Things to see at Old Faithful Geyser of California

When you hear ‘Old Faithful’ you’ll probably think of the famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park but there’s a geyser by the same name in California. To differentiate the geyser in Napa Valley from the bigger, taller and more famous one in Yellowstone, this one is called The Old Faithful Geyser of California. It is a small, little destination but there are many little things to do at the Old Faithful Geyser of California.

If you want to show your kids what a geyser is, and pair it with some fun activities or a picnic, you could try this place. If you’d like to see a geyser but cannot travel too far from CA, this is your place. Or if you just want to do a day trip from the SF Bay Area, you could go here.

Get to know this Geo-thermal area in Napa

Before we go any further, let me tell you a bit about the area that this geyser calls home. The northern part of Napa Valley is a geothermal area that’s been active for at least 3.4 million years. It’s the home of Mount Saint Helena (not to be confused with Mt. St. Helens, which is a volcano in Washington). The eruption of this ancient volcano in Northern California has left many a mark in the area. 

For over 120 years now, the underground water that has been surfacing in this volcanically active area has been revered for its healing properties; first by the Native Americans who lived here and later, Russian settlers who embraced the area and made good use of it. Today, you can drive to Calistoga to see this active geyser, a fairly faithful one at that!

When you visit this part of California, you can see a geyser, remains of geysers, lava rocks, remnants of a hot-spring-pool and even a petrified forest that came to be, in the wake of Saint Helena’s eruption.

(More information about this petrified forest, later in the post.)

1. Old Faithful Geyser of California

First of all, you have to see the geothermal feature that gives this area its name. The Old Faithful Geyser of California gets its name from the frequency of the geyser. This geyser throws up some hot water every 15 to 30 minutes making it a very faithful one. 

For more details about this geyser, visit One Faithful Geyser, this! — a post I wrote after my first visit there. The timing of the eruptions were different the second time I was there. I’m guessing that’s because of —–

Now, the geyser is not the only attraction here in this geothermal area in the northern part of Napa County in. While you’re here, make sure to also check out:

2. Old Faithful Lava Rocks

3. Old Faithful Capped Geyser 

4. Old Faithful Dormant Volcano

5. Old Faithful Steam Well 

6. A Hot Mineral Therapy Pool *(or what remains of it)

*The first time I visited here, the therapy pool also served as the Old Faithful Wishing Well, if I remember correctly. The coins thrown into the well were a testimony to the many wishes that were made here at what might have once been a hot spring.

7. Old Faithful Farm 

8. A Vintage 1947 Ford Truck

9. The Napa Valley Palisades

10. There’s also a geothermal museum, here.

When you are in Calistoga to see this geyser, you might also want to go see California’s own Petrified Forest. It just a few miles away from here, and combining the two on this tour of this geothermal tour would be a good trip idea.

I also suggest you visit this area ‘before’ you visit Yellowstone National Park or Petrified Forest National Park. 😉

Info. you could use:
Old Faithful Geyser of California
The Petrified Forest nearby
More Volcanic Sites trip ideas

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