Lonely Planet Northern California

Northern California

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Northern California

Northern California's Top 25

Need to Know

If You Like

Month by Month

Itineraries

Road Trips & Scenic Drives

Northern California Camping & Outdoors

Travel with Children

Eat & Drink Like a Local

Regions at a Glance

On The Road

San Francisco

San Francisco Highlights

Sights

Activities

Tours & Courses

City Walk

Festivals & Events

Sleeping

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Shopping

Information

San Francisco by Cable Car

Marin County & the Bay Area

Marin County

Marin Headlands

Sausalito

Tiburon

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard & Around

San Rafael

Mill Valley

Mt Tamalpais State Park

Muir Woods National Monument

Muir Beach

Stinson Beach

Bolinas

Olema & Nicasio

Point Reyes Station

Inverness

Point Reyes National Seashore

East Bay

Oakland

Berkeley

Mt Diablo State Park

John Muir National Historic Site

The Peninsula

San Francisco to San Jose

San Jose

Pacifica & Devils Slide

Pacifica to Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay

Pescadero

Ano Nuevo State Park

Napa & Sonoma Wine Country

Napa Valley

Napa Valley Wineries

Napa

Yountville

Oakville & Rutherford

St Helena

Calistoga & Around

Sonoma Valley

Sonoma Valley Wineries

Sonoma & Around

Glen Ellen & Kenwood

Russian River Area

Russian River Wineries

Sebastopol

Occidental & Around

Guerneville & Around

Santa Rosa

Healdsburg & Around

North Coast & Redwoods

Coastal Highway 1

Bodega Bay

Sonoma Coast State Beach

Jenner

Fort Ross State Historic Park

Salt Point State Park

Sea Ranch

Gualala & Anchor Bay

Point Arena

Manchester

Elk

Van Damme State Park

Mendocino

Jug Handle State Reserve

Fort Bragg

MacKerricher State Park

Westport

Along Highway 101

Hopland

Clear Lake

Anderson Valley

Ukiah

Around Ukiah

Willits

Southern Redwood Coast

Leggett

Richardson Grove State Park

Garberville

Lost Coast

Humboldt Redwoods State Park & Avenue of the Giants

Scotia

Ferndale

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Eureka

Samoa Peninsula

Arcata

Northern Redwood Coast

Trinidad

Patrick's Point State Park

Humboldt Lagoons State Park

Redwood National & State Parks

Klamath

Crescent City

Tolowa Dunes State Park & Lake Earl Wildlife Area

Pelican State Beach

Central Coast

Along Highway 1

Santa Cruz

Around Santa Cruz

Monterey

Pacific Grove

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Big Sur

Point Piedras Blancas

Mission San Antonio De Padua

San Simeon

Hearst Castle

Cambria

Cayucos

Morro Bay

Montana de Oro State Park

Along Highway 101

San Juan Bautista

Gilroy

Salinas

Pinnacles National Park

San Miguel

Paso Robles

San Luis Obispo

Avila Beach

Pismo Beach

Northern Mountains

Redding & Around

Redding

Around Redding

Shasta Lake

Mt Lassen Region

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen National Forest

Lake Almanor Area

Susanville

Eagle Lake

Quincy

Bucks Lake

Mt Shasta Region

Mt Shasta

Mt Shasta City

Dunsmuir

Castle Crags State Park

McCloud

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park & Around

Lava Beds National Monument

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

Modoc National Forest

West of I-5

Weaverville

Lewiston Lake

Trinity Lake

Klamath & Siskiyou Mountains

Scott Valley

Yreka

Sacramento & Central Valley

Sacramento Valley

Sacramento

SacramentoSan Joaquin River Delta

Davis

Oroville

Chico

Red Bluff

San Joaquin Valley

Lodi

Stockton

Modesto

Merced

Fresno

Visalia

Bakersfield

Kern River Area

Gold Country

Nevada County & Northern Gold Country

Auburn

Auburn State Recreation Area

Grass Valley

Nevada City

South Yuba River State Park

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park

North Yuba River

El Dorado & Amador Counties

Coloma-Lotus Valley

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

Placerville

Plymouth & Amador City

Sutter Creek

Volcano

Jackson

Calaveras County & South Gold Country

Angels Camp

Murphys

Columbia

Sonora & Jamestown

Lake Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe & Stateline

Lake Tahoe Western Shore

Emerald Bay State Park

DL Bliss State Park

Meeks Bay

Ed Zberg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Tahoma

Homewood

Sunnyside

Tahoe City

Squaw Valley

Truckee & Donner Lake

Lake Tahoe Northern Shore

Tahoe Vista

Kings Beach

Crystal Bay (Nevada)

Lake Tahoe Eastern Shore (Nevada)

Incline Village

Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

Reno (Nevada)

Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada

Yosemite National Park

California Wildlife

Yosemite Gateways

Fish Camp

Oakhurst

Merced River Canyon

Mariposa

Groveland

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Kings Canyon National Park

Sequoia National Park

Eastern Sierra

Mono Lake Region

Mammoth Lakes

Around Mammoth Lakes

Bishop

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Best Hikes of the Sierra Nevada

Understand

Understand Northern California

Northern California Today

History

The Way of Life

Music & the Arts

By the Book

The Land & Wildlife

Survive

Directory AZ

Accommodations

Customs Regulations

Discount Cards

Electricity

Food & Drink

Health

Insurance

Internet Access

Legal Matters

LGBT+ Travelers

Money

Opening Hours

Post

Public Holidays

Safe Travel

Telephone

Time

Toilets

Tourist Information

Travelers with Disabilities

Visas

Volunteering

Transportation

Getting There & Away

Getting Around

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

Welcome to Northern California

With soaring peaks, vast coastline and the tallest of the world's trees, Northern California inspires all who visit to dream that much bigger.

