Out & about in Wine Country

This is the time of year when the vineyards blink like a stoplight from green to yellows and finally to reds. And as Thanksgiving approaches and the first rains sprinkle down, the Earth itself begins its makeover, from the dry russet of summer to the Kelly green cloak of winter.

There are different ways to get close to the natural pageant of Wine Country in autumn, whether by car, by bicycle or on foot. For the best views and the most quiet, seek out the roads less traveled.

Hike Oathill Mine Road

This day trek will help you pay your caloric dues for the fine dinner you will have earned after making your way up this steep trail above Calistoga, and the visual rewards are outstanding.

Grab some trail provisions at the fine Palisades Market, 1506 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, for a simple snack at the top of the world. Catch the trail on the east side of the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and the Silverado Trail. A few minutes of hiking will lift you off the valley floor for lavish views of the vineyards below.

Feeling more adventurous? Continue up the 8.3-mile trail through oak, Douglas fir and gray pine, gaining some 2,000 feet in elevation to the base of the Napa Valley’s most prominent geological feature, the Palisades. The hundred-foot walls of volcanic rock are easily visible from downtown Calistoga, but far more impressive close up. Look closely. Ruts from wagons that once ferried provisions to backcountry miners can still be seen pressed into the volcanic rock.

The payback for reaching the higher elevations beyond the forests is the vast sweep of the entire Napa Valley, with miles of bejeweled vineyards and the hint of Mt. Diablo sometimes peeking out at the far southern horizon.

Drive Knights Valley

After sampling the best of Alexander Valley wineries, stop at The Jimtown Store, 6706 Highway 128, Healdsburg, run by the delightful Carrie Brown, for a picnic on its vine-covered patio and then retreat into the more remote Knights and Franz valleys. This will give you a hit of working Wine Country without the crowds and cars.

Give yourself time for a detour by going south from Jimtown on Highway 128 for about a quarter mile and veer off onto Pine Flat Road, a long-ago route to a quicksilver mine and then The Geysers beyond. Cyclists who know every back road say this little diversion, a distance of some 7.5 miles uphill to a pullout point where you can turn around, will give you some of the best panoramas of harvest color you can find.

Back down at the bottom of the mountain, continue south on 128 to the end of the Alexander Valley near Chalk Hill, entering a winding little slip between the hills along a creek that eventually opens up into Knights Valley, a warm inland vale blanketed by the vineyards of marquee growers such as Beringer and Peter Michael.

For another secret vista, take the twisty trek up Ida Clayton Road over the shoulder of Mount St. Helena. When you reach a flat spot four to six miles up, get out and take a peaceful half-mile walk under the trees. Catch it on a bright day in mid-November and you’ll see leaves piled up on the side of the road glitter like drifts of bullion.

Back down on Highway 128, continue south and turn onto Franz Valley Road, a more winding, hilly and secluded respite from harvest mayhem. You’ll climb into a forest of manzanita, madrone, oak and bay, eventually dropping down to Safari West in the farthest reaches of Santa Rosa, 3115 Porter Creek Road. Here you can book a luxury safari ($68, $30 children; 707-579-2551, 800-616-2695) and consort with cheetahs, giraffes and zebras.

Cycle Carneros

This is a satisfying and fairly level ride along gently rolling roads through the The Carneros straddling Sonoma and Napa. Here wind and fog swept in from San Pablo Bay create superb conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Start your ride off the Sonoma Plaza, picking up the bike trail on First Street East. Ride the flank of Sebastiani Winery out Lovall Valley Road, turning right on Seventh Street East. A left on Denmark will carry you past the 150-year-old Rhinefarm of Gundlach Bundschu. Stop at the welcoming “Gun-Bun” for a breather before hopping back in the saddle and heading down to Burndale Road.

Carefully cross Highway 12/121, continuing on Burndale. After two blocks, turn right on Dale and right again on Ramal Road. The terrain here spreads out around you like bubbling pancake batter, broken by long swaths of vineyards and nubbly hills over which you might spot a golden eagle or red-tailed hawk. Beyond, just to the south, snaking sloughs score the landscape.

At Las Amigas Road (where Ramal becomes Duhig Road) stop at Acacia Winery for a refreshing Chardonnay or a splash of celebrated Carneros Pinot Noir (707-226-9991, by appointment).

Go back to the intersection, turn right on Duhig and follow it out to the highway, where the majestic French chateau of Domaine Carneros emerges at the corner of Highway 121/12. Here you can reward your efforts with a glass of bubbly on the terrace before retracing your route back to Sonoma.