Icycle

I am planning a 10-day tour through Napa and Sonama Valleys in September. I'm basing my route on a tour from the Lonely Planet Cycling USA West Coast book. I'm a little concerned about the difficulty of some of the legs of the trip, because my wife really does not like hills. In particular, the book suggests a route from Healdsburg to Calistoga that is about 37 miles long, and includes some serious climbs on Chalk Hill Road, Mark West Springs Road, Franz Valley Road, and Franz Valley School Road.

Looking at the maps, it looks like taking CA 128 from Healdsburg to Calistoga is considerably shorter and with much less climbing. I guess my biggest concern with this alternative would be the traffic and lack of shoulders.

Is there anyone with experience on this routes who can suggest whether CA 128 is a good idea or not?

card

I would be more concerned about the number of good wineries.

That might solve all the questions.

Icycle

Well, this leg of the itinerary was already one of the weakest in terms of wineries, since it is essentially the leg that connects Sonoma Valley to Napa Valley. Chalk Hill Winery was the one winery on the original route, but since neither of us was that excited about that winery, we would be happy to bypass it if it means bypassing some tough hills.

bullwinkle

Try contacting Neil Peaty (he posts as "Phoenix") on the Love Forum at bicycling.com. He lives in the area and can probably give you the answer you're looking for.

ConstantRider

Santa Rosa Cycling Club includes that stretch of 128 on its 200K brevet. Haven't ridden it myself, but maybe someone there can give you more details.

My cycling map of the area has it listed as a "favorite route" but says it is narrow in places.

MaryWCB

128 is a bit narrow and twisty with quite a bit of traffic and little shoulders. Weekdays tend to be better than weekends. If you're looking for less hilly and fewer miles and aren't afraid of traffic, this is the way to go. Franz Valley and Franz Valley School Roads are beautiful, quite hilly and have minimal traffic. Mark West Springs road is VERY busy with little shoulder. Chalk Hill is a nice route with two climbs and doesn't have much traffic (or shoulder).

CardiacKid

If you do take 128, make sure to stop at Storybook Mountain Vineyards. It has my favorite tour and pretty good zinfandel. You do have to make an appointment, but they are very friendly.
Of course, there is a reason they call it Storybook Mountain and not Storybook Plain. You are going to find pretty good climbs however you try to get to Calistoga. If you do the route fairly early on a weekday, you shouldn't have much problem.