Natural Splendor

Mother Nature puts on a spectacular show across Northern California. In the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains, blue Lake Tahoe is so deep that if drained it would fill the state with 14 inches of water. Yosemite National Park is home to some of the world's highest waterfalls, and the tallest trees on the planet grow in Redwood National Park. Lassen Volcanic National Park showcases a bona fide volcano, while King's Canyon has gorges deeper than even the Grand Canyon. Across the Sierra's eastern escarpment, the mountains hang like curtains above the vast high deserts of the Great Basin.

Food & Drink

Expect to eat really well – this is a region at the forefront of American culinary trends. Everything grows here, from apple trees to Zinfandel grapes, and great food and wine are a collective fetish. You need not be fancy. Locals wax poetic about the humble burrito, or a platter of fresh cracked crab, plucked that day from the sea. Napa and Sonoma are the rural outposts of the Bay Area's dynamic and progressive food scene, with restaurants by celeb chefs, you-pick-'em orchards and artisanal dairy farms producing some of the highest-grade foods anywhere in the nation.

Weekend Escapes

Idyllic escapes are never far away here – just pick your theme. For road trips, it's hard to beat coastal drives up fog-shrouded Hwy 1 to Mendocino; or down the dramatic Pacific Coast Hwy to Big Sur, a thousand feet above the crashing surf. For history, head east to explore the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and Old West towns dating to the gold rush. For outdoor adventure, go up, up, up the mighty Sierra Nevada and hike granite domes and valleys made famous by John Muir. And for world-class art and culture, you need never leave San Francisco's city limits.

Big City, Little Towns

Whether it comes from the dramatic, Victorian-clad hills, the buzzing innovations of the culinary scene, or the eccentric, larger-than-life residents, there's an unmistakable energy crackling through San Francisco, beckoning visitors. Orbiting this cultural capital, Northern California's smaller cities and towns each hold their own unique appeal. There's the vibrant diversity of Oakland, the seaside elegance of Mendocino, and the sun-drenched idyll of Santa Cruz. Nevada City is the picture of a well-preserved and charming former gold-rush town, and even Sacramento, with its historic parks and agricultural bounty, will occasionally inspire a traveler to gasp with awe.

Bixby Bridge | PUNG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Why I Love Northern California

By Ashley Harrell, Writer

I'll never get over the feeling of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, its massive red towers peeking above the fog, a swirl of ocean, sky and mountains framed by suspension cables in every direction. There are things I miss about SF: sunset hikes up Bernal Hill, sipping wine and playing Balderdash on a blanket in Dolores Park, the curiously slanting floors of my Chinatown apartment. But the storybook farmlands of Point Reyes made the deepest impression, and particularly one rancher I know there, who replaced a horse's lost eye with a ping-pong ball. Only in NorCal.

Northern California's Top 25

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is arguably Northern California’s greatest natural wonder. This beloved national park is gorgeous at any time, but especially so in spring, when several of the world's tallest waterfalls thunder and roar in the valley. Come summer, head up high to hike subalpine valleys ablaze with wildflowers, then cross the mile-high eastern escarpment and drop into vast desert landscapes where tumbleweeds blow. The leaves change colors in autumn, as the waterfalls start to dry up. In winter, snow blankets meadows, and jagged mountain peaks sparkle iridescent-white against an electric-blue sky.

AARON M/500PX ©

Top Experiences

San Francisco

SF (say Ess-Eff, not Frisco) is the gateway to Northern California. The views are iconic – clanging cable cars rattling up impossibly high hills, sunsets through the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge – and so is the culture, high art and low, with a Grammy-winning symphony, weird underground performance art, and America's most dynamic food scene. Nature holds a special place in SF: keep your eye on the sky to spot flocks of wild green parrots, and head to the glittering blue bay to hear sea lions bark and bray.

Golden Gate Bridge | LYNN Y/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Lassen Volcanic National Park

These days Mt Lassen volcano might be dormant, but its eruption a century ago created what's now Lassen Volcanic National Park. Descend into the earth down a pitch-black lava tube, and explore bubbling thermal fields, where mud pots spew sulfur. This wildly alive geological landscape is visibly morphing itself into a new landscape. And it's remote: even at the peak of summer, it never feels crowded. Book ahead to stay at a classic dude ranch, and ride horseback into grassy meadows that fringe the high-mountain landscape.

LUCILA10/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Skiing Tahoe

Epic snowfall, warm sunshine and panoramic vistas of blue, blue Lake Tahoe make skiing in Northern California unlike skiing anywhere else. In a good year, these mountains receive some of the deepest snowpack on the continent, and an average 300 annual days of sunshine mean you can work on your tan while you perfect your carves. The terrain varies wildly, from Olympic-caliber steeps and rocky chutes, to ballroom groomers and gentle baby bunny slopes. Book a cozy cabin to snuggle fireside and watch icicles drip from the eaves outside.

SUCCES’S IBC/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Big Sur

Hwy 1 around Big Sur is the most famous stretch of highway in all of California. The road twists and turns a thousand feet above the vast blue Pacific, hugging the skirts of mile-high mountains. This is a drive that merits an upgraded rental car. Alas, passengers get the best views. Spend a night or two in a famous inn or cozy cottage, hike high peaks poking through the fog like islands in the sky, and take a late-night soak beneath the stars in seaside hot springs.

KEN BROWN/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Napa & Sonoma Valleys

Napa and Sonoma not only produce America's best wines but are also stunningly beautiful areas to explore. Cruise hidden back roads by bicycle or convertible in search of that perfect bottle of wine; soak in thermal springs and bathe in mud at day spas; feast on dishes prepared by celebrity chefs; and bed down at a country inn. The pastoral landscape provides a lovely backdrop for hedonism – a patchwork of vineyards on oak-dotted hillsides, rising from serpentine rivers flanked by redwoods.

