Must-sees north of SF (Santa Rosa, Vallejo: live, association, suburbs)

[LexusNexus]

I've lived in the bay area for 25 years, and I've never had the opportunity to explore the region north of the city, outside of Sausalito. I've been to Santa Rosa only one time, but my work keeps me pretty much between SF and SJ. I'd like to spend at least a week touring this region of the state, and I'm looking for recommendations on places that are must-sees from anyone familiar. Thanks.

[ccm123]

Don't know if you have been, but Napa and Sonoma County is great during the fall. California Wine Country is one of my favorite places. I love St Helena and Calistoga.

[Ruth4Truth]

The Russian fort, from the days of Russian Alaska: Fort Ross, California

And NorCal's last Mexican general, Mariano Vallejo's home: Docent Council of Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks Association - General Mariano Vallejo's Home

[Chava61]

I too would say Napa Valley wine country!

NapaValley.com | Explore Napa Valley

[04kL4nD]

Humboldt county is well worth a weekend trip- Avenue of the Giants, Patricks Point, Redwood National Park, Trinidad, etc. Aside from that, the Mount Shasta area is pretty incredible too, along with Lassan National Park. Wine country is great, but the northern most parts of the state are pretty spectacular...

[sav858]

Wine County...meh. If you're looking for stunning scenery explore the northern coast and the Redwood forests. Mendocino County coast including the town of Mendocino is a pretty nice weekend trip imo.

[MauiPartTimer]

I'd add Mt. Tam and Muir Woods to the list, as well as the Russian River.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Humboldt county is well worth a weekend trip- Avenue of the Giants, Patricks Point, Redwood National Park, Trinidad, etc. Aside from that, the Mount Shasta area is pretty incredible too, along with Lassan National Park. Wine country is great, but the northern most parts of the state are pretty spectacular...

Agreed. You can do Wine country over the course of a few Saturdays (which I recommend). But if you really want to explore areas north of SF, you should set out and see the many awesome parts of Northern CA. These are some of my favorite places in the entire state (and even in entire the country).

The Trinity Alps over to Mt. Shasta/Lassen, and the Redwood covered mountains of the northern coastal range (especially in the "Lost Coast" area) are among the most scenic places in the entire country to me. And are never crowded.

I'd recommend a drive up Highway 1/101 towards Eureka/Crescent City. Stopping at sites/parks on the way. Then head inland on the windy and meandering (but very scenic) 299 through the Coastal Range and Trinity Alps towards the Cascade region of the state. From there, you can check out Lava Beds, Mt. Shasta, and Lassen. There are many places to see, and one post wouldn't be enough to go through that. When you've had enough, you can make your way south back to the Bay Area (on I-5 if you're in a hurry).

Some of these areas have some of the best wilderness in the state. The Sierra Nevada are spectacular, but the northern mountain ranges of the state are equally beautiful to me and are pretty under appreciated in comparison. Which is probably a good thing, keeps them free of people (unlike places like Yosemite). You can choose to really get "lost" on long hikes (such as the Lost Coast hike, or many hikes in the Trinity Alps). But there are also many easy/short excursions that are very easily accessible to people of any level of fitness (mostly in the big State Parks/National Parks), so these places are great for anyone.

There are also many great little towns in the northern part of the state with interesting history that are worth seeing (Mendocino, Fort Bragg, Eureka, Weaverville, Mt. Shasta among many others). None of them are going to be big cities like SF (or even really small cities like Bay Area suburbs), so you'll get a completely different Californian experience. If you're into checking out some wine/beer on the way, there are some good ones: Anderson Valley wineries (there are many), Lost Coast brewery, Anderson Valley Brewery, North Coast Brewery are among my favorite places.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

I'd add Mt. Tam and Muir Woods to the list, as well as the Russian River.

This. And Stinson Beach. It's also worth checking out the San Andreas Fault on the way up to Pt. Reyes and Bodega Bay. Tomales Bay was created by the fault action directly underneath, revealing the part of west Marin county that's peeling away from the North American continent. There are Tule deer herds to be viewed on the drive to Pt. Reyes, and a local science center that studies environmental issues and local fauna.

Also check out the quaint, historic town of Pt. Reyes Station http://www.pointreyes.org/pointreyes-marin-county.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomales_Bay

http://www.nps.gov/pore/ Pt. Reyes National Seashore info

[bmw335xi]

I love hiking around Stinson Beach. Specifically the Steep Ravine - Matt Davis Trail Loop