In honor of World Bicycle Day, we’re celebrating the simple joy of moving through the world on two wheels. This year, that spirit comes to life through our support of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, a project that invites people to slow down, travel safely and experience the journey as something beautiful in itself.
As a Trip Expert based in Northern California’s Wine Country, I work with local vendors and carve out routes through the Sonoma and Napa Valleys to give guests a thoughtful introduction to the area. Working with small, local wineries and cycling on the back roads and bike paths of Wine Country has shaped how I experience the valley and helped me appreciate its quieter side.
Some of the most meaningful Give Back projects start with something simple: supporting the places we rely on every day. For people like me who spend time in the Wine Country, the Napa Valley Vine Trail is one of those places. It’s a growing, 47-mile bike path that runs through the heart of Napa Valley and connects towns, vineyards and communities along the way. It is also a trail that our Wine Country Bike Tour guests and leaders ride each week.
I remind guests every trip that while these itineraries are jam-packed with activities, it is important to carve out time to slow down, take in the scenery and spend quality time with their spouse, family and friends. The Napa Valley Vine Trail matters to me because it creates more space for that kind of experience. It gives people a peaceful way to move through the Valley and stop, look around and take pictures without feeling rushed or cramped.
Through our Give Back Program, Backroads donated $2,000 to support the continued construction and maintenance of the Vine Trail. It’s an investment in a project that has a very real impact on how guests experience this region. I know that I personally spend a lot of time benefiting from what the trail is trying to build, so supporting it felt like a natural way to give back to something I use every week.
A Safer Way to Ride
Napa Valley is one of the most popular cycling destinations in the country, but it’s not always the easiest place to ride. Many of the roads are narrow, heavily trafficked and shared with vehicles, which can create challenges for both cyclists and drivers.
The Vine Trail changes that. By creating dedicated bike paths separated from traffic, it offers a safer, more accessible way to move through the Valley for our guests, for local riders and for the broader community.
For Backroads, this connection is direct. Our trips regularly use sections of the trail, and we see firsthand how it creates a better riding experience. It allows guests to focus less on traffic and more on the landscape, the pace of the ride and the feeling of being immersed in the region.
Investing in the Places We Ride
This is infrastructure that supports active travel. It reduces reliance on cars, encourages more people to get outside on two wheels and makes a well-loved destination more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
It’s also deeply local. Napa Valley is a core Backroads region, and this is a place where we have a consistent presence. We’re not just passing through, but returning week after week, season after season. Supporting the Vine Trail is a way of recognizing that relationship and contributing to something that benefits both visitors and the people who live here.
Looking Ahead
The Vine Trail is still growing, with the long-term goal of connecting the entire Napa Valley through a continuous, safe cycling route. Each mile completed brings that vision closer to reality.
Through this Give Back project, we’re proud to support that progress, helping create a safer, more sustainable way to explore one of the regions we know best.
Come on a Backroads Wine Country Biking Trip to experience cult-favorite cycling routes through redwood forests, coastal bluffs and world-famous viticultural areas with time to slow down and enjoy a glass of wine among the very vineyards where it was grown.