Napa Valley | MICHAEL WARWICK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Mendocino

Perched atop a windswept headland surrounded on three sides by the Pacific, Mendocino is the romantic weekend getaway. A former whaling village taken over by artists in the 1960s, Mendo appears frozen in time, with century-old New England–style saltbox cottages you don't see elsewhere in California. Amble wooden sidewalks and peek into galleries and shops inside rose-covered cottages and weathered-wooden water towers. Leave time to kayak, watch for whales, chat up sophisticated bohemian locals, and drift asleep in a quiet country inn.

RADOSLAW LECYK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Point Reyes National Seashore

Only an hour from San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore juts 10 miles out to sea, a 1400ft-high peninsula atop an entirely different tectonic plate from the mainland. Its rugged natural beauty is dazzling. Seals colonize the rocky headlands, tide pools teem with life, grasslands burst into color with spring flowers, and herds of tule elk roam high bluffs above the crashing surf. Descend 300 steps – 30 stories – from the bluff tops to the Pt Reyes Lighthouse for the best whale-watching in Northern California.

Tule elk bulls | JULIE VADER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Mono Lake

Spectacularly eerie Mono Lake sits on the floor of a vast high-mountain desert, surrounded by towering snow-covered peaks, its shores dense with pungent sagebrush. The ancient lake sprawls far and wide, with curious 'tufa' towers of calcium carbonate rising vertically from its salty black waters. Millions of migratory birds come to dive-bomb and feast on brine shrimp, and 80% of all the seagulls in California begin their lives here. The scale of things is enormous. Instead of hiking, consider kayaking.

DANIELLE KRCMA/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Highway 395

Hwy 395 (aka the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway) is California's ultimate road trip (sorry Pacific Coast Hwy), a north–south route tracing the eastern escarpment of the mighty Sierra Nevadas, with offshoots to the highest and lowest points in the continental US. Expect to lose perspective on scale and distance as you drive beneath mountains rising nearly 3 miles high. Famous destinations include the back side of Yosemite National Park (summer only); eerie Mono Lake; Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48; and the rugged Alabama Hills, backdrop of old Hollywood Westerns.

VIJAIFOON13T/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Dry Creek Valley & Russian River Area

Know your geography: there are three Sonomas – the town, the valley, and the county. The latter's remote western and northern valleys are among the least known – and far less busy than famous Sonoma Valley – but they produce some incredible wines. Plan to sample top-notch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the foggy Russian River Valley; and jammy Zinfandel in narrow and warm Dry Creek Valley. During crush season in autumn, the leaves go red and gold, and the smell of fermenting fruit lingers on the breeze.

Dry Creek Valley | COMPASSANDCAMERA/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Rafting the American River

It’s more than a little unfair that the American River trumps so many other white-water destinations in California – it’s actually three rivers in one. All three branches – the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork – are ready-made for family outings. River expeditions can be short and sweet, or full-on adrenaline-packed multiday adventures. And on the way home, it's a quick detour to one of several classic Gold Country towns, such as Nevada City, where you can immerse yourself in history.

CASSIOHABIB/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

This is a landscape of superlatives – a cleft in high mountains deeper than the Grand Canyon, and pristine backcountry wilderness that neighbors the highest peak in the continental United States, Mt Whitney (14,497ft). But it's the enormous trees that grab all the attention for being so unfathomably large and in charge – find the granddaddy of them all, General Sherman ( MAP GOOGLE MAP c), a giant sequoia thought to be the most massive tree on earth. Come wintertime, snow blankets the park: plan to snowshoe through the silent woods.

Sentinel, Sequoia National Park | LUCKY-PHOTOGRAPHER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles

Napa and Sonoma may be more famous, but the rolling golden hills around San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles cover three times the ground of Napa. And they produce remarkably great wines, similar in style to France's Rhône Valley. Booming craft-beer and urban-distillery scenes also offer compelling local flavors. The compact and appealing city of San Luis Obispo anchors the region, with a sophisticated dining scene providing a cosmopolitan counterpoint to the sleepy rural farms and wineries that sprawl everywhere outside town.

San Luis Obispo | PIA BENZER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Hot Springs & Swimming Holes

You’re traveling over the Yuba River Bridge on a blazing July day when, in the middle of nowhere, you pass a cluster of cars parked at the side of Hwy 49. Don’t ask questions – just park, strip and plunge. And then there are the hot springs. On a chilly winter evening keep an eye out for bubbles in the undeveloped mud holes in the Eastern Sierra and by eerie Mono Lake. Or try an old-fashioned spa resort in Calistoga, where the local specialty is a volcanic-ash mud bath.

Indian Springs resort, Calistoga | TRINETTE REED/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Monterey

Monterey is home to the finest aquarium on the West Coast and the incredible marine reserve that is Monterey Bay. The former fishing and canning town, made famous by Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, is now the Central Coast’s most family-friendly destination. After you've gawked at all the finned aquarium critters, take the kids for saltwater taffy at Fisherman’s Wharf, on a boat trip to spot whales, and to explore old forts, missions and historic adobes from California’s Mexican and Spanish past.

Monterey Wharf & Marina | KEN WOLTER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

The Klamath Basin provides bird-watchers with a thrilling spectacle beneath the Pacific Flyway, the ‘avian superhighway’ of migrating north–south bird traffic. If whipping out high-powered binoculars to spot a semipalmated sandpiper doesn’t quicken your pulse, take heart: birds are but a few of the awe-inspiring animals found everywhere in this remote northern mountain region. Head to the edges of Lava Beds National Monument and you'll encounter ever more wildlife, from vesper bats and mule deer (pictured), to flying squirrels and marmot.

