LONG: Oat Hill Mine

Our 9 mile, 1950 ft elevation hike follows the Oat Hill Mine road from the Calistoga trail head. The trail head is only 17 miles from the Berger Center and is just left of the intersection of Hwy 29 and the Silverado Trail on the edge of Calistoga. We will hike to the halfway point of the road at the Holms homestead and return on same route.

The ascent goes past Bald Hill with sweeping views of Calistoga, Napa valley and Mt St Helena. The road is rocky in places. Ruts carved into the stone road by heavy freight wagons are still visible today. We saw many wildflowers on this route in early March 2023.

The Oat Hill Mine was the third largest quicksilver (mercury) mine in the US, operating from 1873 to the late 1960s. The construction of the road started in 1873 and took 20 years to complete. The cabin and house on the Holmes homestead were built in 1893-96.

The hike is quite exposed to the sun. Bring water, hat, lunch and consider poles for the descent. There is no fee for trailhead parking, a donation box for trail maintenance is located near the starting point, with a suggested $5 donation. Leave the Berger at 8:30 AM. Hike Leader is Frank Galli 763-360-9756