Calistoga’s Petrified Forest is for sale
By Anne Ernst
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Though the current owners and operators of Calistoga’s Petrified Forest are ready to move on, their hope is that the ancient preserved remains of a volcanic eruption will remain. The family’s wish is for a public land trust or a consortium of such groups to come together to purchase the 500-acre property, which is listed at $12 million, and “continue to protect” the land, Janet Angell said. They would like not to see a “McMansion” built there.
“My sister, Barbara, is 70, and I’m going to be 68,” she said. “We’re ready to retire.”
The property was purchased for educational purposes, and the family has not interfered with the natural elements of the wilderness for multiple generations. They hope that their legacy can carry on, Angell said.
The purchase includes the main house and gift shop, a guest house, cottage, vintage diner, shop/garage building and an event barn. But there is one item that Angell will be taking with her that will inform her and Barbara’s future — a journal of visitors’ suggestions of where to go in their homelands.
Video of Calistoga’s Petrified Forest, which went up for sale in late July 2023 for an initial price of $12 million - Tim Carl Video
The journal asked guests who traveled from all over the world to list three places from their homeland that they would recommend visiting.
“[The journal] was a great way to strike up a conversation,” Janet said.
Janet and Barbara have plans to travel together after the sale is finalized, Janet said, and among the places she hopes to travel include some of those recommendations.
The Petrified Forest tourist attraction has been in the Angell family since 1914, but the family’s younger generation is not interested in continuing the business, so they are selling California Historic Landmark 915, she said.
Angell said she and her family grew up in a home on 12 acres located on the aptly named Petrified Forest Road across the street from the business. Her grandparents gave the property to her parents.
Her father was a deputy sheriff who worked at Petrified Forest on weekends. Angell said she and other family members worked there off and on as kids and into their college years. When they were youngsters her father would pause while doing chores like raking trails to encourage the children to appreciate their surroundings, such as taking in the aroma of bay leaves.
“We had Daniel Boone kinds of experiences,” she said.
The forest, which first opened to the public in 1870, incudes 1 mile of Porter Creek. The volcanic activity that took place 3.4 million years ago on Mt. St. Helena that toppled the preserved forest is also responsible for the volcanic soils that make up the Calistoga American Viticulture Area.
Janet, who practiced law in San Francisco, and Barbara, who is retiring this year from nursing, both came back home to help take care of the business when their mother needed help personally and professionally.
Janet’s background in law was useful in running a business, and Barbara’s background in healthcare was useful during COVID.
“We were a good team,” Janet said.
The business did well even during COVID because most of the activities could take place outside. Locals would come to the property to take walks on the trails, and even though gift shop activity was minimal at the time, they could point at merchandise in a window that could be brought outside for consideration.
Wildfires and evacuations have also played a hand in the twists and turns of running a business, but the Petrified Forest remains—its ancient artifacts and the business.
The family has always provided tours for school groups and seniors at discounted rates. They hope that a buyer will want to continue their dedication to education and preservation.
If we win the lotto, we’ll buy it and keep it as is. It would be such a shame to let it go. And good for the owners retiring. None of us can keep going forever. Fingers crossed.
This was very informative! I’ve lived in Napa 70 years and have never visited this place. Thanks for the tour!