ALUKICH/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

The Redwood Coast

A few minutes craning your neck at the world’s tallest trees, contemplating what it means to be standing before a 2000-year-old living thing, and the day-to-day world feels far away. It is. Most people never make it to this northernmost edge of the state, but consider this: there's no other place on the globe where coast redwoods grow. And the primordial forest – lush with spiky prehistoric ferns and hot-pink azalea flowers – is as biologically complex as the rainforest. Carpe diem: brave the drive.

MNSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Mt Shasta

No other mountain in California stirs the imagination quite like Mt Shasta ( GOOGLE MAP c). Its conical summit rises over 14,000ft from the sea-level Central Valley flatlands, and stays shrouded by snow many months of the year. Native tribes believed a god left heaven to live on its summit. John Muir said it made his ‘blood turn to wine.’ An early-20th-century explorer reported a city of mummies 11 miles below its surface. New Agers claim it's an energy vortex in the earth. Find your own metaphor on a hike to the summit.

CHRISTOPHER BOSWELL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Lost Coast

If you crave getting as far away as possible from the sound of civilization and internal combustion engines, you can't get further than the Lost Coast, the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in California. The King Range rises so abruptly from the Pacific Ocean – a mile nearly straight up – that building a road on its flanks proved impossible. The only way to reach this windswept foggy shore is to hike in. Along the way, spot roaming herds of Roosevelt elk, rusted-out shipwrecks, and wide-open vistas of the roaring sea.

PETE NIESEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Nevada City & Gold Country

Judging by a trip to the Gold Country's most famous town, you'd think that the forty-niners stormed California in search of antiques shops, ice-cream parlors, and frilly B&Bs. Nevada City may be the most famous, but it's not the only well-preserved town along winding Hwy 49, aka the Gold Country Hwy. Plan to visit Columbia State Historic Park for a glimpse of the Wild West, complete with swinging saloon doors; and detour from the main road to find Murphys, which looks like it always has (except for the horseless carriages).

Nevada City | ALEXANDER HOWARD/LONELY PLANET ©

Top Experiences

Santa Cruz & Capitola

Though local surfers, hippies, college students and left-wing political activists would totally disagree, Santa Cruz feels more like Southern California than Northern. Blame geography: Santa Cruz faces south, not west, and gets drenched in sunshine. The beach is everybody's backyard. After exploring the park-like campus of USC, and shopping downtown for records and vintage clothing, hit the sand. No visit is complete without a trip to the famous Boardwalk and a ride aboard the bone-rattling Giant Dipper, a century-old wooden roller coaster and National Historic Landmark right on Main Beach.

Main Beach, Santa Cruz | JEFF SMITH - PERSPECTIVES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Muir Woods

Pictures don't do justice to Muir Woods National Monument – you simply can't appreciate the scale of the world's tallest trees until you're standing beneath them, watching fog swirl in the branches like evanescing ghosts. Muir Woods is tiny compared with northern redwood parks but it's just a half-day trip from San Francisco, providing a glimpse of the trees without the long drive. Get here first thing to beat crowds, and then make sure to ascend nearby Mt Tamalpais – by foot or car – for bird's-eye vistas of ocean and forest.

LEONARD ZHUKOVSKY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Guerneville

A perfect day in gay-friendly Guerneville begins with tasting earthy Pinots and green apple pie in the town's refurbished 1921 bank that recently became an adorable retail and gallery space. Next, float down the lazy Russian River with a few friends and a flask, then go play bingo with a bunch of indulgent, gender-bending nuns. If there's still time, get sweaty strolling among the world's tallest trees in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and then cool off at one of R3 Hotel's clothing-optional pool parties.

BARRY WINIKER/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Wilderness Camping

Nowhere else in the US has the majestic natural beauty Northern California does, making its campgrounds some of the country's most desirable. Whether it's the high-mountain forests of the Trinity Alps, the granite domes of Yosemite, the forgotten expanse of the Lost Coast, or lonely Angel Island right in San Francisco Bay, you'll find many breathtaking and beautiful places to sleep beneath the stars. For serious hiking, plan a backpacking trip along the epic Pacific Crest Trail, which runs all the way from Canada to Mexico.

Angel Island | CDRIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Need to Know

Currency

US dollars ($)

Language

English

Visas

Visa information is highly subject to change. Double-check current visa requirements before coming to the USA on the State Department's US Visa website (https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html).

Money

ATMs and banks widely available. Credit cards required for car and hotel reservations. Checks rarely accepted. Tipping is customary, not optional.

Cell Phones

Foreign GSM multiband phones will work in the USA. Prepaid cell phones are widely available. Coverage can be spotty in remote areas.

Time

Pacific Time Zone (GMT/UTC minus eight hours)

When to Go

High Season (Jun–Aug)

A Accommodations are at their most expensive; weekday rates are cheaper, especially at popular weekend destinations, such as Wine Country.

A During holiday weekends, prices for accommodations increase dramatically.

Shoulder (Sep–Oct, Mar–May)

A Prices drop in fall and spring.

A Best time to visit the national parks, as they're less crowded and generally accessible, especially in autumn, before snow season.

Low Season (Nov–Feb)

A Crowds vanish at national parks and in Wine Country, but not at ski towns in the Sierra Nevada.

A Prices and occupancy spike during holidays.

A Lake Tahoe has high-season pricing in wintertime (ski season); highest rates are around Christmastime.

Useful Websites

California Travel & Tourism Commission (www.visitcalifornia.com) Multilingual trip-planning guides.

SF Gate Travel (www.sfgate.com/travel) Travel features and Bay Area getaways.

