Silverado Trail
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junctions
SR 121 at Trancas / Monticello
SR 128 in St. Helena| Length | 29 mi (47 km) |
|---|---|
| Location | Napa County |
| Southeast end | SR 121 at Soscol Road in Napa |
| Major junctions | SR 121 at Trancas / Monticello SR 128 in St. Helena |
| Northwest end |  SR 29 (Lincoln Ave.) in Calistoga |
The Silverado Trail is a scenic route that travels 29 miles along the Eastern edge of the Napa Valley, parallel to and several miles to the east of California State Route 29.[1]
The road began as a trail built in 1852 after flooding made the main Napa Valley road impassable. Later, it served as a wagon trail to link cinnabar mines on Mount St. Helena to San Pablo Bay, the northern portion of the San Francisco Bay,[1] and was the first permanent road from Napa to Calistoga.[2]
Silver was discovered in Napa Valley in 1858, and wine production began in the 1870s, making the road an important trade route. Charles Bolles, a highway bandit also known as "Black Bart", preyed on the road's travelers in the 1880s. Safety improved when motorized bus service began in 1910. A Phylloxera plague and Prohibition forced most but not all of the local wineries out of business.[2]
The area thrived with the growing prominence of California wine. One of the wineries on the road, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, made Napa Valley world-famous in 1976 when it won the Judgment of Paris, a promotional wine competition among French and California wines. Today, at least 40 of the Valley's more than 200 wineries are along or near the road.[2] Each year in March, the route also plays host to the annual Napa Valley Marathon.