Rattlesnake Spring, Napa County, CA  4/5 (1)

8 people follow this spring.
Directions:

Description

Narrow copper spout with two boxes

Nearest Address

5546, Lake County Hwy, Napa County, CA

Directions from Nearest Address

Rattlesnake Spring is a Spring in the state of California (county of Napa), located at latitude – longitude coordinates of N 38.67213 and W -122.58971. It is at the highest part of Lake County Highway (Hwy 29) just south of Middletown. It is literally at the NW corner of Napa county where driving north brings one into Lake County and hiking west brings one right into Sonoma county in Robert Louis Stevenson St. Park. It is on the west side of the road. When flowing, there may be a few cars in line to fill up. I have been told that it would flow all year but if occasionally plugged by the county. Many Lake county people prefer it over Harbin. However, I have not personally had it, though am eager to make sure it is quality.

Vital Information

  • Fee: None
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Intermittent
  • TDS: 82
  • Temp: N/A
  • pH: N/A

Hours Spring is Open:

Unknown

GPS:

N 38.67213, W 122.58971

Map Link: Rattlesnake Spring Map

Submitted by: Christian Bates, photo by Terre

Responses

    1. Just went and provided some footage above. Flow was great. No wait or anything. Pulled right up and filled up 10 gallons within 15 ish minutes. I usually go to red rock up at Stinson but rattlesnake is a bit closer to me so I wanted to check it out after hearing so many people enjoying it. I will definitely be coming back. The water tastes amazing and clear.

  1. A few months ago, I met the owner of the property – 86 year-old John Livermore – who was showing the springs to some friends of his. The springs, and the surrounding 8,000 acres, have been in his family since the late 1700s/early 1800s. He has the water tested annually, and told me that it was similar to rain water, with very little to no dissolved solids. The bore hole across Hwy. 29, where Calistoga water was getting water to bottle and sell, was higher in dissolved solids. He hopes that someone else will take over the lease on getting water at the bore hole, as it helps offset the costs/taxes to keep the watershed intact and protect the springs. He is a member of of the Lake County Land Trust (the land is in both Lake & Napa counties). Although I'm not a fan of privatization and selling water, by doing so, he is able and committed to keeping Rattlesnake Springs free and open to the public 24/7. And it is some of the best tasting water I've had! Only Desert Hot Springs rivals it, imho.

  2. Hi Katy,

    Rattlesnake Spring on Highway 29 is the best one I know of around here. It's
    quite the drive, but well worth it if you bring a few 5 gallon jugs. We
    bring up 5-6 with each trip from Sonoma.

    Drive Northbound highway 29 from Calistoga towards Middletown. You will wind
    all the way up Mt. St. Helena, you'll come over the top and pass Robert
    Louis Stevenson Park. It's a few miles past that and will be on the left.
    It's pretty hard to miss. There's a formed rock pile with a pipe coming out
    of it. There's usually a few people there getting water also. Enjoy!

    Sincerely,
    Steve Margraf

  3. A friend of mine told me she thinks she got girardia from this spring several years ago. Cannot verify but I switched. to Red Rock Beach Spring on Mt Tam after she told me that. Water testing should be done

  4. Hey all, I’ve been drinking this water from Sept 2013 – March 2014 and I believe I became sick from this water.. it’s subtle but I’m pretty sensitive. I’ve noticed my symptoms were going away after ceasing to drink the water.
    My symptoms were: anemia, hyperactivity, tremors in the night, weird feeling in my head, stiffness, irritability.
    I can’t be certain this caused it but I am sending a water test to a lab now.. I’ll let you know when I get the results back. However the lab wont test pesticides in the runoff which could also be a cause.

    1. I have had water from this spring several times in the past (2010-2013) and it was just fine. I went there about 2 years ago to fill up just for the hell of it… can be really packed with people ready to fill multiple gallons….. and there was a guy about to fill up just before me. He explained that there were rodents in the box just beside the spigot, we lifted the lid together and fished out several dead mice carcasses. Needless to say, neither of us got water. I’ll never return! Just saying!

  5. The water is great. I go there for my supply. It tastes and feels so much better than the RO water you buy at the store. I haven’t had it tested, but my intuition loves it and I feel great drinking it. If your body enjoys it, it knows it works well.