Redwood Hikes (www.redwoodhikes.com) A guide to walking under old-growth redwood.

Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/california) Destination information, hotel bookings, traveler forum and more.

California State Parks (www.parks.ca.gov) Outdoor activities and free e-guides.

Caltrans (www.dot.ca.gov) Highway information.

Important Numbers

Exchange Rates

For current exchange rates see www.xe.com.

Daily Costs

Budget: Less than $100

A Burrito for dinner: $6–10

A Campsites: $20–40

A Hostels: $25–40

A Museum admission: free (once per month) to $10

A Public transit in San Francisco: $2.25; cable cars: $7

Midrange: $100–200

A Two-star motel room: $75–150

A Car rental: from $30 per day, plus insurance and gas

A Short taxi trip: $8–15, plus tip

Top End: More than $200

A Single-day rafting trip: $135

A Meal in top restaurant: $60–75, plus alcohol and tip

A Three-star lodging: from $150

Opening Hours

Standard opening hours:

Banks 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, to 6pm Friday, some 9am to 12:30pm Saturday

Bars 5pm to 2am daily (to midnight in rural areas)

Business hours (general) 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

Nightclubs 9pm to 2am Thursday to Saturday

Post offices 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, some 9am to noon Saturday

Restaurants 7am to 10:30am, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 9:30pm daily, some later Friday and Saturday

Shops 10am to 6pm or 7pm Monday to Saturday, noon to 5pm Sunday (malls open later)

Arriving in Northern California

San Francisco International Airport BART to downtown ($8.95, 30 minutes). Door-to-door shuttles ($15 to $20, one hour); find shuttles upstairs at departures level. Taxis to downtown cost $40 to $55, plus 15% tip (30 to 50 minutes).

Oakland International Airport Trams ($6) connect airport with BART station; BART to downtown SF ($3.80, 25 minutes). Taxis to downtown SF cost about $65.

Sacramento International Airport Good for Wine Country, Yosemite, Gold Country and Sierra Nevada. Capitol Corridor (www.capitolcorridor.org) trains connect to the Bay Area (from $19); transfer to BART in Richmond.

Getting Around

A car is a nuisance in San Francisco, but a necessity everywhere else in Northern California.

Car Essential for travel at your own pace. Drive on the right. For highway information, contact Caltrans (www.dot.ca.gov).

Train Amtrak serves many cities in Northern California; uses connecting bus services from main train routes to lesser destinations. Read schedules carefully; look for bus icons to determine which routes are served by bus, not train.

Bus Greyhound serves major California cities, with limited service on the coast. Other companies, notably around San Francisco, serve the suburbs and parts of Wine Country.

Air Because of the state's size, consider flying between some cities (you'll need a rental car when you arrive in secondary cities and towns).

For more information, see Survival Guide and Transport

If You Like…

Majestic Scenery

Northern California has some of America's most spectacular natural lands. Make time for at least one national park.

Yosemite National Park High meadows and granite domes; this was conservationist John Muir’s wonderland.

Lassen Volcanic National Park Discover alien lava fields, sulfuric mud pots and a snow-capped dormant volcano.

Redwood National and State Parks ( GOOGLE MAP c) The world's tallest trees date from prehistory at this patchwork of parks.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Stand agape beneath the world's most massive living things; hike into California’s wildest canyon wilderness.

Marin Headlands Across the Golden Gate from San Francisco, eagles and hawks circle above dramatic cliffs; find hiking trails and hidden beaches.

Point Reyes National Seashore Driving the elk-studded hills of this super-green wonderland by the sea is the stuff of legends and fairy tales.

History

Gold Country Follow in the footsteps of Western pioneers and hardscrabble miners, or pan for real gold yourself.

Sutter's Fort State Historic Park The highest ground in Sacramento, this historic fort was California’s first major settlement.

Alcatraz ‘The Rock’ – America’s first military prison – rises just offshore from San Francisco.

Bodie State Historic Park California's creepiest, biggest ghost town, preserved in a state of arrested decay.

Manzanar National Historic Site Commemorates the Japanese Americans interned here during WWII.

Sonoma State Historic Park Offers multiple historic sites, some dating back to the 1820s when California still belonged to Mexico.

Bodie State Historic Park | STEVE SMITH/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Small Towns

Ferndale With Victorian-era ‘butterfat mansions,’ this former dairy capital made the National Register of Historic Places.

Mendocino Tiny New England–style town, on a fog-shrouded rocky peninsula by the sea.

Angels Camp Twain wrote on jumping frogs here, and the place still buzzes with gold-rush history.

Weaverville Beneath the majestic Trinity Alps, this tiny berg has an ancient Chinese temple but no stoplights.

Boonville Great food, stylish lodging, a killer brewery and dynamic wineries make for a brilliant escape.

Nevada City Once brimming with gold prospectors, this well-preserved town now offers antique shops and charming B&Bs.

Lakes

Lake Tahoe Come summer to swim and sail; come wintertime to ski with a big blue view.

Shasta Lake Party with your friends on a houseboat, or find tranquility hiking endless miles of shoreline.

Eagle Lake ( GOOGLE MAP %877-444-6777; www.eaglelakerecreationarea.com) Navigate gorgeous two-lane roads to the pristine surroundings of Cali's third-largest natural lake.

Mono Lake Eerie towers of calcium carbonate abound – plan to kayak and bird-watch here, not swim.

Tenaya Lake ( GOOGLE MAP ) California's prettiest, glittering blue lake is along the high-country summertime-only road through Yosemite.

Bass Lake A local Marin swimming hole perfect for a cool dip after the moderately strenuous, 3-mile hike.

