Iconic sunrise balloons
Yountville, Napa
Napa Valley Aloft
A long-running hot-air balloon operator, flying since 1976, lifting guests over the valley at sunrise from the heart of Yountville.
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Active and restorative
Move hard, then soak it off.
Bookend the active days with deep recovery in the thermal waters and on the quiet estate trails.
Design This TripThis trip alternates exertion and restoration: a sunrise balloon flight or a guided Sip 'n Cycle ride through Dry Creek Valley, then a long afternoon of mud baths and mineral pools at Indian Springs or Spa Solage.
Lace up for the climb to Bald Mountain in Sugarloaf Ridge or up Skyline's Sugarloaf high point for sweeping vineyard and Bay views, and recover that evening with botanical treatments and quiet trails at Meadowood.
Thermal water is the secret weapon.
The result is a balance of movement, thermal water, and clean seasonal food that leaves travelers genuinely reset. We sequence the rides, the climbs, and the soaks so effort and recovery trade off cleanly.
What’s inside
- A sunrise balloon flight or a guided Sip 'n Cycle ride
- Mud baths and mineral pools at Indian Springs
- The Bald Mountain climb in Sugarloaf Ridge
- Skyline's Sugarloaf high point for vineyard and Bay views
- Botanical recovery and quiet trails at Meadowood
A sample rhythm
- 01
Sky or saddle
A sunrise balloon flight, or a Sip 'n Cycle ride through Dry Creek.
- 02
Thermal afternoon
A long stretch of mud baths and mineral pools at Indian Springs.
- 03
The summit
The Bald Mountain or Sugarloaf climb for sweeping valley views.
- 04
Recover
Botanical treatments and quiet wooded trails at Meadowood.
The Napa & Sonomawe’d build in
The pieces that fit this trip.
The signature days
Sunrise balloons, vintage rail, and e-bikes through the vines.
Some of Wine Country's best days drift above the valley at dawn or roll quietly between the rows, from hot-air balloons over Yountville to guided Sip 'n Cycle rides through Dry Creek.
Top-rated ballooning
Yountville, Napa
Napa Valley Balloons
One of Napa's oldest and most highly rated balloon companies, offering dawn flights with decades of combined pilot experience.
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Napa
Balloons Above the Valley
The first hot-air balloon company in Napa, operating since 1976 with sunrise flights and optional sparkling-brunch packages.
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Napa to St. Helena
Napa Valley Wine Train
A restored early-1900s train running a 36-mile round trip from downtown Napa to St. Helena, pairing multi-course gourmet meals and tastings with valley views.
Visit official siteGuided wine tours
Healdsburg, Sonoma
Getaway Adventures and Wine Country Bikes
An operator running since 1991 offering guided regular and e-bike Sip 'n Cycle tours through Dry Creek, Russian River, and Calistoga with picnic lunches and winery stops.
Visit official siteE-bike rentals and tours
Healdsburg, Sonoma
Wine Country Bikes
A Healdsburg-based outfitter renting high-quality road and e-bikes and leading one-day guided rides through Sonoma's vineyard valleys.
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Redwood canyons and Mayacamas summits.
Between the tastings, Wine Country rewards walkers with inland coast redwoods, ridge loops with Bay-and-Sierra views, and a strenuous climb to the highest point above the Napa Valley.
Redwoods and canyon trails
St. Helena, Napa
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
A 1,900-acre park with the valley's inland coast redwoods, more than ten miles of trails through Ritchey Canyon, and a climb to Coyote Peak for forest views.
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Kenwood, Sonoma
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
A 25-mile trail network in the Mayacamas above Sonoma Valley, including the Bald Mountain summit with clear-day views to the Sierra and the Bay.
Visit official siteVineyard-view ridge hikes
Napa
Skyline Wilderness Park
A Napa park of wildflower fields, oak and manzanita forest, and a climb to the 1,630-foot Sugarloaf high point overlooking the vineyards and, on clear days, San Francisco Bay.