  6. Napa county environmental health called back and said it was the responsibility of CALTrans and that they have been capping many springs that are located on the side of the road. That sucks.  Not sure that I want to call them now, they will probably just use it as an excuse to cap it, even thought they just repaved a nice parking spot there.

  7. Been going there for two years, recently found stringy, root looking debris floating in my water jugs after filling up. Called Napa county, they will verify whether or not it is safe to consume and what it is. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t be in there. I hope it’s a simple fix, maybe it needs a new pipe, maybe some roots have grown into the existing pipe. They told me they would call me back and let me know what they find out. 

  8. We went here for the first time on Sep 29, 2011. Does the county test this water annually? The water taste great and I just want to make sure it is safe to drink. How do we find out? My little boy loves the water too.

    1. many people drink this water and i am one of them and am healthy as a horse!!  i am so appreciative of this great tasting wonderful elixir……pure spring water the best drink of the earth. i would not worry about this water at all but have it tested if you want to and let us know the results.  people have drank this water for many moons…..i got some today as matter of fact and am blessed to drink it.

  9. went yesterday was told by a local that the water flow has been improved. This was noticeable as a 5 gallon would fill up in a minute. Water is clear and sweet. Got 20 gallons and moved on. seems pretty reliable

  10. We just made another trip up last weekend, the flow was definitely sufficient. My 5 6-Gallon “Better Bottle” jugs were all filled in about 20 minutes. Love the water here, surely worth the trip the Sonoma. Next trip over we’ll try the spring in Angwin.

  11. @Feralkevin: Was there any water coming out of the overflow pipe adjacent to the cement reservoir above the spigot? When I was there last weekend, I noticed that it was coming out there instead.

    Does this spring exist in the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park? If so, maybe park services could clean it out.

    Shame, this is my favorite spring!

    1. No there was no water coming out from anywhere. My friend just brought me some water from there last night on 02/21 and said it was flowing nicely like in the picture. When I was there in October, I looked over the thing really good, it looked to me as if there never was any water coming out of that thing. Completely totally dry. Anyone know what’s up with this spring?

      1. Just filled up (3) 5 gallons on sunday evening 02/20/11. It was flowing very fast and tastes great. As a kid my father would get us spring water in half moon bay off a road which I think was devils slide outside of Pacifica California,but I was just a kid. I’m trying to find more springs in Lake County area. Just thought of trying real spring water again because I’m tired of bottled water waste and I remember my Pop always telling us how good spring water was for us. Is this location a bore hole or the natural source does anyone know?

  12. Went there 10/11/10. No water coming out. On a busy road, lots of garbage nearby. I thought maybe I went to the wrong place, but it was definitely the place in the pictures. Disappointing, perhaps it is seasonal?

  13. I just went here last weekend, and the collection fill area was disturbed and there was debris in it that clogged the spigot (thus causing the overflow to spill out). Does anybody know who maintains this spring?

  14. Made another pilgrimage today: hot first day of summer, but the water was cold, delicious and full of vibrant energy. Running slow-ish but not super slow…SO WORTH the drive from the Bay; I now try to add a bottle to my collection each time I go up…The glass “carboys” (bottles) from brewing supply stores are expensive, but they are thick, will last forever and will leach 0% into your water…if you keep reinforcing the box it comes with packing tape (especially the flaps, seam(s) and bottom, over time the box becomes waterproof! I use rubber stoppers for transport and then switch them out for cork stoppers once I get home…Also drivers can be crazy (fast) on that road so don't be bashful to just pull over and let em go by!

  15. 5/13/10
    This past weekend I returned to the spring and there were two other people ahead of me. There was plenty of water pressure flow for easily filling the 3 gallon bottles that I brought and the water temperature was cool.
    I have the following specific details about locating the spring. From downtown Calistoga it is 11 miles to the spring. At 3 miles out of Calistoga on Hwy. 29 you start ascending up the winding road. At 8 miles you will a sign for Robert Louis Stevenson State Park with pull out parking on both sides of the road – continue driving past this. The road will now start to descend having reached the summit. There will be a straight-ahead section of road as you approach 3 miles from the last point mentioned or 11 miles over all. Keep a watch on the left hand side for a pull out area. Directly opposite on the right side there is an unmarked side street or driveway where there is a chain-link fenced area that is back away from the road. Make a U-turn to drive into the pull-out area in front of the spring. If there are other vehicles there you should pull up behind them to get in line.
    Side note: My advice is that as you get closer to the destination that you allow cars and trucks to pass you by using the pull-out areas because you don't want them on your bumper as you slow down to watch for the spring. It is common courteousness to the other drivers and will make it easier for you if they are not either blocking your view or tailing to closely behind when you need to slow down or stop to make the U-turn. Caution also for on coming traffic from the opposite direction. People driving up hill were driving fast and passing others so watch out to be sure you have a clear view of on coming traffic before making the U-turn. Pull over to the right if necessary to wait.