Museums

de Young Museum A copper-skinned temple to global art in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

California Academy of Sciences San Francisco’s natural-history museum and aquarium breathes ‘green’ in its eco-certified design, with a four-story rainforest and living roof.

California Museum Sacramento's modern-history museum highlights famous people and lesser-known tales from the state's past.

Laws Railroad Museum Old West aficionados love Bishop's original 1883 train depot and museum.

Charles M Schulz Museum An homage to the creator of Peanuts cartoons, who was a Santa Rosa resident.

Musée Mécaniqué Collection of gold-rush era penny arcade games and artifacts, located at Fisherman's Wharf.

California Academy of Sciences | LUZ ROSA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Live Music

Fillmore Auditorium Built by Bill Graham in the ’60s and advertising past shows by The Dead, The Doors, Radiohead and Adele.

Yoshi’s In Oakland's Jack London Sq, Yoshi's stages top talents in jazz and blues and serves delish Japanese food.

San Francisco Symphony Under the baton of famous conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the SFS often wins Grammys.

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace Shine your boots and don pressed denim at the premier country-music venue in the Central Valley.

High Sierra Music Festival Top-notch folk and jam band festival in the middle of nowhere (read: no crowds).

Skinny Dippin'

Northern California has a remarkable variety of au naturel hot springs and swimming spots. These are but a few.

Orr Hot Springs Connect with your inner hippie, camp beneath the stars and soak in thermal waters, just hours from San Francisco.

Esalen Institute ( GOOGLE MAP %831-667-3000; www.esalen.org; 55000 Hwy 1) Big Sur’s blissful retreat is spendy, but the memory of soaking in a bath on a ledge over the crashing Pacific will last a lifetime.

Finnish Country Sauna and Tubs Private open-air redwood tubs and a European coffeehouse vibe make this a unique North Coast soak.

Baker Beach Most days you'll need a sweater, but when the sun's out, head to the northern end of San Francisco’s principal clothing-optional beach.

R3 Hotel Best clothing-optional pool parties in all the land.

Mind-Bending Festivals

Northern California hosts some of the most wild, wacky and wonderful festivals in the nation. Not for the xenophobic, these festivals are a study in diversity.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass San Francisco’s best free music festival hosts three days of A-list folk, rock, bluegrass and country artists.

Reggae on the River In the heart of Humboldt County, this music event is all dreadlocks and Jamaican-influenced jams.

Burning Man A trippy art party that also happens to be the world's greatest experiment in culture and community.

San Francisco Pride Month The last Sunday in June, a million people descend upon San Francisco to celebrate Gay Pride Day.

Bay to Breakers May's zany, costumed Embarcadero to Ocean Beach race; joggers dressed as salmon run upstream.

Kinetic Grand Championship An elaborate, yearly sculpture race otherwise known as the triathlon of the art world.

Beautiful Coastline

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park This remote crescent-shaped beach is a stunner – and includes a waterfall that drains into the sea.

Point Reyes National Seashore Migrating whales, incredible birding, excellent hiking and kayaking on a pristine peninsula, an hour from San Francisco.

Redwood Coast Mysterious and majestic, this wild coast of big trees and brooding surf feels lost in time.

Sonoma Coast State Beach A series of rocky coves and sandy beaches reveal the awesome power of nature.

Big Sur This enchanting, rugged stretch of Hwy 1 wins for its cypress trees, rocky cliffs and striking ocean vistas.

Month by Month

Top Events

California State Fair, July

North Lake Tahoe SnowFest, March

Pride Month, June

Mendocino Coast Whale Festivals, March

Burning Man, August

January

Typically California's wettest month. Coastal regions go quiet. The hills turn green. Mountain ski resorts are packed on weekends, quiet on weekdays. Bay Area skies gray. Wine Country a bargain.

z Chinese New Year

San Francisco’s Chinatown (www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/events/chinesenewyearparade.html) sounds like a war zone, as firecrackers announce the lunar new year with parades, lion dancers and street vendors. Late January, early February.

February

Rain up and down the coast, heavy snow in the mountains – ski season is in full swing. Beach towns and the Wine Country are quiet.

2 Wildlife-Watching

Don't let rain keep you indoors – February is prime time to spot whales migrating offshore, colonies of elephant seals mating and birthing, monarch butterflies roosting in the trees, and hundreds of bird species along the Pacific Flyway.

March

Following winter's rains, the entire state turns deep green, just for March – except the Sierra Nevada, which remains white. California poppies appear along the coast.

z North Lake Tahoe SnowFest

Celebrating the peak of the winter season, this wild affair (http://tahoesnowfest.org) celebrates all things snow, with costume parties, ski competitions, parades and (of course) a snow queen contest.

z Mendocino Coast Whale Festivals

As the northbound winter migration of gray whales peaks, Mendocino and Fort Bragg fill three weekends with food and wine tasting, art shows, marine-mammal educational exhibits and naturalist-guided walks and talks.

5 California Artisan Cheese Festival

The ultimate cheese party (www.artisancheesefestival.com), involving farm tours held far and wide, curious cheese courses and cheesemonger contests. Attendants can get involved in multi-course pairings matching cheese with beer, wine and cocktails, and the whole thing is done to promote 'an awareness of cheesemaking.'

2 World Naked Bike Ride

The increasingly popular San Francisco event is one of many taking place across the world in protest of our global economy's dependency on oil. The SF version gets super-naked, though. Bring sunscreen.

April

Shoulder season on the coast and mountains brings hotel deals – except during spring break, around Easter. Wildflower season peaks at lower elevations and Gold Country wildflowers bloom. Tahoe spring skiing is at its best – as are Yosemite's waterfalls.

