We were planning a weekend trip to Napa Valley California and looking for all the things that we could do during our stay there. During my research I found out about the geyser in California so close to home. We don’t live that far from Napa Valley but it is still a couple of hours drive and staying in Napa Valley would leave us more time the day to explore. Sadly, this plan still sits in our family bucket list and we trying to find a date that works to make this happen. So, we decided to just take a day trip to see the Old Faithful Geyser of California in Calistoga. We also had a discounted Groupon admission ticket that we wanted to use up.
We started early in the morning to avoid getting stuck in traffic. It was a beautiful drive and I had coffee in my Klean Kanteen traveller mug and I was so glad I took coffee with me. Who wouldn’t like long drive and hot coffee on a beautiful morning, Right?
The geyser draws water from a nearby river and this water is heated by the magma that lies beneath the earth’s surface. As the water heats up, it creates pressure that vents out through fissures in the ground. Under normal conditions, everything remains constant and that makes the geyser erupt regularly. This is my understanding about the geysers after reading the facts at the location. They also have a small museum that explains more details about Geyser and the earthquakes around the area.
The Old Faithful Geyser is located in the heart of Napa Valley and is very close to the famous Casa de Amoroso winery in Calistoga, California (Please see the details below for the exact address). Like I mentioned before we had a discounted admission ticket that my husband found on Groupon. As we entered, we found ourselves at the visitor center/gift store and the employee working there was quite friendly. We showed our tickets and paid a dollar for the goat food and made ourselves out the door into the open space which looks like a beautifully maintained park. We were told the Geyser would go up in about 15 minutes and it did around that time.
There were many picnic tables and outdoor chairs that you could sit on to watch the Geyser. It was a lovely place with an interesting natural phenomenon happening right in front of your eyes. The Geyser went off every 15 to 20 minutes the whole time we were there. It was quite fun to watch it start with a steam venting out followed by an eruption of water. I think the Geyser may erupt at different intervals at different months.
So, after enjoying it for a couple of times we headed to the little goat farm they had. There were different types of goats and Llamas inside a fenced area. It is not a petting zoo were you can actually touch the animals but you can buy some goat food at the store and feed the goats through the fence. My daughter enjoyed feeding the goats and I am sure the goats loved to be fed as well.
We didn’t pack any lunch this day but we bought some ice cream at the gift store and enjoyed the breezy morning in one of their picnic tables by the trees. The trees looked interesting with all these evil eye beads hanging from them like Christmas ornaments. The blue colored stone is in the shape of a circle (looks like a target) is made of molten glass, iron, copper, water and salt. It’s an age old belief that the stone holds protecting power and absorbs negative energy. There were many different shapes and colors available to purchase at the gift store.
Good to Know before you go-
- You will need anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours here to experience everything that it offers.
- The admission is little bit pricier at 15 USD for adults and 9 USD for Children( 4-12). You can buy admission tickets when you get there.
- This place opens at 8:30 AM until 7:00 PM (March- September) , 8:30 AM -6:00 PM in October and 8:30 AM-5:00PM (November-February).
- You can bring your own lunch and have a picnic on the location. The gift store serves only light snacks, drinks and ice-cream.
- There are swings, bean bag toss and a small airplane like play structure for the kids to enjoy and release their energy.
- The geyser goes off every 15 to 55 minutes depending on the time of the year and the duration of eruption is anywhere between 1- 10 minutes.
- They have portable restrooms now and are kept quite clean (I was told their restrooms were damaged during the recent wildfires).
- Address of Old Faithful Geyser: 1299 Tubbs Ln, Calistoga, CA 94515, USA
- Please check their website for current information on admission and hours here.
If you are traveling to Napa Valley this summer, be sure to take a break and enjoy this beautiful park like setting in Calistoga. It was a learning experience for us. My daughter is quite young to understand the reasoning behind the Geyser but I am sure the school aged children will love this experience.
I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you have seen the Old Faithful Geyser of California.