Visit official siteEasy historic forest walk
St. Helena, Napa
Bale Grist Mill and History Trail
A gentle 1.2-mile History Trail linking Bothe-Napa to a restored 19th-century water-powered grist mill, ideal for a low-effort scenic stroll.
Visit official siteSummit hike to the high point
Calistoga, Napa
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Mount Saint Helena
An undeveloped park with a strenuous trail to the 4,343-foot summit of Mount Saint Helena, the highest point overlooking Napa Valley.
Visit official siteOak-woodland loop trails
Windsor, Sonoma
Shiloh Ranch Regional Park
A quieter Sonoma County park of oak woodland, chaparral, and ridge loops with views across the Santa Rosa plain, well suited to a half-day hike.
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Mud baths, mineral pools, and vineyard quiet.
Calistoga has drawn travelers to its thermal waters for more than a century, and the modern spas pair geothermal bathhouses and volcanic-ash mud with serene, vineyard-view sanctuaries.
Geothermal bathhouse
Calistoga, Napa
Spa Solage
A 20,000-square-foot spa centered on a Bathhouse of geothermal pools and Solage's signature custom mud-bath ritual drawn from Calistoga's thermal waters.
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Calistoga, Napa
Spa Talisa at Four Seasons
A tranquil Four Seasons spa with outdoor relaxation gardens, a sunken whirlpool, and treatments built around indigenous Napa botanicals and premium products.
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Healdsburg, Sonoma
Spa Montage
A serene Sonoma spa with vineyard and oak-grove views, offering locally inspired treatments alongside resort pools and wellness programming.
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Calistoga, Napa
Indian Springs Calistoga
A historic Calistoga destination with an Olympic-size geothermal mineral pool, restored mud rooms, infrared saunas, and a Himalayan salt halotherapy room.
Visit official siteRetro mineral-springs spa
Calistoga, Napa
Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort and Mineral Springs
A revamped 1952 Calistoga institution serving its trademark volcanic-ash mud baths and mineral pools with a playful, retro spirit.
Visit official siteForest-set estate spa
St. Helena, Napa
The Spa at Meadowood
A quiet spa within the private Meadowood estate, pairing botanical and recovery treatments with the resort's wooded trails, pools, and wellness offerings.
Visit official siteWhere to stay
Hillside maisons and vineyard bungalows.
Wine Country keeps its great retreats tucked into the hills and the vines, from a Mediterranean hillside above Rutherford to oak-grove bungalows in Healdsburg, each a quiet world of its own.
Relais & Châteaux icon
Rutherford, Napa
Auberge du Soleil
A Mediterranean-style hillside retreat above the valley floor with a Michelin-starred restaurant, private maisons, and olive-grove terraces, long regarded as Napa's original luxury resort.
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Calistoga, Napa
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley
A Forbes Five-Star resort along the Silverado Trail with its own producing vineyard, 85 rooms and suites plus private villas, Spa Talisa, and the Elusa Winery on site.
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Healdsburg, Sonoma
Montage Healdsburg
A 258-acre hideaway of 130 bungalow-style rooms set in rolling vineyards and oak groves, with Spa Montage, two pools, and the farm-to-table Hazel Hill restaurant.
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St. Helena, Napa
Meadowood Napa Valley
A serene members-and-guests estate tucked into a private wooded valley, offering croquet, tennis, a golf course, hiking trails, and refined accommodations away from the crowds.
Visit official siteFive-room inn
Healdsburg, Sonoma
SingleThread Inn
An intimate five-suite inn above the three-Michelin-star SingleThread restaurant, where stays are paired with farm-driven dining from chef Kyle Connaughton and farmer Katina Connaughton.
Visit official siteSpa-and-springs resort
Calistoga, Napa
Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection
A laid-back, design-forward Calistoga resort built around the geothermal-fed Spa Solage Bathhouse, mud-bath traditions, studios, and the Solbar restaurant.
Visit official siteOr another way
More ways to experience Napa & Sonoma.
Adventure & Wellness
Let’s design it around you.
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