5 San Joaquin Asparagus Festival

A noteworthy celebration of stinky little green stalks. Where else on earth are you going to find asparagus ice cream?

z San Francisco International Film Festival

Since 1957, North America's longest-running film festival has been bringing independent-minded films to San Francisco, including provocative global premiers; late April, early May.

3 Perpetual Indulgence in Dolores Park

On Easter Sunday, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (Catholic drag queens) stage an Easter egg hunt, bonnet contest and the notorious Hunky Jesus Contest in San Francisco's Dolores Park.

z Redwood Coast Music Festival

This Dixieland celebration (http://www.rcmfest.org) held each April in Eureka has long focused on hot jazz, but over the years has expanded to other musical genres and a great many venues.

May

Weather warms statewide, dry season begins. Coastal fog forms as the sun's now-hot rays hit the icy Pacific. Summer begins Memorial Day weekend – among the year’s busiest weekends. Yosemite rangers install cables for climbers ascending Half Dome.

2 Kinetic Grand Championship

Over Memorial Day weekend, this ‘triathlon of the art world’ is a three-day, 38-mile race, from Arcata to Ferndale, of human-powered, self-propelled contraptions that defy definition. Competitors – all tinkerers and inventors – are hell-bent on outdoing one another.

z Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair

Sonoma County's très chic capital of gastronomy reverts to its agrarian roots for this country fair, featuring the future farmers' parade, when little children display baby animals and the whole town cheers.

June

School's out by the end of the month; family travel begins. Everywhere is busy. Coastal fog – 'June gloom' – thickens and spreads over San Francisco, drawn through the Golden Gate by the Central Valley’s intense heat.

z Pride Month

Out and proud since 1970, San Francisco’s big, bawdy celebrations take place throughout June, with costumed parades, coming-out parties, live music, DJs and more. It’s one of the city’s most joyful events.

July

At the peak of summer, the trails of Yosemite get crowded; the Central Valley gets blazingly hot. July 4 is summer’s busiest weekend; towns host fairs and fireworks. Lake Tahoe's high season begins.

z California State Fair

A million people come to Sacramento's fairgrounds ( GOOGLE MAP c) for two weeks in July to pet pigs and cheer horse races, browse blue ribbons, and sample California wines and microbrews. Special events – such as concerts and bull-riding – draw huge crowds.

3 Reggae on the River

Come party with the ‘Humboldt Nation’ of hippies, Rastafarians, tree-huggers and other beloved NorCal eccentrics for two days of live reggae bands, arts and crafts, barbecue, juggling, unicycling, camping and swimming; mid-July.

5 Gilroy Garlic Festival

A long-standing and massive three-day celebration of Gilroy's pungent claim to fame, held at Christmas Hill Park and involving live music on three stages, cooking demonstrations and various family activities.

August

Warm weather keeps Santa Cruz beaches crowded; non-south-facing coastal areas remain shrouded in fog three days out of four. Europeans throng San Francisco. Wildflowers peak in the High Sierra.

5 Strawberry Festival at Monterey Bay

The messy marquee event (hearly Aug) at this Watsonville festival is the pie-eating contest, but live music and tons of fruit keep families entertained. The berries are entirely local: Watsonville produces almost 90% of all the strawberries grown in the US.

z Burning Man

Although Burning Man (https://burningman.org) happens in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, it began in San Francisco and draws tens of thousands of Northern Californians, who celebrate art's ephemeral nature, radical inclusion, self-reliance and self-expression. No commerce or advertising allowed. Make arrangements way ahead.

September

Summer’s last hurrah is Labor Day weekend, when cities empty and parks get crowded. High Sierra aspens turn gold. School resumes. Fog clears at the coast; San Francisco warms. Wine Country begins its harvest.

3 Monterey Jazz Festival

A roster of iconic artists and young jazz visionaries arrive to play one of the world’s longest-running jazz festivals, featuring outdoor concerts and more intimate indoor shows over a long weekend in mid-September.

October

6 Vineyard Festivals

California’s wine regions celebrate their harvest with star-chef food-and-wine shindigs, grape-stomping ‘crush’ parties and barrel tastings; some events start in September.

z Litquake

San Francisco’s thrilling literary festival features readings, storytelling hours, workshops, author appearances, guided walking tours and a ‘LitCrawl’ between Mission district pubs.

5 Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

Pays homage to pumpkins, art, wine and community, not necessarily in that order. The event (http://pumpkinfest.miramarevents.com) has been held in the ostensible world pumpkin capital for more than 45 years.

November

Rain and snow begin to fall and ski season begins at the end of the month. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are cold and dark; nobody travels at this time, and hotel rates plummet.

z Día de los Muertos

Mexican communities honor ancestors on November 2 with costumed parades, sugar skulls, graveyard picnics and candlelight processions. Join the colorful festivities in San Francisco’s Mission District.

December

Hoards descend for skiing in Tahoe. Roads to Yosemite are closed in the winter, and rain can sometimes flood Wine Country. San Fran is lit up with holiday lights and music performances.

z Great Dickens Christmas Fair

Over several winter weekends, San Francisco’s Cow Palace is transformed into a scene out of Victorian London, where lamp-lit, treasure-filled shops line the street and vendors hawk their wares. The event (www.dickensfair.com) includes hundreds of costumed performers, along with music halls, pubs and dance floors.

z Fairytale Winter Wonderland

Over two December weekends Sacramento hosts Fairytale Town, a celebration of all traditions winter throughout the world held in William Land Park. The town is aglow with twinkling lights and holiday decor, and populated with live entertainers, performers, artists and the like.

Itineraries

San Francisco, Marin County & Wine Country

1 Week

This classic NorCal itinerary explores San Francisco, then heads north up the rugged coast and inland to Wine Country.