  16. Made it up here today. She's running cold and fast! Folks told me it slows down a lot during the dry season. This water is pure, sweet and alive! Worth the trip. A+

  17. We went here last week, it was great. Anyone from the bay area want to think about ridesharing? Right now we are renting a car for the day.

    Casey
    mrcaseywright at gmail dot com

  18. okay, we gathered today, thursday march 25th 2010 –
    temperature = 13.4 Celsius (i think, this measure seemed to be similar to the air temp)
    TDS = 82 ppm
    ph (taken with a crappy ph meter) = between 6 and 7
    we talked to a guy who gathers here year round and says it always flows smooth – we filled up a 5 gallon jug within 2-3 minutes.

  19. Was at the spring on Tuesday, met a family there the father said his grandmother used to get her water there. So we are talking maybe 90 years of that water in their blood. The water is amazing.

  20. My wife Cassie and I have been getting this water for about a year now. The water is fantastic, the best we've ever had. Rumor has it Arrowhead bottles their water here as well as one of their sources.

    Bad news yesterday though when we went up with our 5 – 6 gallon containers, the water is running VERY slow. We didn't even waste our time waiting. Today we're off to try our luck at the spring in Marin county.

  21. If there is anyone in the Sonoma County that would like to meet up and go to this spring please let me know. I have a van that will work well for transporting water. If you have some extra glass containers then I'd love to use some in exchange for the transport to/from the source.

    rawkev@gmail.com

    Thanks,

    Kevin

  22. Hey Christian thanks so much for posting this! Do you remember we went spring hunting together in Fremont a while back?! Anyways, I found a place where you can purchase 6gallon glass jugs as well as amber jugs in San Leandro at a good price! Peace!

  23. Just went and provided some footage above. Flow was great. No wait or anything. Pulled right up and filled up 10 gallons within 15 ish minutes. I usually go to red rock up at Stinson but rattlesnake is a bit closer to me so I wanted to check it out after hearing so many people enjoying it. I will definitely be coming back. The water tastes amazing and clear.

  24. After reading so many great things about this spring, I finally made a trek all the way out there, but sadly the flow rate was really poor. I setup a 10 gallon jug to catch water from the outlet, and after about an hour of collection I only had about 2 gallons. It was my first visit, so I had no past to compare it to, but the flow rate made it hard to collect my target of 50 gallons. Water taste good, but output not adequate. Hopefully it just needs to be cleaned out and rehabilitated. After so many great reviews, it was a little heartbreaking.

  25. I just went there last night/this morning, filled up 8 5 gal jugs. Right now, the spring trickles at around 15 min per 5 gal jug. After the rains, hopefully it will increase. Please keep the area clean–NO LITTERING. Put your garbage/cigarette butts in the garbage (usually there is one there), or take it with you. Give a Hoot!–Don’t Pollute!

How to Collect Spring Water

Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.

The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.

FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.

Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.

Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug

When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.

When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.

How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.

How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.

I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.

Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.

none

Flow was great. No wait or anything. Pulled right up and filled up 10 gallons within 15 ish minutes. I usually go to red rock up at Stinson but rattlesnake is a bit closer to me so I wanted to check it out after hearing so many people enjoying it. I will definitely be coming back. The water tastes amazing and clear.

Create an account or login to upload water test results.

US Find A Spring members can get a 15% discount at WaterCheck.com use coupon code COMMUNITY

Uploaded Water Tests

Create an account or login to upload water test results.

Create an account or login to upload an image.

Do you have info you'd like to add to the main spring description or perhaps a more accurate gps coordinate?

Please start by making a comment on this spring's page with any additional info, or something that you feel should be changed to reflect more accurate data. After your comment is liked by enough community members, this will validate the improved information.

Please notify us if an update with enough likes hasn't been updated in the description yet.