic, reasonably level, and a few blocks from town. I walked it, but if you’re not a great walker you’ll want to take the toad downtown.

   Nearby Bothe-Napa State Park also has camping, though the road up there looked narrow and twisty.

5. Information: There is a tourist information center located a couple of buildings south from the old train depot. The Calistoga chamber of commerce site also has lots of information.

6. Shopping: The main drag of Calistoga is Lincoln Avenue, aka CA-29. There are lots of small boutiques, restaurants, and fun places to poke around in. Don’t miss the old-fashioned Candy Cellar–the fudge is exquisite. The Silverado Pharmacy has postcards and tourist kitsch. The tracks near the old railroad depot have railroad cars converted into shops and is really fun. There’s also a nice independent bookstore.

7. Dining: I didn’t eat out in Calistoga, but there are numerous restaurants. Oddly, the English tea shop caught my eye, but didn’t post prices–a red flag for me. ;) There was also a nice deli/cafe opposite the railroad depot (which is in itself a restaurant) with sandwiches etc. for a reasonable price. I can’t for the life of me remember its name, but it’s close to the candy store.

8. Snarfing: There are five state historic landmarks in downtown Calistoga, as well as multiple National Register properties and a few wildcards. There are a bunch of other snarfs along highway 128, but these might be best explored with a toad.

9. What to do: The Sharpsteen Museum has exhibits about the history of Napa Valley. It’s a pleasant walk up and down the high street, too, with lots of historic buildings, pretty vegetation and even a bridge across the river. There are, of course, also lots of spas and pamper houses.

   A little further afield, try the Petrified Forest. I would have liked to go, but to see the trees one must hike, and it was raining. Their website has a coupon. On the edge of town is California’s Old Faithful geyser. Again, we’d planned to go, but the $12 entrance fee is rather steep and it was raining. It vents around every 40 minutes. Their website has a coupon.

   There’s also the abovementioned state park and the Clos Pegase winery.

10. Vital statistics: The town is 328 feet above sea level, and covers 2.5 square miles or 1620 acres. Its 2000 census population was 5,190, with about three-fiths white and two-fifths Hispanic population. There is also still a small Native American population. Its newspaper is the Weekly Calistogan.

11. Potted history: Way back when, the area was populated by the Wappo Indians. With the arrival of the missionaries, the area came under the control of Mission de Solano. However, upon Mexican Independence these properties were sold off into ranchos. The first Americans started arriving in the 1840s.

    Sam Brannan came to San Francisco (Yerba Buena back then) and started publishing the state’s first newspaper, the California Star. An astute businessman, he became a millionaire and in time purchased 2,000 acres in what is now the Calistoga area. He wanted to rival Saratoga in New York with his spa town, which was incorporated in 1885. (It was first laid out in the 1860s and the railroad came there in 1868.)

    There are Brannan-named buildings all over the town.

    Back then, the primary industries were mining, farming and tourism. Aside from the mining, not much has changed.

12. Weather:
    

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13. And it looks like this:
    

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