San Francisco begs exploration – its hills, cable cars, glorious bay and dynamic culture are unique in the world. Wander hidden alleyways in Chinatown, see Beat-poet hangouts in North Beach and ascend Telegraph Hill beneath flocks of wild parrots. Head to Golden Gate Park for gorgeous gardens and thrilling museums, then make for the Mission District to find colorful murals and delicious tacos. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands and hike cliffs rising straight from the Pacific. Or wander among redwoods – the world's tallest trees – at cathedral-like Muir Woods National Monument. For a full-day trip, go whale-watching on the rugged coast of Point Reyes National Seashore. Stay the night.

Explore Sonoma Coast State Beach, near Bodega Bay, then cut inland to tiny Occidental and Wine Country to spend another night. Recharge in thermal springs and mud baths in Calistoga before sampling famous California vintages in the surrounding Napa Valley. Grab a fancy meal in downtown Napa and return to San Francisco via Sonoma to explore historic sights between visits to wine-tasting rooms.

Alamo Square Park, San Francisco | CANADASTOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Itineraries

Up the Coast

10 Days

The serpentine stretch of Hwy 1 (and Hwy 101) between San Luis Obispo and the Oregon border is among Northern California’s most epic road trips, connecting cute beach towns, rugged coastline and majestic redwood forests.

Start with a delicious breakfast and a stroll among the cafes and boutiques of college town San Luis Obispo before heading for jaw-dropping Hearst Castle (reservations are essential). Here begins one of America’s most famous and dramatic drives: the Big Sur coast, 1000ft above the Pacific and lush with cypress trees. Spend at least one night between Hearst Castle and Santa Cruz. Choose your adventure: a romantic hideaway in Big Sur, the West's best aquarium at Monterey, or a classic beachside amusement park, complete with boardwalk and bone-rattling wooden roller coaster, in Santa Cruz. Or combine them over several days.

Get an early start for San Francisco, the thrilling urban centerpiece of the trip. Spend at least two days exploring the City by the Bay, being sure to wander through the verdant Golden Gate Park and tap into Beat-poet culture in North Beach. Then continue north for a day to the stunningly scenic Point Reyes National Seashore and Sonoma Coast State Beach, where you can pick up baguettes and some incredible cheese and stop for picnicking, tide-pooling and whale-watching. Here the coast gets wild again, with windswept bluffs and nary a traffic light. Spend a couple of nights in a seaside cottage near Gualala and lollygag on hidden beaches; or book a B&B in moody Mendocino to gallery-hop, explore rocky headlands and fall asleep beside a toasty, crackling fire.

Hwy 1 cuts inland and joins four-lane Hwy 101 at the Lost Coast, the North Coast's premier backpacking destination. Leave the main highway to follow the parallel-running Avenue of the Giants, flanked by towering redwoods. Most people turn around after the Avenue, but to see the depth of the redwood forests, keep going north. Detour from the main road for lunch in the cute-as-a-button Victorian village of Ferndale, or the wildly progressive college town of Arcata. Spend two days exploring the magnificent ancient groves of Redwood National and State Parks before returning south.

Itineraries

Northern California Classics

3 Weeks

To see Northern California's most spectacular scenery, plan to make a loop around the entire region. Begin with a dose of big-city culture in San Francisco. Get a taste of the California food scene at the Ferry Building market, then hop on a ferry to notorious Alcatraz. Plan to ride a cable car, wander the waterfront, and discover the spectacular gardens and museums of Golden Gate Park. Head north over the famous Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County and the windswept coastline of Point Reyes National Seashore. California’s most famous grapes grow nearby in Wine Country – leave time to explore the over-the-top wineries of Napa Valley and historic Sonoma. If you've extra time, get lost on back roads in the Russian River Valley. Wine Country meets the boondocks in hidden Anderson Valley, on the way north to coastal Mendocino, a picture-perfect New England–like village on rocky Pacific headlands above the roaring surf.

Work your way north, past Leggett, where Hwy 1 cuts inland and joins Hwy 101; here begins the Redwood Coast, home to the world's tallest trees. In Humboldt Redwoods State Park ( GOOGLE MAP c) drive beneath towering redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants. Stop for a night in conservative Eureka, with its pretty waterfront and candy-colored Victorians; or let your hair down with the college kids in Eureka's left-leaning neighbor, Arcata. Turn east on Hwy 299 for a mountainous scenic drive toward gold-rush-era Weaverville, skirting the lake-studded Trinity Alps. Head north on I-5 to gape at stunning Mt Shasta, then head southeast on Hwy 89 to Lassen Volcanic National Park, that hellishly beautiful volcanic landscape in the Cascade Range. Keep trucking southeast on Hwy 89 to Lake Tahoe, a four-season mountain resort. Spend a couple of nights. Afterward, cut south down the Eastern Sierra and Hwy 395 to the back-door entrance into Yosemite National Park, via summertime-only Tioga Rd.

If you've time, tack on a drive down spectacularly scenic Hwy 395, which passes between the highest and lowest points in the contiguous US: Mt Whitney and Death Valley. Otherwise, after a night or two in Yosemite Valley, head west and then south to check out Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where you can wander groves of giant sequoias – the world’s most massive living things.

Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park | DAN POPOVICI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Plan Your Trip

Road Trips & Scenic Drives

With such incredibly dramatic scenery, Northern California is ready-made for road-tripping. Budget 50 miles per hour, except along popular coastal and high-mountain routes (such as Hwy 1 on the Big Sur Coast, or Tioga Rd across Yosemite's High Country), where traffic slows to half that. Confirm your rental has unlimited mileage – you'll need it!

Driving Time & Distances from San Francisco

The following don’t account for rush-hour traffic, gas stops or detours.

Napa Valley 49 miles, 1¼ hours

Yosemite National Park 165 miles, 3½ hours